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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Slipping into fall, a time for reflection and giving thanks. We couldn't be more grateful to YOU, our community, who sustains us in so many ways. At our recent Taste of Queen Anne fundraiser we raised an astonishing $161,958 at last count! This is critically needed funding that will go a long way to support our efforts to prevent homelessness through our rent and move-in assistance programs.
I often tell people this is the best job I have ever had because it is gratifying in a deep and profound way. I am inspired every day by your caring and generosity and also by the strength and resilience of the people we help.
I am also immensely moved by the simple acts of kindness I see in this community on a regular basis. From the person who called us when they encountered a hungry and disoriented person in the Safeway parking lot, and then walked that person to our office, to the school counselor who referred a homeless family to us, your caring is emblematic of what this community is about.
You provide thousands of hours of volunteer help each year, helping us keep our overhead low. At the Taste of Queen Anne this year you coordinated restaurants and raffle prizes, decorated and cleaned up, served and cleared tables. We had help from the Women's Philanthropic Investment Group (WPIG), SPU students, high school students, Rotary Club members, Chamber members, HomeStreet Bank employees, and many, many neighbors -- including our fantastic event chair, Giselle Warner, who did an amazing job!
During the Taste our emcee, David Silverman, reminded us all that giving is a learned behavior. When school classes come to visit, when high school students organize food and clothing drives, when kids request Helpline donations in lieu of birthday presents or help pack weekend food bags, they are learning the value of giving and the joy that comes from helping others and being part of a larger community.
As you'll see below there are several different opportunities to help in the coming weeks, some of which are family-friendly. Whether it's packing holiday food bags, cashiering at our Christmas Tree lot, or purchasing your holiday decorations from us we hope to see you soon.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Warmly,
Lisa
Lisa Moore, Executive Director
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Taste Blows Pasts Fundraising Record!
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The annual Taste of Queen Anne fundraiser for the Helpline was a smashing success, raising more than $160,000! Held October 15 in St. Anne Banchero Hall, a crowd of more than 250 enjoyed delicious specialties from 22 local restaurants. A raffle orchestrated by emcee David Silverman added fun and excitement to an evening of terrific dining, camaraderie, and fabulous jazz from the Tim Kennedy Trio. Helpline Director Lisa Moore addressed the urgent and growing needs in our area, saying the Helpline is "laser focused on homelessness prevention." Guest speakers included Mayor Ed Murray who enthusiastically supported the Helpline's
successful programs, and former client Violet Lavatai, who movingly told of her own financial crisis as a single mom with a teenage son and the compassionate help she received.
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Generous support from the following sponsors ensured all proceeds from the evening would go directly to programs helping neighbors in need: Title Sponsor HomeStreet Bank; Metropolitan Market; Amazon; Vulcan; Davis Wright Tremaine; Siderius Lonergan Martin; Union Bank; Aegis Living of Queen Anne at Rodgers Park; Bayview Community; Ron Wright & Associates; Emerald Bay Equity; Quantitative Social Science; Ellen Gillette, Windermere; Windermere Real Estate Wall St.; Sellen Construction; Ken Graff, Coldwell Banker Bank; and Rafael Carrabba Violins. Table sponsors included Umpqua Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and many more.
Huge thanks to participating restaurants including: Agave Cocina, Bounty Kitchen, Cask & Trotter, Chocolopolis, Eden Hill, Grappa, Hilltop Ale House, How to Cook a Wolf, Jewel Hospitality, Kaspars, LloydMartin, Maggie Bluffs, Mezcaleria Oaxaca, Mullusk, Mondello Ristorante Italiano, Morfey's Cake, Pagliacci Pizza, Queen Bee, Taylor Shellfish Farms Oyster Bar, Ten Mercer, The 5 Spot, Toulouse Petit Kitchen & Lounge, and T.S. McHugh's Irish Pub & Restaurant.
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| Single Mom Sings Helpline Praises Sometimes being a hard worker just isn't enough. During the economic downtown of 2008, Violet found herself laid off. After a lifetime of working, she was suddenly jobless with a young son to support. Desperately applying for jobs everywhere didn't produce results and soon the two were homeless and living out of their car. After a short period of homelessness, Violet was able to move into temporary housing and go back to school to earn an accounting degree. Violet was profoundly affected by her period of homelessness and once stabilized, started volunteering with the tenants union, ultimately being hired as a community organizer. Eventually, Violet was able to move into permanent housing and her son started high school, but he was struggling and just not fitting in. Then he discovered the choir program and high school football. Both became motivators for him and suddenly he was feeling good about himself and doing well. But these programs have lots of associated fees that weren't in Violet's tight budget. She could pay the fees or pay her rent, not both. Stressed and fearful of becoming homeless again, but also worrying about her son if he had to quit these programs, she hesitantly turned to the Queen Anne Helpline where she found a compassionate ear and immediate support to see her through this temporary crisis. The Helpline was able to alleviate Violet's fears, giving her the help she needed to support her son and allow her to "breathe again." With this help, she and her son were able to stay in their home and he is continuing on his path of success in school, for which Violet is forever grateful. |
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We are so pleased to welcome Notae Eddo to our team. In the short time she has been here, she has already contributed so much. She will be working on special projects and with our case manager, Liz. Here's a little more about her.
I grew up in Dale City, Virginia. I received my Bachelor's from George Mason University in 2016, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Women and Gender Studies. I have always been drawn to community development and social issues. For me, I found Psychology and Women and Gender studies to naturally be part of those discussions. In my academic and professional career, I sought out many experiences that catered to my desire to work with and for people, while including social justice in the conversation. Research gave me a clear perspective at just how important community resources are to people's life pathways.
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My desire is to promote the importance of mental health to the community through my work. When I came across the Queen Anne Helpline's name as a work study employer, I was naturally interested in them simply because of the term "helpline" in their name. Upon further researching the organization, I was pleasantly surprised by what it stood for. This is an organization created on the merit of helping their community and demonstrating dignity and respect. These are values I find personally important. Further, they are the most important values to a functional, healthy, and positive society.
Currently, I am working on my M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Antioch University, and I hope to organize community development throughout my career.
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Volunteer Spotlight -- Hannah Jackson
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Hannah moved to Queen Anne last year with her son Ayden from Hyderabad, India, after living abroad in Southern Africa and Asia since 2011. She focused her education and work on community development of social injustices. Having worked with homeless and vulnerable populations involved in refugee resettlement and campaigns against human trafficking, the Helpline caught her attention during the annual Fun Run. Hoping to teach her son the importance of community and always interested in issues around homelessness and eviction prevention strategy in Seattle, Hannah enjoys volunteering at the front desk. Once in a while, Ayden pops by to help clients with their personal shopping if not to be an enthusiastic greeter.
We love Hannah's heart and quiet energy. She's always willing to take the extra step to help clients. And staff and clients alike love Ayden's visits as he enthusiastically helps out!
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Visit Our Christmas Tree Lot!
One stop shopping for all your holiday decorations. We are once again partnering with Boy Scout Troop 72 to offer trees, wreaths, garland and more! Shop early for the best tree selection as there is a shortage this year.
Opens Saturday, November 26th at 9 am.
Corner of Boston Street and Queen Anne Avenue in the northeast Safeway parking lot.
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Holiday Volunteer Opportunities
The holiday season is upon us once again! And that means we are working to help make the holidays a little brighter for some of our most vulnerable neighbors.
We'd love to have your help!
Christmas Tree Lot
Thanksgiving Groceries for Seniors
Once again we are soliciting donations so that we may pack bags of Thanksgiving groceries that will be delivered directly to local seniors in need. Our goal is to fill and deliver 100 bags! All Saints Church has stepped up to fill 50 of these bags for us.
We created a SignUp Genius if you'd like to purchase food items needed for these bags or if you'd like to volunteer to pack the bags and/or deliver the bags to seniors. Here is the link:
Volunteer to help with Thanksgiving groceries
Holiday Groceries for Families
This year we are also offering bags of Holiday groceries for local families (with children) in need; families can simply come into our office to pick up the bags from December 1 - 22. The bags will contain a substantial amount of non-perishable items and include a gift card for families to purchase other items of their choice (
i.e., meat, bread, milk, etc.). Our goal is to distribute 100 bags.
Thank you so much for all you do to make our community a kinder, more compassionate place to live. We truly appreciate your efforts to help ALL of our neighbors have a happy holiday season!
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HELPLINE WISH LIST
Clothing Bank - Men and Women
- Gently used jeans, all sizes
- New underwear and warm socks
Food Pantry
(for our regular emergency food bags)
- Peanut butter
- Canned tuna or other meat
- Canned fruit
- Canned vegetables (carrots, green beans, peas)
- Hearty soups
- Pasta sauce
- Sleeves of Ritz or saltine crackers
- Individual juice boxes
- Shelf stable milk in boxes - no condensed or evaporated milk please!
Hygiene Bar
- Razors
- Toothbrushes and toothpaste
- Shampoo and conditioner
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THANK YOU!
Heartfelt thanks to the following groups or individuals for their fantastic support!
Stephanie Kastner for organizing her annual October coat drive -- an
incredible 222 coats were donated, beating last year's record. Thanks as well to
Umpqua Bank for serving as a collection site, and to everyone who donated coats to the coat drive!
Magnolia Presbyterian Church for purchasing and donating
30 bags worth of emergency food -- we are so grateful!
Women's Philanthropic Investment Group (WPIG) for their fantastic help
setting up and decorating for the Taste of Queen Anne.
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Our mission: To improve the lives of our neighbors by providing emergency assistance for housing, food
and basic needs.
Queen Anne Helpline is so grateful for all of our volunteers, donors and supporters - you make our work possible and help improve the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors.
Please consider making a donation to help support local families, seniors, and individuals. You can donate here
or visit our website:
Queen Anne Helpline
311 West McGraw
Seattle, WA 98119
206-282-1540
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STAY CONNECTED
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