Service Club Reminders

As the hectic year is winding down and winter approaches, shelters around the country and world are facing an increasing demand for food, apparel, and other goods. While the current state of the pandemic prevents us from holding any in-person drives, the EPS Service Club invites you to consider these ways to help our community during the holiday season.

Here are some fast facts:

  1. As of August 2020, King County saw the food insufficiency rate double due to COVID-19¹
  2. The Point-in-Time count to see the number of people experiencing homelessness rose by 5% in July²
  3. In 2019, King County had the third-highest homeless population nationally³

How can you help? Here’s some info about a few local organizations that continue to accept physical donations. (If you’re willing to donate via Amazon wishlist purchase, also check out The Sophia Way, a Seattle women’s shelter!).

  1. Mary’s Place (drop-off location in Seattle’s Industrial District): season-appropriate clothing (all ages and genders); maternity clothes; raincoats; new underwear; twin sheets and blankets; and more.

Mary’s Place provides “safe, inclusive shelter and services that support women, children and families on their journey out of homelessness.” https://www.marysplaceseattle.org/share-your-stuff

  1. Northwest Center (local donation center): will pickup from your house/location, https://www.bigbluetruck.org/. Currently only taking monetary donations due to COVID-19. Main website: https://www.nwcenter.org/
  2. Renewal Food Bank (drop-off location in Bellevue-Redmond area): baby food; boxed/dried pasta; canned vegetables, beans, fruit, and soup; ramen; toiletries. (call 425-736-8132 to donate)

Renewal Food Bank is a member of the Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline hunger relief network. https://www.renewalfoodbank.com/

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to Service Club members Kira(kseshaiah@eastsideprep.org) or Sydney(svernon@eastsideprep.org).