Today (May 10) is the Seattle Foundation’s annual GiveBIG event, a one-day online charitable fiesta. Over 1,700 non-profits are participating, with over 600 having secured $1:$1 matching funds for donations made today, so it’s a great opportunity to double the impact of your donation. Visit GiveBIG’s website to find an organization that is working on issues you care about.
In honor of the day, we invited Joey Ashenbrenner, Development and Resource Manager for Wallingford’s FamilyWorks to share some stories about what that organization is doing to make the world a better place.
What would it be like for your family if you had a medical crisis and your partner lost their job all in the same horrible month? Would you have to choose between paying your mortgage/rent and buying food for your family? Many people face that choice, and you might be surprised to read that many of our neighbors face that choice.
The idea that any of us are one or two emergencies away from being in a place of dependency can be hard to fathom. It’s easy to assume that a good job, a college degree or a network of support buffers us from serious vulnerability.
Just like the following testimonial that was recently shared with us, many of the families and individuals who come to FamilyWorks never envisioned that they would need to access a food bank or emergency referral services. FamilyWorks is honored to be the safety net for families as they weather the difficult storms in their lives.
“My wife and I were both from Montana, but after she got her Master’s degree in nursing she wanted to move to Seattle. She figured she could make better money here so we talked it over and I said yeah. I figured it was almost time for me to retire anyway.
I left my Native American drum and dance group and my volunteer work where I received grants for teaching drumming and dancing from a local museum. Unfortunately, soon after we moved and got settled in Seattle my wife got sick and could not work anymore.
I don’t remember exactly who I talked to but someone told me that I could go and get food at FamilyWorks. So I went down and I started getting food. If it had not been for the food bank, I don’t know what we would have done. We are still dependent upon the food bank.
This is something that I never thought would happen to me. We both had good incomes before, but between the move to Seattle and my wife’s disability we exhausted our savings. While we live on a low income budget now we’re able to get by because of what FamilyWorks offers us. I am really grateful for FamilyWorks and all the people who donate to the food bank here.”
FamilyWorks was able to accomplish some incredible things this last year. For example, they distributed over 298 tons of food to our food insecure neighbors, they provided 383 one-on-one intensive advocacy sessions, and they opened a new food bank in Greenwood that serves 300 families.
Now, none of the good work FamilyWorks provides would be possible if were not for the hundreds of individuals who donate their time, talent, and resources. To report on their 2016 accomplishments, and to say “thank you” for all of the support and partnership, FamilyWorks just published their 2016 Annual Report.
Take a quick look and check out all of the good work being done here in our neighborhood.
We should also mention that you can support FamilyWorks by making a donation during GiveBIG. And, you make a donation during GiveBIG your donation will be matched! Click here to “GiveBIG” and join FamilyWorks in nourishing, connecting and empowering our most vulnerable neighbors.
Other great Wallingford (and environs)-based organizations that are participating in GiveBIG include the Wallingford Community Senior Center, Solid Ground, The International Snow Leopard Trust, Earshot Jazz Society and the Fremont Arts Council (producers of the Solstice Parade).