If you’ve lived in King County for a while, chances are you’re already aware of the incredible work of Mary’s Place. If you haven’t, let me tell you a little bit about them. For over two decades now, this Seattle based nonprofit has been providing inclusive resources and shelter to women, children and families on their journey out of homelessness into more stable housing. Their belief that “no one’s child should sleep outside” has united the local community and brought an overwhelming support from many key businesses in the area, such as Starbucks or Amazon, to name a few.
“Love is at the heart of all we do,” says Marty Hartman, a longtime Richmond Beach resident and the Executive Director at Mary’s Place. Together with her close neighbor, she has been volunteering with the organization from day one: when it served as a day center for 10-15 women in the basement of a church. After five years of the volunteering work—and when the nonprofit was officially formed—Marty joined as a full-time staff member and has continued to spread love and compassion to the community members she serves.
During the course of the pandemic, Marty witnessed firsthand how the loss of jobs and lack of safety nets to rely on affected the families in the region. As she says, “people’s needs have not changed, but COVID-19 has forever changed the way we support our community and how we offer shelter.” The need for additional space and individual bathrooms for each family, to help reduce the spread of the virus and comply with social distancing mandates, had forced the organization to reevaluate its operations.
Despite the challenging times ahead, Marty remains hopeful and grateful for the overwhelming support from our local community. “It is such an incredible gift to have our Richmond Beach residents and Shorewood High School club volunteers come together over the years to support the families in need.” Over the last decades, the community has been involved in many holiday parties that helped raise much needed resources such as strollers, clothes and school supplies for children.
“The homelessness crisis is solvable,” says Marty. With her infectious optimism, it is impossible not to believe in that dream. “Everyone can do something. It will take all of us coming together, volunteering, showing kindness, donating what we can.”
As with every fall, Mary’s Place is working tirelessly to support the back-to-school efforts for children in need. If you are interested in donating backpacks, shoes, coats, laptops or other resources to support the kids in need, please visit marysplace.org for more details. In addition, Mary’s Place will be hosting its annual live-streamed “SHINE Gala” on Friday, October 23, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. to showcase its members’ unique talents. Free registration will be opening in September with the option to order food and wine for a premium. To reserve your spot, please visit marysplaceshinegala.org. Help us spread the love!
This story was published in September 2020 issue of Richmond Beach Community News