It’s been a top news story for months: Skyrocketing food and housing prices continue to overwhelm families whose budgets are already stretched thin. Uncertainty over federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, or SNAP, is only adding to the anxiety.
To make a difference, Seattle CARES Mentoring Movement is partnering with local organizations, churches and volunteers to provide food and essential supplies for under-resourced families in southeast Seattle.
In December, Partnership for Hope will be based at Mercer International Middle School in Seattle. With a student enrollment of about 800, Mercer International is extending the program’s reach by inviting families from five of its feeder elementary schools to participate. This brings the potential number of impacted families to nearly 2,000. The food outreach program is only open to students affiliated with Mercer International Middle School and their families.
“These parents are constantly worrying,” said Donald Cameron, executive director, Seattle CARES. “The food delivery is one way to take some of the burden off them, even for a few weeks. It’s one way to ensure more families have constant access to basic necessities. We selected December because of the holiday season. It’s the perfect time to bring a message of hope and resilience to families and communities.”
A local nonprofit, Seattle CARES offers a variety of innovative programs to change not only the lives of Black youth in Seattle and King County but also those of their parents and guardians who are struggling to make ends meet. Mercer International is one of the schools that hosts Seattle CARES’ innovative program, The Rising, designed to prepare Black youth for success in school and in life.
Partnership for Hope is made possible through support from King County Best Starts for Kids and City of Seattle. Additional support is provided by Churchhome and the 4C Coalition.