In this season of giving and giving joyfully, let me offer you a way that you can give safety and peace of mind to a homeless mom.
My work place, Mary’s Place, is in the running for a $50,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. This is a super cool thing from Pepsi to fund good ideas that make a difference in local communities around the country. There are different grant levels, and the top ten winners from each level, wins the grant. Winning is based on voting. So we are reaching out to the far corners of the earth (Hello Squatbean in Germany, Christy in Nicaragua and Aaron in Hong Kong!!) trying to drum up more votes!!
If we were to win the grant, the money would go to the Family Program, which is the area in which I work! We are the only day center in King County that welcomes homeless moms with their children without a refrerral. We see families who have just stepped off the Greyhound, having traveled across the country fleeing their abuser. We see mothers who have a job, but their rental home was foreclosed on, and with only a week’s warning, found themselves living in their van. We see grandmothers taking care of their grandchildren, when the mother is unable to do so any more. We see these moms desperately working every day to find shelter – safe shelter – for their children. In Washington, it can be up to a 4 week wait to get into an emergency family shelter. In the meantime, what are these families to do? When they come in to Mary’s Place, we make sure they are fed, clothed, clean and safe. We give them a hotel to stay in until a bed at a shelter opens up. Everyday we are seeking out new resources for shelter, clothes and diapers. We connect these moms with DV advocates, schools and counselors. And with a grant dedicated strictly to the Family Program, we could increase these services.
Would you please consider voting? It is so easy. Simply go to the Refresh site (www.refresheverything.com for those who aren’t link followers), and create a log-in. It seriously takes less than 2 minutes. Then search for Mary’s Place, we have the picture of the mom with the super cute baby!
(see! SUPER cute baby)
Then vote. You get 10 votes a day to spread out among all the good ideas, but you can only vote for each idea once a day. So remember, vote every day. This is a popularity contest, and we’re hoping to win, so if you decide to spread out your vote, please vote just in the other grant levels!! Then, spread the word. The more votes from more areas around the country, the better!!
It couldn’t be easier. Vote every day. Help give peace of mind and saftey to a mom who so desperately needs it.
http://www.refresheverything.com/marysplaceseattle
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