A Community in Crisis… Mary’s Place Responds with a Family Night Shelter

At The Essential Baking Company, we are committed to helping our community any way we can. Especially for the event we hosted last month; Goodnight Moon: A Benefit for Mary’s Place Bell Street Family Night Shelter. The event was at our new Bellevue Cafe, located inside the University Bookstore. Donations were accepted to transform the existing Mary’s Place Day Shelter into an overnight shelter where women will be able to take their children, just in time for the winter weather.

• Did you know 1 in 45 children experience homelessness, in America each year? That’s 1.6 million children.
• There are over 2500 homeless families looking for shelter every night in King County.
• There are shelters for men and women but none where you can take a child.

Mary’s Place Volunteers checking in guests.

 Mary’s Place Day Shelter was established in 1999 to provide a complete resource center for women and children who are trying to get their family’s physical needs met. They are left with nowhere to take their children to sleep at night.

Kids enjoying the event.

Mary’s Place Executive Director, Marty Hartman, spoke about how there is a crisis going on in our city right now, where over 2,500+ homeless families are sleeping in cars, city buses, emergency rooms, and at the airport. Mary’s Place believes that no child should have to sleep outside. They are responding by converting their day center on Bell St., in Seattle, into a family day and overnight shelter for homeless women and their children.

Marty Hartman, Mary’s Place Executive Director and Tom Campanile, The Essential Baking Company President

The latest update from Mary’s Place, as of the day before Thanksgiving, all the seismic upgrades are done to the building, walls are painted, and individual sleeping areas are complete. The smoke detectors and the flooring are being done next week! “The Mary’s Place Family Night Shelter will be open by December 20 ^. Families will be inside for the holidays!” says Marty Hartman. Mary’s Place will be holding an open house for the neighborhood to take tours prior to opening day! (opening date updated 11/29)

The Essential Baking Bellevue Crew with the appetizers.

Thank you to all who joined The Essential Baking Company in support of the Mary’s Place mission. A special thank you to the Bellevue University Bookstore for your generous donation from items sold the night of the event. The combined efforts contributed directly toward the goal of opening the Mary’s Place Night Shelter. Mary’s Place will be holding their annual Toy Drive this Holiday Season. If you would like to get involved with Mary’s Place by volunteering, or making a donation check out their website http://marysplaceseattle.org/ or their Facebook page for more information.