There are so many ways that you can help…
What We Need
Cash Donations
Cash Donations are always welcomed and greatly appreciated. We can provide detailed reports on how your money is allocated, along with a tax-deduction receipt.
Other Suggestions:
- General Fund
- Grocery Fund
- Clothing Fund
- Transportation needs:
- ORCA, Amtrak, Uber
- Recreation:
- Movie passes, Zoo and Aquarium passes, Pacific Science Center
- Work essentials:
- Gloves, tool belts, work boots, hard hats, safety glasses
- Home repair and upkeep
- Property Acquisition
- Legal fees
All Cash Donations can be made online into the “Village Family Project” bank account, at Bank of America, using Zelle.
Zelle is a P2P payment service that allows users to send money to each other digitally. Over 1,000 banks and credit unions partner with Zelle, and for those that do, the service is built into the institution’s app.
Zelle works by linking to a U.S. checking or savings account and transferring money to another U.S. bank account. The payer and payee do not need to have accounts at the same financial institution, but they do both need to be enrolled with Zelle.
Zelle transfers generally arrive within minutes and carry no fees.
We can also receive cash donations using
Venmo –
Village Family Project, LLC @VFP2024
or
Cash App –
Village Family Project, LLC @VFO2024
Or by mail at:
The Village Family Project
5039 8th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Phone: 425.245.5063
Hunger Hurts
Sometimes we meet people with only the clothes on their backs. Or whose wardrobe is dirty, damaged or wet. We do a lot of shopping at thrift stores, or we recycle and borrow clothes to make sure they are prepared for whatever challenges await them.
Gift certificates present a great opportunity to teach budgeting, planning and self-reliance. Letting a person shop for their own clothes not only helps clothe them but also gives them a sense of dignity and respect.
Rain Gear
Realistically, we know we will never be able to get every person off the streets. Indeed, some of them choose to be on the streets. So, we will always be looking for donations of gently used rain gear: jackets, coats, hats, boots and, always, dry socks.
Used Blankets
An obvious need. Homeless people of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds need blankets. Any time we have a surplus of blankets, we distribute them to shelters or directly to people on the street.
We need your old cell phones, tablets and laptops. Sometimes being able to call for help is the difference between life and death. But having a phone also helps return some sense of normalcy to a neighbor who has lost just about everything else. A phone keeps our residents connected to family, friends, work and the services they depend on.
We are able to get our residents phone service through a government program called Q Link. It is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction. The problem is that the phone they provide is very inexpensive and, given the hardships many of our residents face, is often broken, lost or stolen.
They don’t have the resources to replace them, and sadly neither do we. So, donations of used phones are greatly appreciated.
Make a Donation
Make a Donation
Once we help residents get in the system, they qualify for a number of different programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps. Most times they qualify for about $190 a month for food. That helps tremendously, but we still spend about $1,000 more each month to feed the residents living with us.
Most major grocery retailers have gift cards, and we have been blessed to receive them over the years. It also allows us to send our residents to the store for “supplies,” without having to entrust them with larger bills or subjecting them to sometimes humiliating requests like “Was there any change?”
The future belongs to those who can adapt. Nearly every high school now has an IT curriculum, and kids are acquiring an incredibly valuable set of skills.
People without computer skills end up as Uber drivers and security guards. I would love to put together a group of trained, patient IT people to work with one resident each, to instill in them the confidence and the skills to join the IT community. I know a friend, a former DJ, who went back to school, learned how to code and is now a very happy and successful IT manager.
Expose them to the endless possibilities in coding, web design, graphic art, animation and security.
Hopefully we can develop an actual curriculum, using free videos from YouTube and other free online sources.
BECOME AN IT TUTOR
CONTACT The Village Movers
We have created a new business, in conjunction with the Village Foundation, allowing us to provide a real service to the community. We are calling it The Village Project, and we expect to be up and running by January 15, 2020. This will allow us to make some money for the Foundation, but more importantly it will provide good-paying work for some of the residents we work with. Our staff, or another qualified adult 25 years or older, will drive the truck, and our residents will provide the muscle.
The goal for all our residents is for them to become self-sufficient, to be responsible and to have the opportunity to live independently. These goals are difficult to attain, since many of them did not finish high school. Very few of them have any marketable skills, and almost no work history.
We talk with business owners, with nursing homes, with contractors. Some of them give our guys a shot, but most are reluctant to hire someone with no work history, no skills, no education and little more than the clothes they are wearing.
We are always looking for individuals and businesses that are willing to give a resident a shot, and train them from the ground up. No guarantees: sometimes a person can’t live up to expectations. Sometimes they shine. One young man went from a novice apprentice in a car stereo shop to manager of that install shop. He eventually found a great job at Boeing, working as a union engineer and electrician.