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Northlake Share the Plate Program

Each month, the Northlake “Share The Plate” program contributes the first $1,000 in undesignated Sunday offerings to an organization working to end homelessness in King County. If you would prefer, you can designate your donation to the church specifically by putting money in an envelope found in the basket or by writing “church” on the memo line of your check. Please feel free to suggest organizations for the Share The Plate program. Thank you for your generosity.

August, 2010 — Sibling House

Sibling House is a network dedicated not only to providing a haven for children, but also to raising the public awareness of, and to helping contribute to the education of, the general populace about foster care and the entire foster care system. This includes identifying, and providing support, through the Mentoring and Outreach Program, to other foster homes that provide care to siblings in foster care.

July, 2010 — First Place

Our July recipient is First Place, which includes a school for children from shelters and difficult situations — a school where they can be themselves and relax and learn. Other services are available at First Place for their families as well.

June, 2010 — YWCA Family Village

Our June recipient is the Family Village run by the YWCA. The Family Village provides transitional housing with on-site support services to help homeless families stabilize and become self-sufficient as they prepare to transition to independent living in permanent housing.

May, 2010 — Chief Seattle Club

Our May recipient is the Chief Seattle Club which is currently the only social service center in Seattle devoted exclusively to meeting the needs of urban homeless American Indians, Alaska Natives, and First Nations People. The Chief Seattle Club provides food, morning shelter, showers, laundry, clothing, healthcare and a safe place.

April, 2010 — YWCA Angeline’s Eastside Women’s Center

Our April recipient is the YWCA Angeline’s Eastside Women’s Center for homeless women in Bellevue. The centers offers daytime drop-in services to women 18 years and older. Women are low-income or homeless and need a place to get resources, information and support with basic needs, including: food, laundry, shower facilities and health care.

March, 2010 — FareStart

FareStart is a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals. Over the past 17 years, FareStart has provided opportunities for over 3,000 people to transform their lives, while also serving over 3.5 million meals to disadvantaged men, women, and children.

February, 2010 — UUSC / UUA Joint Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund

Emergency fundraising was planned for in the original planning for sharing the plate. Next month we will return to supporting the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in King County.

January, 2010 — Unitarian Housing Group

Unitarian Housing Group is an organization run by the University Unitarian Church which provides affordable, community-based housing with supportive services to low-income people with special needs in the Greater Seattle area.

December, 2009 — Wellspring Family Services

Wellspring Family Services (formerly Family Services) helps homeless families find and hold onto a place to live, teach abusive partners non-violent behaviors, provide counseling, and empower parents to nurture their children’s emotional development.

November, 2009 — Hopelink

Our recipient for Sharing the Plate in November will be Hopelink, the social service agency involved in running food banks, transitional housing and lots more.

October, 2009 — First Place

First Place is a service agency devoted to educating and nurturing children whose families struggle with the risk or reality of homelessness. They offer housing, culturally relevant education and support services enabling families to achieve permanent stability.

September, 2009 — Eastside Domestic Violence Program

June, 2009 — Habitat for Humanity of East King County

The recipient for Sharing The Plate in June will be Habitat for Humanity of East King County. Thanks to the hardy souls who braved moving piles of building materials at the Habitat work site on May 23rd — I’m sure it felt like old times at the Chapel.

July & August, 2009 — Solid Ground

Solid Ground is a Seattle organization dedicated to achieving a just and caring community, free from poverty, prejudice and neglect. They develop and provide creative, comprehensive and effective responses to our community's needs; offer quality human services in a manner that promotes dignity; advocate for public policies and private initiatives that give all people equal opportunities and resources; and support the efforts of others who share our vision of community. We typically see a reduction in donations in July and August so we are pledging the first $500 from each of these summer months to Solid Ground.

June, 2009 — Habitat for Humanity of East King County

The recipient for Sharing The Plate in June will be Habitat for Humanity of East King County. Thanks to the hardy souls who braved moving piles of building materials at the Habitat work site on May 23rd — I’m sure it felt like old times at the Chapel.

May, 2009 — Kirkland Interfaith Network

Once again we will be Sharing The Plate with Kirkland Interfaith Network, funding day camp and recreational opportunities for children of low income families. This will be our the third year.

April, 2009 — Real Change

The recipient for April’s Share The Plate program has been the local weekly newspaper Real Change that exists to create opportunity and a voice for low–income people while taking action to end homelessness and poverty, and which “recently won national recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists” (Seattle Times, 2009).

March, 2009 — The National Alliance on Mental Illness-Eastside

The SJ Committee has agreed to have The National Alliance on Mental Illness-Eastside (NAMI-Eastside) receive the Share–the–Plate funds for the month of March. NAMI–Eastside has programs and services to mentally ill individuals, programs that definitely serve homeless individuals but also the public at large. NAMI–Eastside is based in Redmond. They have a day facility called HERO House (an acronym for Hope, Empowerment, Relationship and Opportunity), which is a club house where “members” can stop by for job referrals, education, or for general support in a variety of different ways.

February, 2009 — Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing

The recipient for February’s Share The Plate program is Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing (KITH). KITH supports local low–income families by organizing dinners such as the one for which we supply food and fellowship on the first Tuesdays of even numbered months. KITH also organizes the recipients of the Giving Tree in which we did not participate this past year.

January, 2009 — SHARE/WHEEL for Tent City 4

In January, the share the plate program will support Tent City 4, presently at St. John Vianney Catholic Church on Finn Hill.

December, 2008 — Sibling House

In December, our plate will be shared with the Sibling House Network where brothers and sisters stay together while in foster care.

November, 2008 — Hopelink

For November, the Social Justice Committee has selected Hopelink, a social services organization in King County. Their mission is to promote self–sufficiency for all members of the community and help people to make lasting change. Have you heard that donations to foodbanks are down although the need is increasing? We hope to help the Hopelink foodbank with this month’s donation.

October, 2008 — Eastside Domestic Violence Program

In honor of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Northlake’s Share the Plate program will be donating the first $1000 of Sunday collections to the Eastside Domestic Violence Program. They provide housing and outreach services in eastern and northern King County.

September, 2008 — First Place

First Place is devoted to educating and nurturing children whose families struggle with the risk or reality of homelessness. They offer quality education in safe small classroom settings for Kindergarten through 6th grade. They also offer counseling and social services towards achieving stability, as well as breakfast, lunch, school supplies, transportation and health screenings.

August, 2008 — FareStart

FareStart is a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals in the Seatte area. Over the past 16 years FareStart has provided opportunities for over 2,000 people to transform their lives while serving over 3.5 million meals to disadvantaged men, women, and children. FareStart trains homeless and disadvantaged individuals to prepare and serve nutritious meals and find work through their culinary job placement program, thereby increasing self–suficiency. Celebrity chefs volunteer time to train participants in culinary and serving skills and provide opportunities to work in FareStart’s own kitchen and café where they serve meals to the public. Additionally, FareStart delivers a nutritious, quality meal every week day 365 days a year to childcare centers and homeless shelters around the Seattle area.

July, 2008 — Unitarian Housing Group

The Unitarian Housing Groupis an independent nonprofit organization. They develop and provide affordable, community-based housing and supportive services to low–income people with special needs in the greater Seattle area. University Unitarian Church owns four of the properties operated by UHG, and several of their members serve on the board of directors.

To date we have made donations to the following organizations: