It’s hard to be all things to all people, but the Lake Stevens Family Center tries its best.
The nonprofit group gives donated coats, school supplies and food baskets to needy families. It provides access to job listings for those seeking work. It hosts classes, open to anyone, on how to be a better parent and forums and workshops.
And while many people simply receive the assistance, many others help out at the center, doing work such as setting up events, designing flyers on computers and gathering and packaging gifts for Christmas.
“It’s a good way for people to maintain their dignity,” center manager Kathleen Friend said. “I find people don’t really want charity.”
Friend said that social isolation is a huge factor in premature death. The Family Center helps eliminate that isolation by connecting people, she said.
“We have people who come to us who believe life is not worth living anymore,” Friend said.
Some of those the center has helped include:
n A waiter who spoke very little English and who suffered an injury that prevented him from working. He volunteered at the center for a year, learned English and computer skills and moved to Portland, Ore., where he opened his own restaurant.
n A teenager came to the center to fulfill his community service sentence after being arrested. His volunteer work there sparked an interest in social services, he received his GED and is now pursuing a degree at Everett Community College. He told those at the center that no one else believed in him, Friend said.
n A single dad living with his son in a camper used the center’s access to WorkSource, an online referral service, to find work. He recently moved into a house, Friend said.
n After a business owner donated a set of extra-long, silky bed sheets, the family of a woman with a terminal illness came to the center looking for oversize sheets for the woman’s hospital bed at home. “This woman was in tears because she knows the last days of her life will be spent on something rich and luxurious,” Friend said.
More facts about the center:
Established: 1996.
Location: An 800-square-foot, single-family home behind Lake Stevens City Hall at 1803 123rd Ave. NE. The space is donated by the city.
Affiliation: Lutheran Community Services
Annual budget: $150,000 to $160,000
Funding: 30 percent private foundations; 20 percent Snohomish County Human Services; 20 percent United Way of Snohomish County, and the rest from businesses and individuals.
Staff: One full-time manager; one eight-tenths-time program director; one Americorps-funded assistant; 750 volunteers.
Served: About 7,000 people projected in 2007, up from slightly more than 6,000 in 2006. “We have been experiencing a 20 to 30 percent growth,” Friend said.
The Lake Stevens Family Center can be reached at 425-397-7433.
— Bill Sheets
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