Tenhulzen Painting donates much needed paint and labor to Safe Place
On Saturday, August 18th Tenhulzen Painting donated its time and painting materials to freshen up the space used by the Hand in Hand Organization called Safe Place.
As most of our friends, family, clients and colleagues know, Tenhulzen Painting commits itself to doing community service projects once or twice a year. Earlier in 2012, we donated time to a family shelter where displaced families could find safety, shelter and food while attempting to pick up pieces of their lives that had been shattered due to job losses and other circumstances. When we heard about Safe Place we knew we had to be part of this amazing organization too.
About a month before we started our project with Safe Place a young girl was brought in for care until a foster family could be found. This child was found wedged between the backseats of an abandoned vehicle. She was unclothed, covered in feces and filth, bruised, scared, malnourished and showed evidence of needle marks in her arms. This little girl was 2 YEARS OLD! This is just one of many stories we heard that literally broke our hearts.
Did you know that on any given day there are more than 10,000 children within the Washington foster care system? Usually, these children are forcibly removed from their homes, given a black garbage bag to hold their belongings, and are often separated from siblings. Before Safe Place the social workers who picked up these children had to drive around with them all night, or sit in restaurants while making calls to find emergency foster care. Since the creation of Safe Place, these kids now have a place where there is a warm bed, showers, toys and books, hot meals and loving volunteers to take care of them until the right foster home for that child can be found. Safe Place is the
Safe Place does not receive any money from government or state programs. It is funded entirely by private donations and some support from the United Way Foundation. At Tenhulzen Painting, we feel strongly that we as individuals must be aware of the needs in our community and act where we can. Sometimes this means donating our time and materials, sometimes it is about donating money or needed items and sometimes its’ just as meaningful to spread the word.
If you feel the call as we do, to make an impact in our community, please consider “spreading the word” or donating in the following ways:
Volunteer at Safe Place
Reading to children
Administrative tasks
Fund-raising
Playing with children
Construction/landscaping
General Cleaning
Become a Foster Parent
Short term housing (24-72 hours)
Respite care (relief for long term care parents)
Long term foster/adopting
Donations
Monthly Support
One time gifts
Gifts in kind
Fred Meyer gift cards
Diapers (all sizes especially #5’s)
Pull-Ups (all sizes)
Baby Wipes
Baby Formula (Similac Advance seems to be most used)
Bottles
Sippy Cups
Socks (new)
Underwear (new)
Combs and brushes
Hair “pretties”
Kid’s toothbrushes
Kid’s toothpaste
Kid’s shampoo
Kid’s body wash
Clorox or Lysol Wipes
Latex/rubber gloves
Kid’s suitcases with wheels
Non-perishable Food items
Crackers, cookies, cereal (individual serving sizes), canned fruit and veggies, spaghetti sauce, pasta, mac and cheese, frozen dine (ie. Chicken nuggets, French fries, lasagna, hot pockets, burritos)
Landry soap and fabric softener sheets
Storage tubs
Hand soap
Kleenex
Paper Towels
Napkins
Childrens Tylenol and Ibuprofen
Hand held video games and cartridges
Kid friendly DVD’s
Twin sized Aerobed
Hand In Hand is a 501©(3) organization and all donations given may be tax deductible.
14 East Casino Road, Suite #E
Everett, WA 98208
You can contact Todd McNeal, Executive Director and founder for volunteer opportunities at (206)497-9762.
Tenhulzen Painting would be happy to collect donation items and deliver them on your behalf. Just call Scott at 425-785-5327 or Michele at 425-780-9371.
For more information: www.handinhandkids.org
Video http://vimeo.com/handinhandkids/handinhandendowment
https://www.facebook.com/handinhandkids
Thank you for taking the time to read about Safe Place!