Hello United Way blog readers! My name is Jamie and I’m an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving at United Way of King County as a volunteer coordinator for the North Urban Human Services Alliance (NUHSA) . Quite a mouthful, right? Basically, my job is to assess the volunteer needs of agencies, connect volunteers with local non-profits, and recruit volunteers to serve in north King County. It’s a tall order, but I’m glad to be serving with Trey, another VISTA member, as we wade our way through…

To ensure that children with developmental delays/disabilities reach their highest potential, United Way of King County supports programs throughout the county that address their needs. We know that a critical piece of success for these children is direct support and engagement from their parents and families. When parents learn their child has delays, they may feel scared, helpless and powerless. But when they are connected to services and information that support and nurture their child’s development, parents feel empowered and supported as a result.
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Why focus on hunger?

As we go through our daily routines, living, working, and playing in a community as beautiful and abundant as Seattle and King County, it’s hard to think that anyone here, or in our great country, can possibly be going hungry – but it’s true.  Often an invisible problem, hunger and food insecurity affects 1 in 6 Americans – that’s 49 million people (Source).  Right here in King County 13% of our population is food insecure and 1 in 5…

Today, I am moving on. After three years working in the Brand department at United Way of King County, I’m saying my farewells.

My first encounter with United Way of King County was in the late ’90s. I was working as a copywriter at Nordstrom, and the fall campaign season was kicking off.  There was an event called “Day of Caring,” and coworkers were signing up. The more I heard, the more I wanted to join in. It sounded like an amazing thing–and it…

As you may have heard, United Way of King County’s Day of Caring is the single largest day of volunteering in Washington State, and this year we anticipate over 10,000 people will spend the day volunteering with local organizations. That’s huge! Already, 9,000 people have signed up to volunteer all over King County, including groups from Microsoft, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, AT&T and many more. Use the search box on the map below to see where your favorite local company will…

On May 25, 2011, the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a competitive $500 million dollar state-level grant to the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge. The Race to the Top challenge focuses on the improvement of early learning and development programs for young disadvantaged children. “For kids, high quality early learning programs mean they will enter school better prepared with a greater chance of finishing high school and college,” said Vice President Joe Biden,…

Growing up, I think Meals on Wheels was the first non-profit I had ever heard of. I was certainly the most memorable for me, and I can’t recall why. Perhaps it they had commercials on Saturday mornings as I watched cartoons at my grandparents house in Spokane WA, or perhaps it was just the catchy name. (I liked, and still do pretty much anything that has wheels.)

Then and now, Meals on Wheels just makes sense to me. Here in King County, they use…

Claire Thomas will never forget the first Farms for Life delivery she made to YouthCare, a nonprofit that helps homeless youth.

“We unloaded the van and all of a sudden these kids started coming outside,” she recalled. “They were so excited…all over fresh produce.”

Claire founded Farms for Life in 2010. It’s a volunteer group that buys fresh produce at a discount from local farms and then delivers it to nonprofits serving vulnerable people throughout Seattle and King County. Last year, Farms for…

Emigdio Ramos is a walking miracle.

He survived life-threatening injuries during the Vietnam War and has a home today in the Pike Place Market’s low-income housing.

“I’m 70 years old, and I’ve never been old before,” Emigdio said with a laugh. “This is a first for me. There are a lot of things I used to do that I can’t do anymore.”

Emigdio is one of the 1,000 people who are served by the Downtown Food Bank every week.

“I get a lot of…

Diana is a single mom with three kids. She was laid off from her job and had a hard time making ends meet.

“There have been times when our cupboards have been pretty darn empty,” she said.

Fortunately, she was able to get assistance at her neighborhood food bank.

“It’s given us plenty of dinners,” Diana said. “This really has been a godsend for our family.”

Food Lifeline, the largest hunger relief organization in Washington state, helps thousands of people like Diana every day.…