WSB Blog – WestSide Baby

06Jul 2021 by Toni Sarge

Collaboration is key in ending the basic needs gap

Portfolio

Our Provider Partners Part III Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times Collaboration is key in ending the basic needs gap A Deeper Dive into WestSide Baby's Provider Partner Programs Read Part II of our Provider Partner Series In order to ensure WestSide Baby is moving toward our vision, we collect and analyze data on a biannual basis. As Part III and the final part of our Provider Partners Series, we wanted to share some of the data and information we learned in our data collection process in 2020 and in early 2021. Who are our providers? In 2020, we partnered with 83 agencies, 95 programs, and 115 unique sites around King County. Here is the breakdown by Program/Agency focus: How do we ensure our partnerships are equity-focused towards our vision of ending the basic needs gap? …

22Jun 2021 by Toni Sarge

WestSide Baby in the News

News

WestSide Baby in the News Expanded child tax credit to reach 1.4 million Washington children, Rep. DelBene says The Seattle Times | June 21, 2021Read full story In a news briefing with DelBene last week, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers said there is concern about making sure the public is aware of the tax benefit. About 80% of families are expected to get their tax credits through direct deposit, according to White House economic adviser Heather Boushey, meaning others will have to keep an eye on the mail for payment. The expanded tax credit will be fully refundable. Families can receive the full amount they’re eligible for as a check, if their income isn’t high enough to receive a large enough tax offset. According to…

09Jun 2021 by Toni Sarge

One Year Later: Frequently Asked Questions about WestSide Baby’s Operations and COVID-19 Response

News, Portfolio

FAQ June 1, 2021 King County & WestSide Baby in Phase III WestSide Baby exists to provide basic essentials for children in need. Our operations during the COVID-19 pandemic have, and will continue to, center our community – families furthest from access to essential items. We continue to work through our network of 100+ partner organizations to find out what families need and focus our efforts to source and supply those items. During this pandemic, we will also center the health & safety of our staff, volunteers, and donors by keeping volunteer and item collection within the guidance provided by Public Health Seattle & King County and the Washington State Department of Health. As of June 2021, WestSide Baby is in Phase 3 of our COVID Modified Operations: Updated June 2021 What should I know about coming to…

28Apr 2021 by Erica Plowden

A Historic Moment to End Diaper Need

News, Portfolio

We are celebrating a historic moment in Washington for families! A major in investment has been made to systemically address diaper need across our state for the first time. We applaud the Washington Legislature for a budget that honors diapers as a very necessary and basic human right! Although lawmakers did not include the $80 monthly "diaper stipend", $5 million in grants will go to Washington's diaper banks over the next two years to provide approximately 29 million diapers to families who are unable to access an adequate supply otherwise. As we celebrate, we acknowledge that this investment must only be a starting place. In King County alone, more than 1 in 5 families - 1 in 3 for many BIPOC communities - struggled to afford enough diapers before the pandemic,…

30Mar 2021 by Toni Sarge

Building up communities to become whole, together!

Portfolio

Our Provider Partners Part II Building up communities to become whole, together! Partner Agency Highlight: Friends of the Children - Seattle Read Part I of our Provider Partner Series Our partners span multiple disciplines and social services areas including public health, social work, food security, domestic violence, early learning, infant mental health, education, and more. Research supports that the agency partnership model has many positive implications for both the partner agencies and the recipients including increased communication between providers and clients, client program retention, and connection to other services—all of which ultimately contribute to lasting, positive outcomes for families. Friends of the Children Seattle Friends of the Children–Seattle is a chapter of a nationwide organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of generational poverty through salaried, professional mentoring. The national organization was founded…

09Mar 2021 by Toni Sarge

Working with our Partner Providers to respond to the highest rates of diaper need our community has ever seen

Portfolio

Our Provider Partners: Part I Working with our Partner Providers to respond to the highest rates of diaper need our community has ever seen Who are WestSide Baby's "Provider Partners"? WestSide Baby envisions a day when all children are equipped with the basic items they need to grow into healthy, happy, and resilient members of our community. In order to do that, WestSide Baby partners with more than 100 social service agencies and 400+ agency workers throughout King County to provide essential items to local children free of charge. WestSide Baby's 2020 Provider Partner Program by Focus Area: Our partners span multiple disciplines and social service sectors including public health, social work, food security, domestic violence, early learning, infant mental health, and more. Why is this distribution model important? Research supports that the agency partnership model has many positive implications for both the…

23Feb 2021 by Toni Sarge

Join me for a special conversation with storyteller Mia Birdsong!

Events, News

I am so excited to announce that Mia Birdsong will be joining me in conversation at Beyond the Basics, our upcoming virtual gathering! From Sarah Cody Roth, WestSide Baby's Executive Director I know you received our invitation to Beyond the Basics – a WestSide Baby Virtual Gathering, and I wanted to follow up to announce our program will include a conversation with Mia Birdsong, a pathfinder, community curator, and storyteller who steadily engages the leadership and wisdom of people experiencing injustice to chart new visions of American life. At the event, we will talk about her book, her podcast, and shifting the narrative on how we address poverty, specifically in relation to the importance of WestSide Baby’s vision to ensure every child has their basic needs met. Read more about Mia below, and please join me at Beyond the…

16Feb 2021 by Toni Sarge

Announcing 2021 Corporate & Business Sponsorship Opportunities

Events, News, Portfolio

New ways your business can support children and families with WestSide Baby this year! By Carina Schubert, WestSide Baby’s Director of Development Have your ever wondered how your company can invest in the community in a tangible way during a time when the need is growing rapidly around us? A partnership with WestSide Baby as a corporate sponsor can ensure that children in your neighborhood have the most basic items they need to be happy and healthy. I am excited to announce our new sponsorship package, centering the needs of our community first, and providing necessary funds for WestSide Baby, and creating unique opportunities for your business to get involved. We need you. If you've been in our warehouse before COVID times, either volunteering with your co-workers or on a…

08Feb 2021 by Toni Sarge

The Diaper Need Crisis Continues In 2021: WestSide Baby Responds To An Increased Need Due To COVID-19 In King County

Portfolio

The Diaper Need Crisis Continues In 2021: WestSide Baby Responds To An Increased Need Due To COVID-19 In King County Basic Needs Gaps Before the outbreak of COVID-19 in our community and the subsequent shutdown of businesses and community resources almost one year ago, we already knew that 21% of children in King County lived in families struggling with diaper need. We also know families are disproportionately impacted by diaper need: Families are impacted by where they live: - Families living in South King County, for example, are 9% more likely to experience diaper need than average in King County. Families are impacted by race and racism:- Compared to White families, families who identified as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander were 31% more likely to experience diaper need than White families, and Black families are 22%…

05Nov 2020 by Toni Sarge

New Mural: “WestSide Baby’s Community”

News

WestSide Baby's Community Mural Over the weekend, our north-facing wall was given a beautiful update with a mural, titled “WestSide Baby’s Community” by artist Angelina Villalobos (@onesevennine) We are so excited to share our new mural with you! "WestSide Baby's Community" is the end result of many conversations for many years, but was pushed forward by our desire to communicate our organizational values of Humanity, Resilience, and Intentionality OUTSIDE our warehouse walls in response to the murder of George Floyd in late May and the continued fight for justice in our community and beyond. A team of WestSide Baby staff worked with the artist to design a mural that honored that sentiment with words such as justice, humanity, and equity. A note from the Artist, Angelina Villalobos: I centered a…