A challenge to churches, clubs, and organizations: help a foster child this season

For twenty-five years, Treehouse has been Washington’s leading nonprofit organization addressing the essential education and enrichment needs of kids in foster care.

Now that the holiday season is approaching, they are hoping that churches, clubs, organizations, and individuals in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park will spare some time to think about the needs of children in foster care.

Foster the spirit of giving this holiday season at home and in your local community by collecting new, warm winter clothing, toys, books and games for local youth in foster care. Your donations will help Treehouse distribute more than 16,000 items to 800 foster kids this holiday season at our free store, the Treehouse Wearhouse. The Wearhouse enables caregivers to transform a foster child’s holiday from being spent wondering why they are always forgotten into a morning that they’ll remember forever.  Join Treehouse in making a difference in the life of a foster child this holiday season. Helpful hints and details on how to host a Treehouse holiday donation drive can be found here.

Holiday donations can be dropped off at the Treehouse Wearhouse 2100 24th Avenue S, Suite 200, Seattle 98144 during the following times:

• Friday, December 6, 9am-6pm
• Tuesday, December 10, 9am–6pm
• Friday, December 13, 9am-6pm
• Saturday, December 14, 10am-2pm 

The Wearhouse is a critical resource for hundreds of local foster youth and their families. For foster kids, being placed in foster care means losing everything - clothing, toys, family photos - and starting over from scratch. For foster parents, the state only covers about 60% of the costs of basic care, leaving foster parents facing a chronic financial gap. The Wearhouse serves more than 1,800 youth each year by ensuring they have access to the items they need to feel confident, prepared, and ready to learn at school. In 2012, foster youth shopping at the Wearhouse received nearly 100,000 items of clothing, toys and supplies valued at more than one million dollars.