My Nonprofit Reviews

We are fortunate to have Assistance League of the Eastside (ALE) supporting our Eastside community. For 31 years ALE has supported students in three Eastside school districts through Operation School Bell. Using gift cards and vouchers, students are able to purchase new school clothing they select for themselves. Since COVID, students are also able to purchase food and medicine through the program. ALE also provides welcome baskets and meals to Eastside shelters for people experiencing homelessness and for women and children who have fled domestic violence. ALE distributes Assault Survivor Kits to clinics and hospitals throughout Washington state. When survivors are treated, their clothing is often taken by law enforcement for use as evident. The kits contain essential hygiene items as well as new sweat suits that can be worn home after treatment. ALE strives to restore dignity and hope at a time when survivors are most in need of comfort and security.

I have been inspired by the clients served by these programs, the counselors and shelter personnel who assist them, and my fellow ALE member volunteers. Giving to the community is a reward in itself.

Homelessness is a huge issue in the Seattle area, not just downtown but also in the so-called "leafy suburbs." Assistance League of the Eastside partners with other nonprofit organizations in the area who provide shelter to people experiencing homelessness. Through its Help4Homeless program, Assistance League of the Eastside offers support to women transitioning to permanent housing, providing each newcomer to the shelters with a "Welcome" basket. Neatly packed in a laundry basket, the Welcome basket contains new sheets and two sets of towels, robe and slippers, toiletries, dental hygiene kit, shower caddy, water bottle, calendar, journal, pencil case and pencils, and other items chosen to ease the transition to shelter. A handwritten note signed by Assistance League members accompanies each basket, letting newcomers know that members of the community care about them.

Assault Survivor Kits
When a woman, man, or child is assaulted their clothing needs to be retained as evidence by law enforcement officers. Most hospitals have nothing in place to address this issue, so unless the survivor has someone they can call for assistance, they face the possibility of going home in a paper gown. Most likely, the already traumatized survivor does not surrender their clothing, thereby breaking the chain of evidence and decreasing the chance that the perpetrator, if apprehended, can be successfully prosecuted.

Assistance League of the Eastside's Assault Survivor Kits program provide kits that include a sweat set, underwear, socks and toiletry items to survivors of sexual assault. Mini-kits provide underwear, socks and toiletry items. Attached to the kit is a handwritten card signed by members that strives to offer comfort and hope to the survivor.

The program was established in 1992 when we provided 5 kits to Evergreen Health. In 1999, at the request of U.W. Harborview Medical Center, our Assault Survivor Kits program began providing diversionary toys and underwear for juvenile victims at Harborview’s Children’s Response Center (now known as U.W. Harborview Medical Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress). Assistance League of the Eastside members personally deliver kits to the 38 hospitals and medical centers we serve throughout the state of Washington.

These are two of Assistance League of the Eastside's programs. There is a great deal of need on the Eastside, which has only increased with the pandemic. I am proud to be a member of this organization that serves "immediate, unmet needs of children and adults challenged by hardship or violence, strengthening our community while fostering dignity, confidence, and hope."