the Riders are MVPs for Mary’s Place families as Homes Team members!

“With our kids starting school, we saw that each of them have classmates who are experiencing homelessness or some form of housing instability,” shares Shawn Rider. He and his family support Mary’s Place with a monthly donation as Homes Team members! “Before getting involved with Mary’s Place, we supported packing grocery bags for kids to take home on weekends and clothing drives at school, but even more important than that is ensuring families have safe, stable places to live.”

“We like that Mary's Place has a range of ways to approach family homelessness beyond just emergency shelter,” shares Shawn. “It is really important to keep families in their housing when that’s possible and to help people through difficult transitions, such as out of dangerous domestic situations, medical emergencies, or other emergency expenses, that could easily push families over the edge into homelessness.”

Homes Team members, like the Rider Family, help Mary’s Place support families year-round! Monthly donations from our Homes Team members ensure we have the funds necessary to continue providing services to families no matter the challenging times we face. Our Emergency Family Intake Line receives 40-50 calls each day from families seeking a safe place to come inside and our monthly donors play an integral role in ensuring we can provide shelter, outreach services, or resources to the families who reach out for help every day.

“There is a lack of affordable housing in Seattle and a lot of income inequality,” says Shawn. “We’re fortunate to have stability and a little extra to sustain our life, and we want to see all families in that position - that’s why we donate monthly to Mary’s Place!”