Bothell’s Babies of Homelessness preps for back-to-school event

The Bothell nonprofit provides basic need supplies to homeless families.

Eastside nonprofit Babies of Homelessness is holding its third annual back-to-school event to provide school supplies to families in need.

Babies of Homelessness is a three-year-old nonprofit organization based in Bothell that works with volunteers to serve homeless families in need of basic child care supplies such as diapers, formula, food and clothing.

Brittan Stockert, executive director, said the organization is made up of more than 50 volunteers acting as an “emergency crisis response team” to collect inventory, store the items, take calls for services and make deliveries.

“What seems really fundamental and simple is really huge because two of the largest federal agencies like WIC and SNAP don’t provide diapers, and that can be $100 a month,” Stockert said.

Stockert said the nonprofit operates all over King County and into Snohomish County in the Everett area.

The back-to-school campaign allows the group to help provide school supplies for kids during the summer. This year’s event will take place on Aug. 17, in Woodinville a the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 16500 124th Ave. NE.

“We have procured all of the major ticket items like backpacks thanks to the Church of the Latter-day Saints, but we are still in need of more school supplies,” Stockert said.

She also said they are working to provide opportunities for transportation to the event itself. A bus will be picking up families in Seattle, South Seattle and Everett, she said.

“This year we are hoping to have many more families and looking to expect 200 families,” Stockert said. “In previous years we’ve had 100, 150.”

Aside from the back-to-school event, the group works to provide services 24/7, Stockert said.

“Our entire operation, from the moment a family calls our intake line, to the final steps (delivery), all of these things happen within 48 hours,” she said.

This kind of service wouldn’t have been possible without the word of mouth efforts through platforms like Facebook, where Babies for Homelessness could reach out to potential volunteers and donors.

“Up until recently, 98 percent of funding has been through the support of individual donations. Here on the Eastside, we have an extremely philanthropic community,” Stockert said. “As of recently, we applied for our first basic needs grant through United Way and we were awarded $43,000.”

For more information on how to donate, visit www.babiesofhomelessness.org or Babies of Homelessness’ page on Facebook.