When his uncle passed away suddenly, Vernell found himself without a place to live and without a job. Vernell had both lived with his uncle and worked for his uncle’s company. He moved in with a friend and started going to a local food bank. There, he met one of MSC’s employment counselors who he [...]
"Everything was going fine until the checks stopped coming, and then a friend told me about MSC's Energy Assistance Program," shares Helen. Helen, a 72-year-old retiree living on Vashon Island with her dogs and birds, called MSC for the first time last year. Living off her social security and supplementing her income with a small [...]
"To be a part of opening the door for someone is so rewarding," says Nikki Snyder. Nikki loves grammar and enjoys teaching, so volunteering with MSC to teach English was a great way to combine these two passions. While in college, Nikki was a writing tutor and worked with a lot of students who were [...]
The elderly have always held a special place in Joanne Chan's heart. She's put this compassion to good use by volunteering for the Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) operated through Multi-Service Center. For the last three years, Joanne has visited two local long-term care facilities on a weekly basis. She talks with residents [...]
Kaleigh’s first visit to the food bank at MSC was when she was 16 years old. At that time, she was living with her aunt who became injured and unable to work. “It’s hard to come to the food bank, but you have to do what you have to do to survive,” says Kaleigh. Kaleigh [...]
“I’m a budgeter, my husband is not,”says Shamika with a playful smile.Shamika and her husband, Aaron, live in an apartment with their five children, Samuel (17),Darius (16), Zephenia (14) Olyvya (9), and Sebastian(6). They were making ends meet until her husband lost his job. While receiving temporary assistance through Multi-Service Center’s rental assistance program, Shamika [...]
Carmela and Chris remember being homeless like it was yesterday. One morning in 2007, Chris went to the restaurant where he worked to find it all boarded up. Shortly after, Carmela found out she was pregnant with their first child. After her maternity leave, she was unable to find employment. “We were good citizens — [...]
"I'm fortunate to have enough, and when you have enough, you have enough to share," said Lois Watt as she visited MSC last month. Lois is concerned with the widening gap she sees between the "have" and "have-nots" and has decided that she will be someone who can make a difference. Lois knows she can't [...]
