As many of you know, each year I use a portion of the practice collections to donate to a variety of organizations as way to express my thanks to patients and pay it forward.
My goal is to give locally first when possible. The areas of need that are most important to me address three things:
- Food insecurity
- Abandoned aging dogs
- Mental health
This year I’m also thinking about everyone affected by the economic strain of the pandemic. Even though I felt a bit of that myself, I was lucky enough to get some federal help and of course my amazing patients continue to sustain me. So, I’ve done my best to research a few organizations that can help get resources and aid to people in the hardest hit industries:
- Arts
- Food service
- Homelessness
These Are the 5 Organizations That Make Up My Perennial Personal Favorites:
Food Lifeline:
“Feeding people facing hunger today and working to end hunger for tomorrow”
Old Dog Haven:
“Providing permanent foster homes for un-adoptable, abandoned or soon to be homeless, senior dogs in western Washington, age eight and over. “
Brain and Behavior Research Foundation:
“Committed to alleviating the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research.”
Teen Feed:
“Working with the community to offer support to meet basic needs, build strong relationships, and ally with homeless youth as they meet their future off the streets. “
Washington Farmland Trust (formerly PCC Farmland Trust):
“protects and stewards threatened farmland across the state. We keep land in production by making it accessible to future generations of farmers.”
3 More Organizations That Have My Attention This Year As Well:
ArtsFund:
“strengthening the community by supporting the arts through leadership, advocacy, and grant making.”
Growing up, the messages I heard about art and theater in the community is that it had little to no value. Luckily I’ve since learned that this is the opposite of true and in fact all art forms can be life-sustaining for communities.
ArtsFund supports many of the outlets and venues in King and Pierce counties that directly or indirectly impact patients of mine who rely on art for their livelihood.
NAMI Seattle:
“To address the unmet mental health needs within our community through support, referral, education, and outreach.”
Adhering to my goal of keeping donations local when possible, I’ve added NAMI to this year’s list. Given the great need for emotional support during this unusual year of isolation and personal challenge for so many of us – I felt the work that NAMI Seattle does for the local community perfectly lines up with the support I value already.
Mary’s Place:
“providing safe, inclusive shelter and services that support women, children and families on their journey out of homelessness.”
A little known fact is that I spent some time in a women’s shelter back in Canada when I was a teenager. My situation was much more secure and temporary than most, but that experience allowed me to see first-hand how important these places can be.
Because of the work that Bastyr University does with them, I’ve heard about the work that Mary’s Place has been doing for years but this year they surely have their hands beyond full as so many more people become less financially stable.
If you find yourself in a more fortunate place than most people this year, I hope you too will keep a few of these non- profit organizations in mind.
And know that if you are a patient of Return to Health, P.S., your dollars are already in part supporting all of the above.
Pandemic-Inspired Protocols in the Office
