Information from WestSide Baby

WestSide Baby welcomed a sold-out crowd of more than 600 supporters to its 14th-Annual Benefit Tea at the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center March 1, raising more than $315,000. The funds will play a crucial role in helping WestSide Baby provide essentials to more than 27,000 children in need across King County this year.

The 2015 Tea highlighted the need that is often hidden from sight in our community, as struggling families often try to conceal their challenges. The event was also a celebration of WestSide Baby’s merger with St. Joseph’s Baby Corner in 2014, which resulted in a drastic increase in service to children living in poverty in the central Seattle area. WestSide Baby continues the work of the Baby Corner – which had been based in Capitol Hill – at its Central Branch at 23rd and Jackson in the Central District.

“This year’s Tea was a wonderful success, thanks to our supporters’ great generosity,” WestSide Baby Executive Director Nancy Woodland said. “Though we will make a larger impact this year than we ever have, we will only reach a small fraction of the children in King County who need our support. Together with our community, we can reach these children and ensure they have the essentials they need and deserve to grow up safe, warm and dry.”

There are 10,000 children under the age of 3 living in poverty in King County. WestSide Baby will distribute more than 1 million diapers to children in King County this year, though this is not nearly enough to meet the community’s need, as these children need 22 million diapers this year to stay dry.

The 2015 Tea marks WestSide Baby’s largest event since opening its doors in 2001. The Benefit Tea is one of WestSide Baby’s three major annual events, alongside the Stuff the Bus diaper drive in July and the Cocktail Benefit in September.