Last year Pike Place Market Foundation granted $34,122 in emergency assistance to 60 members of the Market community through the Community Safety Net.
The Community Safety Net provides emergency assistance for Market residents, members of the social service agencies, or of the merchant, daystall and farmer communities who have experienced extraordinary hardship and are in need of assistance to regain their stability.
Join us for the 3rd annual Behind the Table: Meet the Artisans of Pike Place Market on Friday, October 21, benefiting the Community Safety Net. Your ticket supports our neighbors when they truly need it most.
Behind the Table: Meet the Artisans of Pike Place Market
Friday, October 21
5 PM – 10 PM
Tickets: $30 (includes dinner and one drink ticket)
Behind the Table is one-of-a-kind evening filled with local art, live music, dinner, drinks, an auction, and more in Pike Place Market. Start your holiday shopping off the right way by bidding on an exceptional array of truly local products in two auctions. Your gifts will directly support the Community Safety Net.
Tickets & Info: http://www.behindthetable.org/
Scroll down to meet three Market community members who received support the Safety Net last year.
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We live in a time when bad breaks can snowball and spin life out of control. Just ask Market Craftsperson Cynthia Nochowitz, owner of Deerest Designs (pictured).
“I had recently undergone a difficult medical treatment. I couldn’t get my strength back and fell behind on bills. I had to rely on stupid payday loans to get groceries. Housing is so expensive, and my landlord, nice as he is…..”
The 13 year Market veteran explained, “The Market staff knew I was struggling; they suggested I apply for Safety Net assistance. Those funds paid my landlord directly.”
“I rent a little house with workshop space. If the Safety Net hadn’t paid my rent, I would have lost my home. Without a workshop, and a roof overhead what was I going to do?
“The Market community is great. I can’t think of anywhere else you can get this kind of support when you’re self-employed.”
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“I could not be more thankful to be a part of a community where everyone watches over one another,” said Alex Rasmussen, busker and craft agent at Pike Place Market who fell through a roof last year. “After injuring myself and being placed on bedrest for a month, the Community Safety Net paid for a month’s worth of rent while I was unable to work, allowing me to properly recover and not have the burden of bills to pay.”
I cannot thank David and the staff at Pike Place Market Foundation. Not only did you come through for me in a time of need, but you also showed me how truly powerful it can be to have a family as strong as Pike Place Market. This community is one-of-a-kind. And in a world where values and community are oftentimes traded for a quick buck, I cannot express how lucky I feel to be a part of that family.
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If you visit the Market, you know Sandi Schmidt, Market ocarina-maker. You couldn’t meet anyone more cheerful and positive, but like most, she’s had hardships.
“The safety net helped me twice. My husband and business partner, Richard died suddenly. We hadn’t planned for it and the business lost three months at the Market. I fell behind on bills. I owed the power company $600. Then after that, I had surgery for a neck tumor. Five days later, I was home in my trailer putting away dishes when blood spurted out of my neck. It was back to the hospital. Both times the Safety Net paid my extra bills.”
The 34-year Market veteran has nothing but good things to say about her Market community. “The Market is family. The rug had been pulled out from under me and it’s like the Market became my rug.”
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