When the Market plunged into an unprecedented shutdown, COVID-19 exposed deep gaps in our social, and health and systems, all of which contribute to the cycle of poverty that many of our neighbors experience. Our agency partners sprung into action to support the Market community, as the medical clinic, food bank, senior center, senior housing, preschool and assisted living continued to serve tens of thousands of our neighbors and meet emerging needs.
During this time, the Market Foundation invested more than $2 million in unrestricted grants to our legacy partners in the Market. We also granted $499,550 in additional emergency funds to cover unexpected operating costs due to COVID-19.
Read more about how each of our partners pivoted and deployed emergency programs in our neighborhood:
Access to fresh, affordable produce is rooted in the history of Pike Place Market and is essential to the health of our community. The pandemic presented new challenges for the Market’s residents, workers and neighbors living on low incomes to access the food they needed.
The Pike Market Senior Center continued to open daily for free breakfast, lunch, and offered a new to-go meal service. While the Senior Center could no longer host in-person activities, they launched exercise programs online for seniors to stay active at home. They led a city-wide effort to produce 14 hour-long television programs, called AgeWise TV, for seniors who lack internet access. Staff also made outreach calls to check in on isolated members of the community in a variety of languages.
The Pike Market Food Bank, fresh off of converting to a grocery store model, set up a take away window for the hundreds of people who need groceries every week. Through their quick flexibility, the Food Bank was able to continuously provide fresh produce and shelf-ready foods for so many Market families and downtown neighbors. The Market Foundation worked directly with the Food Bank to launch an Emergency Food Distribution Program, ensuring that senior residents in the Market had access to groceries or meals without leaving their homes.
Neighborcare Health at the Market, a community health clinic serving downtown patients, was on the frontline of providing new COVID-19 testing in shelters and low-income housing buildings throughout downtown. Neighborcare Health’s Homeless Programs Team worked closely with housing, community, and public health partners to address the many emerging COVID-19 related needs for people experiencing homelessness in permanent supportive housing, on the street, and in shelter settings.
We know that the pandemic has had a long-lasting impact on the health of our neighborhood. The staff at Neighborcare continue to address these health inequalities by increasing mental health supports, reducing barriers to health care, and improving access, education and advocacy for all members of our community.
Heritage House at the Market, serving seniors in need of assisted living, had to go into total lockdown when the pandemic started. They kept residents safe by providing one-on-one care, delivering meals, adapting healthcare visits to telehealth and family visits to video chats, and implementing other safety and sanitation measures.
When the pandemic hit, childcare centers nationwide permanently closed, as the cost of providing care climbed sky-high. Without the annual grants and additional COVID support, Pike Market Childcare & Preschool could have faced the same fate.
Instead, they were able to continue providing access to high-quality early learning and the tuition assistance program that benefits up to 70% of attending families. The Preschool also worked to increase pay for teachers and provide livable wages during this critical time. Health and safety measures remain a top priority to keep kids, teachers and families safe.
The Market Commons and our healthy community model was critical to our ability to both identify and pivot to meet the emerging needs of the Market community. The Commons temporarily closed to in-person activities and walk-up resource navigation in March 2020, but continued to provide resource assistance and regular social check-ins with community members via phone and email. The Commons staff constantly monitored changing and emerging resources in order to provide the most up to date referrals to help keep community members healthy and stable.
We express our gratitude to the people who worked the frontlines of the pandemic in all of our partner agencies as they responded to one of the biggest crises in Market history. It has been a huge team effort to keep the Market safe, healthy and vibrant.
We know the impacts of the pandemic continue to be felt by our community. The Pike Place Market Foundation is dedicated to providing long-term, consistent funding to continue supporting our partner organizations year-over-year and emergency needs as they arise.
Help us keep the Market strong with continued support!