It all started with a group of concerned citizens who saw that the overall affluence of  Northern King County masked the poverty and struggle people in their own neighborhoods faced every day.

The idea was to have a day in which those in need could easily access many services in one place. One year later, the group has the support of over 40 nonprofit organizations in the area and will be hosting Care Day on Aug. 15th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bothell High School.

Care Day is a one-day event where attendees will enjoy a hot meal and access free health services, haircuts, groceries, government agencies, employment assistance, housing assistance, and much more. A few organizations participating in the event include Hopelink, Evergreen Health, WorkSource, Center for Human Services, Northshore School District, and local cities. Care Day seeks to show compassion for people in the community experiencing need, to strengthen the safety net of care providers in the Northshore community, and to engage with volunteers to raise community awareness.

Care Day was largely inspired by events in the area such as United Way of King County’s Community Resource Exchange (CRE) and United Way of Snohomish County’s Project Homeless Connect (PHC). Both events offer a variety of direct services to large groups of homeless and low-income community members.

“My experience with [United Way of King County’s] Community Resource Exchange in Seattle was motivating, “said Allen Bolen of Camp Unity, a transitional mobile encampment currently located Woodinville. “I was able to get a haircut and clothes that made me feel prepared for a job interview two weeks later. It helped me push forward.”

Having benefitted from the CRE himself, Bolen would like to see this kind of compassion across the state.

“I support Care Day and believe there should be a Care Day in every city,” he said.

For more information about the event, to volunteer or donate visit www.careday.net or contact Tim King at timk@careday.net.