The Van That Finds People

Helping Us Go Many Miles for Safety: The Van Maintenance Fund

Every day in Pierce County, we meet people who simply cannot get to us. Seniors who can’t drive anymore. Parents with small children and no transportation. Families living in motels or cars. Youth who need a safe ride to shelter or services. Neighbors tucked into rural pockets where buses don’t run. When someone is in crisis, distance becomes a barrier that can quickly turn into danger. In extreme weather or situations of medical distress, it could even be life-threatening.

Until recently, our staff have been using their own cars to deliver food, hygiene supplies, clothing, and emergency items — and to transport people to shelter, detox, or medical care. It’s not sustainable, and it’s not safe. We reach over 43,000 people per year - we need a dedicated outreach/basic‑needs van, and a van designated for children-youth, so we can reach people where they are and follow best practices (transporting children/youth separately). With need raised by over half in 2026, two vans will allow us to be able to respond quickly within the community - from street outreach to transporting shelter clients to medical or emergency appointments.

This van will be a workhorse for our community. It will help us deliver food and care to those who live on the street or in encampments. It will help us reach seniors who are isolated and alone. It will help us respond quickly during extreme weather, when people need blankets, warm meals, and safe transport. When walking or bus isn't an option, people can feel invisible - this van will literally give us a way to reach people. 

It will help us bring youth and families to our Family Resource Center — the only family‑friendly day shelter in the county — where they can rest, stabilize, and get connected to services. It will help us bring snacks and nutritionally-dense food and medical supplies to those on the streets.

Most importantly, it will help us find the people who fall through the cracks.

The van recently went to assist a family who was staying on the corner outside a store. They literally thought they were stuck. With support, they could quickly get to our family-safe shelter and start a plan for stability. A van makes moments like that possible — the moments where someone realizes they are not forgotten.

In 2025, we served more than 40,000 neighbors. With the opening of our Family Resource Center, we expect to reach more than 60,000 in 2026 — including thousands of people who will need rides, home deliveries, or mobile outreach. A dedicated van will allow us to expand our reach by more than 1,300 rides and deliveries in the first year alone.

Your GiveBIG gift helps make this possible. With a surge in our service numbers, we need help with operational support for the van to go the extra miles - your gift supports the fuel, maintenance, insurance, and daily operations that keep our outreach vehicles on the road. 

And this year, your support helps us add one more simple white cargo van — nothing fancy, just reliable, safe, and ready to serve — so we can reach more neighbors who would otherwise go without help.

When you give, you help us bring food, safety, and dignity directly to the people who need it most. You help us show up — in parking lots, motels, rural roads, and quiet corners of our community — with compassion and practical support.

This helps ensure that every time someone calls us for assistance, especially if they have children, are walking alone, or are in danger, we can be there quickly to assist. One van ride can literally change someone's life. In extreme situations, it may even save a life.

We have quickly become one of Pierce County's largest shelter intake providers. This year, more people than ever are coming to us for help. We are often the only people who see them on our routes. Thank you for helping us keep our vans on the road, and for helping us reach every neighbor who needs us.