Strength In Numbers is a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization dedicated to helping the struggling populations in Skagit, Snohomish, and Island Counties in the state of Washington. We serve food, give out clothing, and provide all the essential items needed for survival and to give comfort to those suffering from poverty and homelessness, as well as providing education on resources and referrals to other community programs.
Our goal is simple: Help, educate, and give back the basic human right to life and happiness that every human being deserves. Alone, we will not change the world, but in numbers we can make a difference.
We are all just one mishap away from being in the same situation as those living on the streets. If you were to lose your job tomorrow, how long would it take to pick yourself up? What if your child or spouse became ill and insurance wouldn’t pay the mounting hospital bills? What if you then could no longer keep up with the rent or mortgage? It could be you. It could be your family, or a friend. Anyone can be hit with a tragedy and lose it all in a moment. It’s our job as human beings to care for our neighbors. Simply changing one person’s life is rewarding but imagine what we could do together if each person took only a moment to spread kindness. That’s where true change happens.
My name is Jaimey Leland, I am the founder of Strength in Numbers and this is my story. Prior to moving to Camano Island, my husband Curt and I lived in West Seattle and had discovered how bad the homeless and impoverished population had become. Often traveling between Seattle and West Seattle it had become apparent there were just not enough resources dedicated to helping the growing population. More so, the city just kept pushing them from one camp to the next; often just bulldozing down their makeshift camps so the affluent residents of the city didn’t have to look at it or be inconvenienced, or even going so far as to pay individuals an insignificant sum to send them on a bus out of the city; out of sight, out of mind.
We did what we could to make a difference in these people’s lives. The two of us volunteered with the Union Gospel Mission going out on nightly search and rescue missions to find homeless camps where we could deliver food, clothing, toiletries and hot chocolate. Soon we were gathering up all the leftovers from our own home and taking them to share with those less fortunate. The response we got from the people we helped was overwhelming and we learned so much. These were real people, who had real jobs and real lives just like you and I at one point in time. Most of whom who had simply suffered a setback in life without a support system to help them. From illness to job loss, and yes sometimes drugs….but not always.
We left the city and moved to Camano in 2016 and we soon realized we were living the life most of us take for granted; surrounded by retirees and well-off people in a small island community not affected by homelessness. It was from there the idea for Strength in Numbers was born.
I began searching for those in need, taking with me whatever clothing, toiletries, and food we could pull together. It didn’t take long before the camps were found, and the people came out. What started off as simply trying to help a few unfortunate people, turned into a weekly drive to Mount Vernon. Word began to spread, and the need grew with it.
Listening to people’s stories, watching them take only what they need, looking out for each other, even if that meant giving the coat off their own back, that is the most fulfilling part of our work. But we can’t continue to do it alone. The powers that be would rather see these problems removed than resolved. That means entire families can end up displaced and worse off than they began for the comfort of the affluent few. That’s why we need your help; anything you can do no, matter how small, can make the biggest difference. It’s up to you to make it happen.