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For the past few years, the Jean Kim Foundation’s Hygiene Center has logged nearly a thousand showers for a specific month.
“August is our highest service month,” Director Sandra Mears said.
Temperatures are usually on the higher end from late June until August. Those experiencing homelessness and who have limited access to resources are more vulnerable to heat-related injuries and illnesses.
Last August, the center logged 918 hours. The second-highest month was October with 874 showers. In 2023, the center logged 1,068 showers for August and 1,059 showers for May.
To help with the heat this year, Simply the Basics awarded the Hygiene Center in June with a flash grant involving 10,000 SPF 30 lip balms and 10,000 band aid kits. Mears said this is the first time the center received this grant.
Simply the Basics is a California-based nonprofit organization with a mission to: “provide for people, communities and nonprofit organizations their most basic hygiene needs with dignity so that they can focus on greater goals,” according to its website.
“This is significant,” Mears said about the grant. “I’ve encouraged people to get medical care because they’ve been badly burned.”
The Hygiene Center at 19726 64th Ave. W. in Lynnwood is a one-stop hub for showers, food, clothes and resources. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The site was previously a vehicle emissions testing center.
MercyWatch, the state Department of Social and Health Services and other agencies occasionally offer services at the center. Churches such as Holy Rosary Parish and St. Thomas More Parish serve hot meals.
Donations from the community, local organizations and grant funders – including the Verdant Health Commission – support the foundation.
The Hygiene Center accepts donations such as large bottles of shampoo/conditioner, bleach, sunscreen, summer clothing and shoes. Donations can be dropped off at the center.
— By Angelica Relente
Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network. Contact her at angelica@myedmondsnews.com.
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