KidVantage (EBC)

KidVantage provides basic health, safety, nutritional and comfort items for babies and children (birth through age 12), and expectant mothers, who are living within our area of operations and are currently participating in a program within our network of agency partners. In service to our mission and strategic directions, KidVantage supported 83 active agency partners in 2022, including early learning centers, food banks, housing, maternal & infant health programs, medical services, and schools. The tangible assistance provided by KidVantage means kids have their nutrition, health, safety, and development needs met, promoting and protecting developing minds and bodies. At no cost to families or to our agency partners, we supply formula, diapers, hygiene items, clothing, car seats, beds, school supplies, and more. After three decades of service, KidVantage is the community's acknowledged expert in recycling, buying, and distributing essential goods for children experiencing poverty, homelessness, or family disruption. KidVantage takes in donations of children's clothing and goods from the community at locations in Issaquah and Shoreline (the Kent location is distribution only) in King County and Bremerton in Kitsap County and purchases critical and consumable goods, including baby food, formula, car seats, pack n' play beds, and diapers. All items are then sorted and bundled into customized orders by staff or volunteers and distributed through partner-providers such as case managers, public health nurses, and school counselors to families in their programs. Through this network of programs, over 3,000 children (unduplicated) each month get the essentials they need for healthy development. During 2023, families accessed KidVantage assistance through 284 program sites in King, Snohomish, Kitsap, Mason, and Pierce counties. KidVantage supported 22% more unduplicated recipients in 2023, a total of 18,049. Of the 8,536 standard recipient households assisted, 80% of the households were very low/low income, 28% housing insecure, 68% of the children were age 4 and under, 27% identified as Hispanic/Latinx, 22% as Black/African-American, 22% white, 5% Middle Eastern, 8% Asian, 6% as multiracial, 2% each American Indian/Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 7% unknown. In 2023, KidVantage distributed 210,572 product orders of essential goods; the orders included 2,441,395 diapers, 4,441,520 diaper wipes, 7,888 cans of infant formula, 13,388 Big Bundles of clothing to kids, 2,538 car seats, 18,908 pairs of shoes, 69,600 pairs of underwear, and 11,797 baby food meals. Over 4,000 volunteers donated 23,099 hours in 2023.