Program areas at Seattle Seafarers Center
Chaplains and trained ship visitors meet every cargo ship docked in the port of Seattle plus some in Everett and Tacoma in accordance with COVID-19 protocols: 505 visits during this fiscal year. Visitors bring wifi and SIM cards on board, welcome seafarers who can't leave the ship, and escalate any observed welfare issues. Visitors performed memorial services for several seafarers who lost their lives at sea en route to the Port of Seattle. Shopping and delivery services were provided for seafarers who are unable to leave their ship due to visa or shore leave restrictions. In 2022-2023 the Center's internship program gave young adults from the Seattle Service Corps, the North American Maritime Ministry Association, and Mission to Seafarers mentorship and real work experience.
The Mission Staff and Volunteers provided transportation services to more than 1,491 cruise ship employees during the 2022 Seattle cruise season (May-October), with service provided to cruise ships in the Port of Seattle. The transportation service is a van service between the cruise ship terminal and downtown Seattle provided by a local resident who can direct seafarers to shopping and tourism destinations in the city.
The Center provided 1205 "Ditty Bags" to seafarers on cargo ships - 1003 between November 2022 and January 2023 and 202 during the remainder of the year, along with 2078 sweatshirts and t-shirts throughout the rest of the year. Volunteers sew cloth bags and knit stocking caps. The bags are filled with toiletries, a stocking cap, playing cards, other treats, and a handwritten note. The Center's chaplains and ship visitors distribute the bags to every seafarer entering the port during the holiday season, in accordance with COVID protocols. In-kind donations of clothing allowed the Center to expand the ditty bag program to provide sweatshirts and t-shirts in addition to ditty bags this year.
The Center maintained a garden on its property for the first three months of the fiscal year to allow members of the community to grow vegetables and flowers adjacent to our facility.