Dear Partner,

“Ending 2019 Well” was the theme of last year’s Christmas letter. Organizationally and personally, we were processing and celebrating the incredible leadership of my dad, Dave Frederick, Executive Director Emeritus, as he retired to focus on fighting cancer. We wanted to take a moment to pause and honor his amazing life work. My dad always said he wanted to end well; for him that meant being faithful to God to the very end.

Concurrently, we faced a sobering financial deficit. It took a lot to finish the Kingston Project and launch the Pierce County shelter. Both those projects took endurance and stretched our capacity. At the end of 2019 we wrote, “It has been the most financially challenging year in recent memory.”

Starting well.

In the face of such challenges, we started 2020 eager to grow with a team of new leaders who were passionate about the original mission of The Coffee Oasis: to bring the hope of Christ to the pain on the streets. We were committed to giving the best possible care for all kids who were hurting, lost, and alone. Nobody anticipated this year would present so many new, scary challenges! It became evident there were two ways to respond: fear or faith. The Coffee Oasis team has shown incredible faith that has made us even stronger during this time of adversity. Even when we had to reduce the hours of staff and briefly close the cafes, youth center hours in Kitsap expanded for youth in need to “shelter in place.” We had a historic number of youth access shelter in Pierce County. We saw a 150% increase in youth texting our crisis line in the first few months of the pandemic.

In the midst of it all, we’ve felt your support. You responded in faith. You gave generously and made sure our kids ate hot meals every day and had a place to call home. At a time when the world seemed to be pulling apart, you wrapped around us.

Continuing well.

This story is far from over. Every day our story intersects with hundreds of youth who walk through our doors, stay in our shelters, or reach out to our text line. Each day our team shows up to serve and love wholeheartedly. Instead of focusing on ending well this year, we want to invite you to help us continue well. If you are considering giving a year-end gift to your community, please consider giving and watching that gift grow in the lives of youth who are finding help, healing, and hope for the future through The Coffee Oasis.

Happy holidays! Our hearts are full of gratitude for you this year!

Daniel Frederick
Executive Director of The Coffee Oasis