Here’s why 46 families in Lynnwood will get new appliances this holiday season

An apartment building in Lynnwood got an upgrade.

YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish recently purchased 62 new appliances for Somerset Village at 19703 68th Ave. W. after receiving a $40,000 grant. Appliances include water heaters, refrigerators and washer/dryer sets.

Somerset Village is a three-story apartment building with 64 units that are mostly three- and four-bedrooms. It offers permanent housing to low-income households. It also offers case management, support services, community services, and referrals to health care, job training and employment.

The Employees Community Fund of Boeing (ECF) – Puget Sound Chapter awarded YWCA the grant earlier this fall to support the purchase and installation of new appliances.

“YWCA’s Somerset Village was selected due to the need for updated appliances and its proximity to Boeing’s offices,” said Annalee Schafranek, YWCA’s marketing and media relations director.

Schafranek told My Neighborhood News Group that 46 units are receiving new appliances. Installation is happening on a rolling basis because crews are delivering the types of appliances separately. 

With the new appliances, families at Somerset Village can “live in comfort and dignity during the holiday season in a year when an unstable and uncertain public funding environment makes appliance updates an unlikely YWCA expense,” YWCA said in a news release.

This is not the first time the ECF awarded YWCA a grant, Schafranek said. Both organizations have been working together since 1954. She said she is not sure if previous grants went toward appliances. 

Through the ECF, Boeing employees can collectively invest in their communities by pooling tax-deductible donations to fund local nonprofits that help thousands of people. 

YWCA is a nonprofit organization that works to promote opportunity and equity in housing, economic advancement, health and safety through direct services and advocacy. 

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.