The Relief Society's Annual Report
Seattle's charitable women report on a year of sheltering abandoned children and aiding the city's destitute families.
The Ladies Relief Society held their annual meeting at the hall on Tuesday. The report for the year ending April 1, 1886, shows 18 active and honorary members were admitted, and the society has had 12 regular meetings. The treasurer's books show that during this time the total amount of money received has been $885.50. Three families have been assisted by gifts of clothing and provisions. Two families, consisting of seven persons, have been sent to their friends in the East; the society paid and aided those who wished to go to California. There have been received at the home five destitute children, ranging from one month to twelve years of age.
“There have been received at the home five destitute children, ranging from one month to twelve years of age.”
Long before modern social safety nets, private organizations like the Ladies Relief Society were the only buffer between Seattle's vulnerable and total destitution. Their struggle to build a permanent home mirrors the ongoing civic debates over how Seattle houses its most vulnerable populations.
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