Martha & Mary’s Mission of Caring

March 5, 2018

Originally appearing in Moments for Mission (March 2018), a monthly newsletter published by Southwest Washington Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Martha & Mary, a social ministry organization of Lutheran Services in America, is a familiar entity to most residents in Kitsap County. This non-profit organization has been extending their mission of caring to children, seniors and families in the community since 1891.

Many think of Martha & Mary as “the little nursing home on the hill in Downtown Poulsbo.” Indeed their skilled, long term care program, known for providing an outstanding quality of life for aging seniors, including those with cognitive impairment, remains a cornerstone business for the organization.

But, Martha & Mary’s care services far exceed this program and Poulsbo’s city limits.

Martha & Mary extends exceptional short-term stay, post-acute rehabilitation care to community members. Offering patients therapy seven days a week, their program boasts an excellent reputation for speedy recoveries that get patients home sooner than other providers while reducing their likelihood of re-admittance to the hospital.

Several affordable and desirable senior housing options are offered by Martha & Mary, including independent living apartment communities in Poulsbo (The Ebenezer Senior Retirement Apartments) and Kingston (The Village Green), and an assisted living facility with memory care services in Bremerton (Bay Vista Commons).

Home care services are also offered through Martha & Mary AT HOME. This program sends highly-trained, compassionate caregivers into the homes of adults and seniors throughout the region, supporting their continued independence and allowing them to remain safely in their own residence for as long as possible.

Many Kitsap families depend on Martha & Mary KIDS for high-quality, child-centered care services. They offer early learning programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and Pre-K students at three locations in Poulsbo and Silverdale, in addition to before and after school programming at all six North Kitsap School District elementary schools and Cougar Valley Elementary in Silverdale.

Those familiar with Martha & Mary will confirm that their care is ‘like family,’ that their staff are extraordinary people and that they place strong emphasis on enriching the lives of those entrusted with their care. Their signature Intergenerational Program exemplifies the special care they extend to the community by bringing the generations together almost daily for enrichment activities that bring understanding and joy to both young and aging hearts.

What many people don’t know is that Martha & Mary plays a crucial role as an important safety net for low-income families in Kitsap. In keeping with their mission, and the spirit of their faith-based roots, 67% of the aging seniors cared for at Martha & Mary in 2016 were Medicaid-covered. Additionally, 30% of the families served by Martha & Mary KIDS were provided subsidized child care in 2016.

Martha & Mary remains eternally grateful to the ten Kitsap Lutheran churches that support the organization. Synod ELCA congregations supporting Martha and Mary as Member Congregations are: Family of God Lutheran Church, Bremerton, First Lutheran Church, Poulsbo, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Bremerton, Silverdale Lutheran Church, Silverdale, Vinland Lutheran Church, Poulsbo. Year after year these congregations provide much needed prayers and meaningful funding to Martha & Mary, helping them to continue their important mission of caring for the Greater Kitsap community.

 

 

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