About Us

In 1998, The Rev. Fred Hutchinson and Dr. Ruth Bishop set out to create a community that would serve the needs of Seattle’s homeless population. They began providing clothing, new hats, mittens, and prepared meals to the marginalized and underserved populations in our midst.

We began without a formal name, using various commercial kitchens at Christmas to cook meals and deliver them hot to two or three shelters in the Seattle area. Two or three years later, when we returned and gave food to the Women’s Referral Center on Second Street in Seattle, the large metal door in the alley opened. The women exclaimed, “The Christmas People are here.” Thus our name.

Over the years, we have formed a small, regular group of volunteers who prepare as many as 2900+ meals over a three or four-day period at Christmas. The program consists of volunteers who don’t have family in the area or will be away from home at Christmas. On any particular Christmas, old faces share the holiday with family, and new faces work with us. For all, this enterprise is a labor of love. For most of us, Christmas would not be the same without this cooking and sharing endeavor.

Even after the Christmas Season is officially over, the needs of those less fortunate go on. The efforts of those involved with The Christmas People Foundation continue on a year-round basis.