Rick Harrison

Rick has lived in Seattle for more than three decades, and in the Lake City neighborhood for five years. He began volunteering at North Helpline in client services and took note of what he was seeing. “They seemed to listen to the people — what do you need and let’s see what we can do about that.”

One day a staff member asked if he would be interested in serving on the board. His answer was yes, joining the group in December 2019. He also serves on the board of the Northwest Justice Project, the state’s largest nonprofit law firm.

Rick previously worked in radio and television broadcasting in California, including a job as a news show director, working in Fresno, San Diego and Los Angeles.

An accident in 1998 left him disabled. “I understand being poor.”

He said he has the skills to advocate for himself, but saw many others who did not, falling through the cracks and not getting the social services they qualified for.

He says he’s particularly proud of the baby products provided by North Helpline, such as formula and diapers, that can be difficult for families to afford. “They really go all out to supply those folks. That’s such an important thing.”