Alongside ensuring Federal Way kids in need receive Christmas gifts, Catherine North serves on the Federal Way Senior Commission — and one of her main goals is seeing the institution of a new Federal Way Senior Center before she dies.

North grew up in Seattle, then lived in Port Orchard until 1989. In her late 30s, she moved to Federal Way because she met her wife who lived there. North said that despite the normal things that happen as a city grows, she continues to enjoy living in Federal Way and wants to serve the community.

One way North serves the community is through her yearly Christmas gift-giving drive. North said nine years ago, she and her wife were conversing, and they realized that they didn’t really need any Christmas gifts. North said if they ever want anything, they buy it themselves. Since then, she decided to dedicate every Christmas to gathering gifts for kids in the community who otherwise wouldn’t receive any.

North said it started with going to the local elementary school near her house and contacting the school liaison, who set her up with a couple dozen kids who needed gifts. She then found people to donate gifts, and many gift-givers returned year after year.

“Our garage, it’s full. It’s got really big bags [in it]. There’s bikes over there, a piano, the keyboard. Diapers, pull-ups, bikes, laptops, for kids at the elementary school,” North said. “For families who don’t have much. We had families who were asking for mattresses because they were sleeping on the floor. They moved from transitional housing, which is furnished, to Section 8, which is not. They had no beds.”

This year, North said they prepared Christmas gift bags for 59 kids. She said that Steel Lake Presbyterian Church helped out with some mattresses and got kids some booster seats so they could stay safe in the car. Things like mattresses and booster seats are given in addition to other gifts, North said. She said every kid gets a full outfit with shoes, alongside other gifts such as toys, stuffed animals and toothbrushes.

Catherine North. Photo by Joshua Solorzano/The Mirror

For this effort and more, North has been named the Mirror’s Hometown Hero for December 2024.

North said people might think that seniors sit around and don’t do much, but that’s not true for her and many others. North said that’s part of why she joined the Federal Way Senior Commission — because people don’t appreciate seniors enough when they’re the ones who built Federal Way.

North said she has been on the commission since its inception, and her main goal has been to create a Federal Way Senior Center in Federal Way. North noted that the current Federal Way Senior Center is located outside of Federal Way in unincorporated King County — it is out of the way and not in a central part of Federal Way.

North said that although she wants to see a senior center, she still enjoys the Federal Way Senior Center in unincorporated King County, even thought it only open two days a week and is an independent nonprofit. North said she’s surprised there is no senior center in Federal Way, considering the city’s size.

North said Auburn has a dedicated senior center with hot lunches daily, and Auburn is a smaller city than Federal Way. North said many Federal Way seniors will travel to other senior centers because they still want that social interaction. However, she said there are no buses that go to the Federal Way Senior Center, so having one in downtown Federal Way would make things much easier for seniors who don’t drive.

“You know, sure, you can maybe make your own cup of soup at home, but there’s no company there,” North said. “For a lot of people that have been widowed or they’re alone, you know, they like the company.”