By Claire Lee
Winter 2020
From the kindergarteners who organized a classroom food drive, to the 85-year-old woman who made a bequest to the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank in her will, people of all ages are finding impactful ways to participate in our mission. Winston, age 12, said “I am inspired to give because I know someone who was less fortunate.”
As we reflect on the past few months, we are blown away by the number of people who stepped up to help meet the need in our community. That is why we wanted to use our Winter Champion Spotlight platform to recognize YOU. If you’re reading this, you’ve engaged with our organization in one way or another. Whether you’re a donor, a long-time volunteer, or elsewhere on the spectrum of engagement, you’ve contributed towards our overarching mission: to provide basic needs to our community members in order to promote self-sufficiency. You understand that having access to basic necessities is a right, not a privilege and we are beyond grateful that you’ve chosen our organization as a medium for your generosity.
While the busyness and stress are particularly heightened during the holidays, our organization experiences a high-volume need year-round. However, when giving and serving is top of mind during the holidays, it significantly eases the stress for everyone involved to have so many helping hands. None of these efforts would be possible without your help!
Thank you to all of the families, individuals, businesses, and schools who coordinated food, clothing, toy, and fund drives – motivating and providing a way for others to give back this holiday season. Thank you to everyone who participated in these drives by providing items that are most-needed in our communities or by making financial contributions. Thank you to the gentleman who donates boxes of diapers and cases of baby formula every month, the Groceries to Go volunteers who personally purchase specialty items for clients who can't make it in to shop, the Kiwanis who donates brand new coats every year; none of it goes unnoticed and all of it goes to those who need it.
Thank you to our selfless volunteers who donate their time and energy every week, making sure that everyone who uses our services and special programs receives the help and support they need.
You made it possible to provide resources to 5,000 people in 2019! Our volunteers gave almost 27,000 hours to sort 1.6 million pounds of food and our donors helped fund a 41% increase in our special programs due to demand. This is a testimony to the health of our community because a healthy community gives back. The backbone of giving back is that we acknowledge and use our privileges - whether it’s time, knowledge, talents, finances, or physical ability - towards making our community a healthier, safer, and an overall better place to live. We inspire and are inspired by people around us to ignite change and make a positive impact.
We are nothing less than proud to be part of this community.
Thank you.