Yesterday, my firm, Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympic Realty presented our annual donation to the Thurston County Food Bank in downtown Olympia WA and then we rolled up our sleeves and helped out.
Here we are at the food bank with Judy Jones, the Operations Manager, and my broker, Ken Anderson presenting her with our check.
The Thurston County Food Bank operates to make sure that 97% of donations go to the food bank and the recipients, with only 3% for administrative costs. How many charities can boast that kind of number?!
And it was astonishing to hear what the food bank can do with cash donations. Judy Jones, the Operations Manager was telling us an example where they purchased in bulk breakfast cereal in ten-pound bags. They will break that down into 1-pound bags and that will be a cost equivalent of just 43 cents.
Although food donations are always welcome, the food bank can really stretch the dollar, and you and I cannot purchase a box of cereal for 43 cents.
Volunteers make it all happen. So far 11,675 volunteers have put in over 69,000 hours! The food bank could not exist and function as they do without the help from our generous Olympia, WA community.
The food bank receives most of its donations in the fourth quarter but the need is greatest in the summer months. Partly because school is out and kids who are getting reduced-fee lunches at school don't get that during the summer. For the Thurston County Food Bank, 49% of their clients are children.
To compensate for that, the food bank offers a summer lunch mobile program to make sure kids get meals. Their FORKids program not only provides summer lunches but also weekend food bags.
As for our volunteer contribution yesterday, I was on the Squash team! My broker Ken Anderson and my fellow Realtor colleagues Gayla Duerr, Lou Ann Dunlap and John Duerr sorted Delicata and butternut squash into smaller bins and tossed out the bad ones. The overly ripe produce goes to local pig farmers, so nothing is wasted.
My other colleagues stocked the shelves and sorted boxes and boxes of eggs.
If you'd like to help, there are three ways the Thurston County Food Bank needs you:
-Cash donations
-Food donations
-Give your time
In other exciting news for the food bank, they are opening a second location in Lacey, WA to serve the residents there. It will include a Victory Garden where they will grow their own produce, have a farmer's market and the store portion. Your cash donations to this Lacey location is also very much needed and appreciated.
www.ThurstonCountyFoodBank.org
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