Fresh recently completed our first Social Responsibility Event for 2017 – collecting donations for the Mt. Si Weekend Backpacks Project.

Inspired by Mt. Si Food Bank’s mission to address chronic hunger in the Snoqualmie Valley region, Fresh set a goal of filling 20 backpacks for children and families in need.

Food-filled backpacks are a critical resource, particularly for children who benefit from free or low-cost school meals during the week but don’t have access to food over the weekend. Currently, 148 children and 30 families are signed up to receive Mt. Si Food Bank backpacks – a portion are single-parent families, with some living in their cars, unsure of where they’ll get their next meal. Unfortunately, the number grows daily.

Courtney Terez and Kelly Coughlin from Mt. Si Food Bank joined our May team meeting to share more information about the backpack program and how our donation will impact the community. Like many, we were not aware of the full extent of this issue in the Snoqualmie Valley.

Through office-wide donations of nonperishable foods, drinks, hygiene products, and monetary contributions, Fresh not only met our 20 backpack goal, but also had extra items to donate to Mt. Si Food Bank’s cause. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Mt. Si Food Bank and embarking on new social responsibility projects throughout the year.