At the end of August, United Way of King County gave a fond farewell to our fantastic AmeriCorps VISTAs and welcomed a stellar group in! Picking right up where their predecessors left off, Lydia, Olivia and Mary join fellow United Way VISTA Terrence Cabaio, who began in February 2012, and will work closely with our efforts to end hunger in King County and on building opportunities for volunteers. Meet the newest members of United Way’s team:

Lydia Albert

Hometown: Bellingham, Wash., but Lydia loves calling Seattle home.
A little bit about her: ”I recently graduated from the University of Washington (go Dawgs!), where I studied urban geography and intercultural communications.

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Oliva Uhart

Hometown: Tacoma, Wash.
A little bit about her: “I studied psychology at the University of San Diego and plan to go back to school for psychiatric nursing to work with at-risk kids! I really love being outside, spending time with people, and sports, food and movies!”

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Mary Weir

Hometown: Hillsborough, N.C.
A little bit about her: “I graduated in 2011 from Wesleyan University with a degree in English. I love to bike, hike and explore new places.”

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During their first few weeks, Lydia, Olivia and Mary have been busy getting up to speed on Bridge to Basics, United Way’s volunteer program that signs low-income members of our community up for life-changing public benefits, such as basic food (food stamps), and health care and utilities assistance. After going through a benefits training themselves and meeting the staff heading up Bridge to Basics, they’re excited to be a part of this program.

In addition to Bridge to Basics, the three had the chance to connect volunteers in our community to great programs and events. One of these events was our reacord-breaking Day of Caring on Sept. 21. Lydia, Olivia and Mary joined volunteers from Washington Federal, Nordstrom, AT&T and Providence to pull blackberries, spread mulch and care for the orchard at Dr. Jose Rizal park in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. You might even be able to find them, along with a lot of other volunteers, on our Flickr page.)

“So far, we’ve discovered that we have a lot to learn!” they agreed. ”We’ve also realized that tackling big issues, like helping the thousands of people in King County who aren’t sure where their next meal will come from, is complicated and takes a lot of partnership and cooperation. We’re learning that King County is a place with huge need—but also huge potential.”

United Way is thrilled to welcome these three enthusiatic team members on board.

• Learn more about Bridge to Basics
• Post a volunteer opportunity
• Read how your partnership is changing lives