Happy Cooks at Union Gospel Mission

The kitchen at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission (UGM) serves roughly 27,000 meals every month to those in need. Each night for dinner, they see approximately 350 guests in their small cafeteria, located in downtown Seattle. That’s a whole lot of chopping and dicing for the three cooks on staff, tasked with preparing enough servings to go around.

After spending Day of Caring volunteering in the Kitchen at UGM, a group of Seattle area lawyers, led by volunteer Mari Horita, got to experience first-hand all the work that goes into providing three square meals a day to hundreds of hungry guests. At the end of the day, their hands were blistered and sore from chopping and they couldn’t help but notice that the kitchen was in need of a utensil upgrade.

Mari, who has volunteered for the past two years at UGM, saw an opportunity for her group to do even more. She reached out to her Day of Caring group members and asked for their help. By pooling their money, donating $10 to $50 a piece, the group was able to raise $665 to purchase new knives, and other kitchen goodies, for the chefs at UGM. When Mari went to do her shopping at Seattle’s City Kitchens, they threw in another $300 worth of knives, bringing the total donation up to $965!

The goods

Mari Horita and friends at Union Gospel Mission

I have another story to tell about the success of United Way’s Day of Caring.  It’s a story about a dedicated corps of often unseen and unsung heroes working within our nonprofits to skillfully plan volunteer projects, promote volunteer service and inspire volunteers to serve.  At United Way of King County we know that volunteering rarely “just happens”.  We understand that harnessing the full potential of volunteers requires skilled, knowledgeable and professional individuals that can provide the “creative, inspirational and motivational leadership of volunteers, the management of a diverse range of people and strategic planning of volunteer service (Anita Bain, ‘Promote Volunteer Managers and You Promote Volunteers’, Charity Channel, Wednesday, June 7, 2006).  

I’d like to give a shout out to all of the volunteer coordinator/managers that helped to ensure the successful engagement of volunteers for Day of Caring.  Thanks!  We couldn’t do this without you!

If you have had the privilege of interacting with one of the many volunteer coordinators out there working tirelessly to engage volunteers with their organizations, take a moment to say “thanks for all you do”!  And mark your calendars: November 5^th is the International Volunteer Managers Day.  Let’s celebrate the volunteer coordinators/ managers who help to make our communities stronger.

Volunteers from NPower sent 25 social media coaches out to work with 23 different non-profits to help them reach out to more people and maximize their use of social media channels, check out their write up here!

Goats, Gates and Reading Gains?! That’s right, here’s a project that sent Gates Foundation Employees out to help the Community School Colaboration learn about nature and yes there were goats involved!

Here’s one about volunteers from PeaceHealth, Aerojet and Mutual of Enumclaw gathering together to clean up and manicure the grounds at Providence Marianwood senior facilities.

How about Microsoft volunteers helping to grow food for local food banks, check out the Daisy Sonju Community Garden post here.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered at Day of Caring, and remember…you can volunteer year round!  There are hundreds of opportunities everyday, check out the volunteer section of United Way of King County’s website!

Today, I am moving on. After three years working in the Brand department at United Way of King County, I’m saying my farewells.

My first encounter with United Way of King County was in the late ’90s. I was working as a copywriter at Nordstrom, and the fall campaign season was kicking off.  There was an event called “Day of Caring,” and coworkers were signing up. The more I heard, the more I wanted to join in. It sounded like an amazing thing–and it was.

In time, I started making small gifts via biweekly payroll deductions, and began volunteering as well.

The years flew by, and in October 2008, I was freelancing. I noticed a job posting for a copywriter at United Way of King County. The more I read, the more intrigued I became. It seemed as if they had written the description specifically for me.

I landed the job–right when the recession was becoming the “Great Recession.” I joined a small but mighty and very nimble Brand & Advertising team, and wrote about issues that truly mattered.

At United Way of King County, they say that 97 cents out of every dollar goes back to the community to help meet basic needs, end homelessness and give every child a chance to succeed. That’s an incredibly lean operating ratio, and some may wonder if it is really true.

In a word–yes! I have never, ever worked as hard as I have over these past three years. But you know what? I’ve also never been prouder.

From my perspective, it really is the best place to go if you really want to have the most impact and do more.

I may be moving on from this job, but not from United Way. I will continue to support them and volunteer with them–forever. You should, too!

As you may have heard, United Way of King County’s Day of Caring is the single largest day of volunteering in Washington State, and this year we anticipate over 10,000 people will spend the day volunteering with local organizations. That’s huge! Already, 9,000 people have signed up to volunteer all over King County, including groups from Microsoft, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, AT&T and many more. Use the search box on the map below to see where your favorite local company will be spending Day of Caring.

View Day of Caring Project Sites in a full screen map

AT&T Western Region President Fred Devereux and his team proudly show off their Spirit of Puget Sound Award.

The Spirit of Puget Sound Award honors outstanding community involvement, sustained campaign excellence, and the promotion of volunteerism.

Here are just a few reasons why we presented AT&T with this prestigious honor:

• When it comes to consistently stepping up to sponsor United Way of King County events, AT&T is at the top of the list—sponsoring United Way’s annual Breakfast, Day of Caring and the Spirit of Caring Celebration.
• They also get actively involved in our events. For the last three years, AT&T company has provided free long-distance phone calls for people experiencing homelessness at the Community Resource Exchange. In addition, nearly 200 AT&T employees volunteered at the last Day of Caring.
• AT&T’s western region president, Fred Devereux, serves on United Way of King County’s board of directors, and several other AT&T staff members lend their time and expertise on other United Way committees.

Congratulations to AT&T for taking home the Spirit of Puget Sound Award—and for leading the way in doing more for our community.

Click here for a full list of Spirit of Caring Award winners.

10 Ways You Did More in 2010

10. You were one of the 32,000 people in King County who volunteered your time and talents to improve the community.

9. You helped 7,000 struggling people get back on their feet through the Bridge to Basics Program.

8. You sparked the love of learning in 1,400 preschoolers by participating in our Volunteer Reader Program.

7. You brought $19.3 million back to our community with the Free Tax Prep Campaign.

6. You were one of 500 people who raised awareness and took action to end hunger in our community.

5. You canned 10,000 pounds of vegetables each week—that otherwise would have gone into the garbage—for local food banks.

4. You welcomed 1,000 people home to permanent housing with supportive services.

3. You expanded the Parent-Child Home Program to triple the number of families currently being served.

2. You were one of 10,500 Day of Caring volunteers who donated $1.3 million in labor at 425 projects throughout King County.

1. You helped 2,400 men, women and youth experiencing homelessness feel human again at the Community Resource Exchange.

If you would like your charitable gift to be accepted and recorded in calendar year 2010, you must make it by noon on Friday, December 31. Help your taxes and your community. Give now!

I want to take a moment to celebrate the staff and volunteers at 281 agencies that submitted their Day of Caring projects, planned the Day of Caring activities and worked alongside volunteers to help make the Day of Caring a HUGE SUCCESS!  Your efforts really made a difference!  And the staff at United Way of King County could not have done this without you!

 For staff at our local non-profits, Day of Caring is just one day, albeit a big one, of a year-long of caring.   Thank you for all you do!

Guests at United Way's Community Resource Exchange

“Token days are not the ebb and flow of life.  They ease our feelings of regret about the way things have to be for the remainder of the year.  They do not really change the way things are.”–Jonathan Kozol, “The Shame of the Nation”

Last Friday was Day of Caring, my 13th with United Way of King County.  I was among about 300 volunteers (there were over 10,500 total throughout the county) that spent the day at Qwest Field for the Community Resource Exchange.  In case you don’t know, the CRE is an event that provides direct access to a variety of public and quality of life services to people struggling with homelessness, all in one place on one day.  Last year, we had approximately 1200 guests.  Last Friday, we had over 2000.  That’s a conservative estimate.  I stood in line with many of them, and I can tell you 2000 is low.  But I’ll wait for the official numbers next week.

I shouldn’t be surprised by the huge increase in need.  None of us should be, really.  As one of the organizers of the event, I was an obvious target for the emotions that naturally accompany something like this:  anger, fear, gratitude, sadness, hope, surrender, and love were all on display.  As the day came to an end, one of the final guests came up to me as I loaded materials into our UPS truck.  The sadness in her voice was masked by the smile on her face. 

“Bless you,” she said.  “I didn’t get everything I needed today, but you made me feel human again.  Just for a moment.  And that’s enough for now.  Maybe I can get up tomorrow and keep going, and do it again.”

I’ve always been a bit cynical about Day of Caring.  Kozol’s quote above puts my perspective in words.  And yet, this woman’s words stick with me, as well.  They give me pause, for which I now turn and ask of you.  To the more than 10,000 people who gave of themselves so graciously last Friday, I say “THANK YOU.”  And, “What’s Next?”  To the rest of us, I know that many of you allow yourselves those moments when you actually think things aren’t so bad.  But they could be better, right?  So I say “Bless YOU.”  And, “What’s Next?”  Here are two possibilities in our local area:

• The Bridge to Basics program connects volunteers to local organizations in an effort to help struggling families stretch their limited resources by getting signed up for public benefit programs.  As someone said at the CRE, ‘I may only qualify for $15 in food stamps per month because I’m working more, but that’s almost four days worth of food for me and my daughter’.
• Our Free Tax Campaign helps thousands of low-income individuals and families get every dollar back on their federal tax return that they’re eligible for, without having to pay someone to do it for them.  You can be one of almost 650 volunteers in King County this year to help make that happen!  Registration opens Friday, October 1st right here!  And as I love telling folks, NO tax experience necessary!

Whatever you might think about the amount of actual change that can occur on a ‘token day’, I hope you remember two things.  First, make today as good as you can make it.  Second, wake up tomorrow and do whatever you can to make it better than today.

United Way of King County’s Day of Caring is an amazing day of hope, unity and action and we want to see how your company or group does volunteerism! Share your Day of Caring photos with United Way and you will be entered to win a number of fabulous prizes (gift certificate to a Tom Douglas restaurant, anyone?). Anyone who submits a photo by 5 pm on September 27th is automatically entered to win but we will also be awarding prizes for each of the categories listed below, so start thinking about that perfect shot now!  Winning photos will be highlighted on the UWKC blog and Volunteer Website. All submissions will be displayed on UWKC’s Flickr page. For more details and how to enter, visit http://volunteer.truist.com/uwkc/docphotocontest

 Categories include:

• Funniest Team Photo – we know you’re serious about volunteering, but we want to see you bring the goof
• Best Before and After – be proud of those 3,000 pounds of food you packed or that small forest worth of blackberry bushes you annihilated. Remember to take a picture at the beginning and end of your project!
• Most creative team photo – fire up that right side of the brain!
• Best captures the spirit of Day of Caring – best overall photo