2019 Instrument of Change Award
We were proud to honor the CoHo Team of Windermere Agents with the 2019 Instrument of Change Award. We honored the CoHo Team because "Building Communities, Bringing You Home" is their motto and the CoHo team members all walk the walk as they actively work to build community.
This team believes that home; a place of shelter, a vibrant neighborhood and community, and a sense of safety and belonging; should be attainable by all. All members pledge to tie their success to the success of causes they believe in; affordable, quality housing for all, and strong and vibrant communities. Since they came together in 2000, this group of agents have donated over 1.5 million dollars to a variety of non-profits that support housing and community development. They stay involved by organizing and participating in community service events and they are integrally involved as volunteers and advisors to the organizations they support. Cara Mohammadian, one of the CoHo team, is an active member of the West Seattle Food Bank Board of Directors and our fundraising and event committee.
Since 2012 this group has donated $52,000 to support the work of the West Seattle Food Bank. The CoHo team are truly instruments of positive change, working to build a more vibrant community for all.
We were lucky to have both Cara and Tonya Hennen at our event to accept the award on behalf of the CoHo Team.
2018 Instrument of Change Award
We were proud to honor the West Seattle Thriftway with our 2018 Instruments of Change Award. We chose the West Seattle Thriftway because of the tremendous and long term support that the store, the employees, and their generous patrons have provided to the West Seattle Food Bank and, most importantly, to the individuals we serve.
Through their “1% Cashback for the Community” program, store patrons turn in their Thriftway receipts to the West Seattle Food Bank and the store then donates 1% of the purchases back to us. This has been a great way to include their customers in choosing how the business supports their community.
Every year West Seattle Thriftway also sponsors a raffle where the proceeds benefit the West Seattle Food Bank and the winner earns a $500 shopping spree at the store. Their generous customers often donate the shopping spree back to the West Seattle Food Bank, providing both needed cash and food.
Their team has also repeatedly gone out of their way to assist the food bank staff in purchasing food for our distributions at very reasonable costs and have supported food drives, partnering with their patrons and community groups to support our work.
We were honored to have Paul Kapioski, WS Thriftway owner and Brian Bixenman, Store Director and their wives their to accept the award.
2017 Instrument of Change Award
“Community is at the Heart of All We Do” exemplifies how Metropolitan Market does business. Of course a passion for quality food and exceptional customer service are the basis of the business, but their support for community goes much farther. The company actively participates in building the communities where they operate and in supporting important causes that impact those communities.
Metropolitan Market is consistently one of our biggest food donors, supplying an average of 130,000 pounds per year of quality food to support the families we serve. In addition to food donations Metropolitan Market and their customers have donated well over $125,000 to the West Seattle Food Bank over the past fifteen years, supporting our purchases of nutritious food to supplement the donated food we receive.
This company has been an important Instrument of Change for the West Seattle Food Bank and those we serve. We are grateful for their strong partnership and honored to have three past Store Managers here with us tonight to accept this award.
2016 Instrument of Change Award
Nucor Steel Seattle was our 1st Annual Instrument
of Change Award recipient, which was extremely well deserved. When you read the mission you find that Nucor
is made up of more than 20,000 teammates whose goal is to take care of their
customers. They are accomplishing this
by being the safest, highest quality, lowest cost, most productive and most
profitable steel and steel products company in the world. They are committed to doing this while being
cultural and environmental stewards in our community, where they live and
work. This isn’t just talk. An integral part of their culture is working
with the community. Giving back is their
nature. Since 2003, Nucor and their
employees have been doing a major holiday food and funds drive for the West
Seattle Food Bank, for a total of over $220,000. We were so excited to have been able to
present the first Instrument of Change Award to Nucor Steel because they have
been such a strong partner in helping end hunger in this community for so many
years.
