Courtesy of Joel Muniz via Unsplash
This article originally appeared in our sister publication, South Sound Business.
While not an all-inclusive list, here are a few notable local 501(c) (3) organizations that are impacting South Sound communities in a big way.
Concern for Animals
Most food banks can cover the needs of human family members, but the four-legged ones often are out of luck in hard times. Cue Olympia-based Concern for Animals, which not only helps with financial assistance for routine or emergency pet care costs but also has a pet food and supply bank for when times get tough.
Communities for a Healthy Bay
This Tacoma-based waterway conservation org has a four-pronged approach to its mission: to work with lawmakers for stronger regulations, to patrol South Sound waterways for pollution, to educate young and old about environmental stewardship, and to take legal action to stop pollution at the source.
Eloise’s Cooking Pot Food Bank
With recent disruptions to federal SNAP funds, Eloise’s Cooking Pot Food Bank has been in the news quite a bit. In late October, the org quickly rallied local donors and volunteers and organized extra grocery drive-thru events at the Tacoma Dome. And that’s just a snapshot of what this community fixture has been doing since its 2009 founding.
Garden-Raised Bounty (GRuB)
Founded in 1993 and originally known as the Kitchen Garden Project, GRuB started as an effort to build free vegetable gardens in low-income communities across the South Sound. Today, the nonprofit operates urban farms throughout the region and engages in garden-based youth education and employment programs.
Green River Community College Foundation
When it comes to getting an education at this Auburn-based community college, its nonprofit arm has four strategies to enroll and graduate new Gators each year. These strategies include increasing access through scholarships, building the school’s capacity and contributing to program improvement, remaining flexible when government funding falls short, and removing barriers that might cause students to abandon their education.
The Ivan Foundation
The Ivan Foundation — established to honor the late and iconic gorilla who lived in a South Sound strip mall for much of his life and on whom Disney’s “The One and Only Ivan” film is loosely based — offers scholarships to Northwestern youth who wish to seek a career in the care of endangered animals, like silverback gorillas.
Minority Veterans of America
This veteran service organization, which strives to create community belonging among underrepresented veterans, recently opened the Tukwila-based Minority Vets Community Center for human-centered case management, financial assistance, outreach, events, and more.