Photo of Northwest Harvest team members thanking Boeing employees

Photo courtesy Northwest Harvest

During the 2021 Food & Essentials Drive, Boeing employees, with the help of the company gift match, raised more than $216,000 to assist individuals, families and seniors who depend on local food banks. The month-long employee engagement drive runs every March, and this year’s event helped provide more than one million meals to children and families in our community.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, the need is greater than ever. Washingtonians needing help putting food on the table more than doubled from 850,000 to 1.6 million. For many, it is the first time they ever visited a food bank. This number is forecast to grow to 2.2 million before the pandemic subsides.

Proceeds raised from this year’s drive benefit local partners Food Lifeline, Northwest Harvest and Emergency Food Network.

Missy, a mother in North Seattle says, “My kids usually get free meals at schools, which is a huge help, but today they’re home and we have a hard time keeping enough food in the house. This is such a huge help.”

Lavonte, a young man in Rainier Valley explains, “My hours at work were drastically reduced since the start of COVID. It was hard, especially with my mother being sick with breast cancer. Having access to food is critical to surviving this.”

The success of this year’s Food & Essentials Drive was made possible by all the Boeing employees in Puget Sound who participated. “Thank you to all the generous Boeing employees and volunteer site representatives who helped make this year’s drive a success,” says Colette Ogle, Boeing Community Investor and Food & Essentials Drive leader. “It’s an honor to work with such an amazing group of caring, community-minded people!”

By Cathy Rudolph