|
Zahilay completed regional tour of food banks the day before Thanksgiving
SEATTLE, WA - On Wednesday, November 26, his first full day in office, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay held a Regional Day of Service focused on food banks and food security across King County. He encouraged all King County residents to volunteer, donate, or find another meaningful way to support the work of our county’s food banks.
This Regional Day of Service corresponds with one of Executive Zahilay’s “Four B’s” guiding his administration - “Boots on the Ground,” making King County government more visible, connected, and community-driven.
As part of the Regional Day of Service, coming the day before the Thanksgiving holiday, Executive Zahilay completed a regional tour of food banks and food markets. He was joined for much of the day by Doug Baldwin, CEO at Vault89 and founder of Family First Community Center, and one of the four co-chairs of his Transition Committee.
PHOTOS: See below for photos from the day.
He started the day in South Seattle, visiting the Rainier Valley Food Bank. The next stop was in South King County in Des Moines with the South King County Food Coalition, followed by a stop in East King County with Hopelink in Bellevue. He finished the day with educators and Still Waters: Services for Families in Transition at Tukwila Elementary School.
Statement from King County Executive Girmay Zahilay:
“Our inaugural Regional Day of Service was a big success to drive attention and efforts to our amazing food banks across the region. The hard working staff and volunteers at these food banks are an example for the community about how to work together to get our neighbors the services and care they need, especially in a region that has become unaffordable for so many. I am thankful for the locations that opened their doors to us this week, and I look forward to visiting many more food banks over the next year.”
Statement from Doug Baldwin, Co-Chair of the Zahilay 2025 Transition Committee:
“This is what ‘Boots on the Ground’ looks like: walking alongside our communities and critical partners in philanthropy, nonprofit, business and our local governments to make decisions that actually impact people’s day-to-day lives for the better.
Our food systems, and more specifically our food banks, are an essential part of our regional efforts to make sure people don’t go hungry. These efforts have major implications downstream on access, affordability, and on the health and wellbeing of everyone in our communities. The Regional Day of Service was an opportunity to share the spotlight with these organizations, and encourage more people to volunteer, donate, and accept their role in supporting a thriving community."
This week, during Executive Zahilay’s first full week in office, he will continue to meet with his Transition Committee as he looks forward to planning more of the restructuring of the Executive’s office that will reflect the priorities and goals outlined in his inaugural speeches on November 25 when he was sworn into office.
###
|
