Gesa CU Partners with Food Lifeline and Second Harvest for Hunger Action Month

RICHLAND, WASH. (August 31, 2022) Gesa, a community-focused credit union, announced today it will donate $50,000 as part of its continued partnership with Food Lifeline and Second Harvest in honor of Hunger Action Month. During the month of September, the three organizations will work together to raise awareness about food insecurity and mobilize the public to take action on the issue of hunger in the Northwest.

Gesa is the presenting sponsor for this statewide effort and will donate $25,000 to each organization for a total of $50,000 in monetary contributions. Gesa will also host food drives at each of their branch locations and offer its team members various volunteer opportunities. This is the third year Gesa has partnered with both organizations.

“Gesa is proud to support Food Lifeline and Second Harvest this Hunger Action Month. They are doing incredibly important work to feed people in need and to raise awareness about hunger,” said Angie Brotherton, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations and Impact. “Through our team’s involvement, we’re honored to come along side these two great organizations and help to make a difference in the lives of those experiencing food insecurity across the state.”

Food Lifeline is a non-profit organization that provides food to more than 350 food banks, shelters, and meal programs across Western Washington, which equates to providing 282,000 meals every day.

“Hunger Action Month is an important time for us, and we are so grateful for Gesa’s leadership.  We know recovery from the pandemic will be slow, and Gesa’s willingness to stand with our communities speaks volumes,” said Ryan Scott, Chief Development Officer of Food Lifeline. “We are pleased to continue this important partnership as we work together to solve hunger.”

Similarly, Second Harvest is a non-profit organization that provides 280 food pantries and meal sites, providing food for almost 80,000 meals every day across the 26 counties it serves in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

"Gesa's motto is 'People helping people,' and whether it's volunteering at our warehouse or sponsoring our Bite2Go weekend food kits for schoolchildren, the credit union is true to that maxim," said Jason Clark, president and CEO of Second Harvest. "Gesa's generous matching gift offer for Hunger Action Month will amplify the impact of donations. Their invitation to employees and community members alike also will activate hands and hearts as volunteers during the month of September."

For more information about Food Lifeline, visit their website https://foodlifeline.org/. To learn more about Second Harvest, visit https://2-harvest.org/. For more information about Gesa Credit Union’s involvement in the community, visit https://www.gesa.com/community.

Gesa Credit Union is Washington’s second largest credit union with over $5.0 billion in assets and is over 280,000 members strong. Gesa is a full-service financial institution that offers a complete array of consumer, mortgage, and business products and services. Headquartered in Richland, Washington, Gesa operates 28 branches across Washington and supports 12 student-operated high school branches. Gesa’s commitment to local communities includes support for Junior Achievement, the American Red Cross, annual youth scholarships, and free financial and educational resources available to members and the general public. For more information visit gesa.com. 

Food Lifeline is on a mission to end hunger in Western Washington. We firmly believe that access to food is a human right and that no one should go hungry. We know poverty, racial inequity, and social injustice have long fostered and perpetuated systems that reward some while leaving whole communities behind.  Food Lifeline resolves to dismantle these systems while promoting policies and practices designed to lift people out of poverty and enabling all members of our society to thrive.  Through grassroots advocacy, we work to shape local, state, and federal policy; we partner with organizations that are addressing poverty; and we’re building a movement to end hunger through community engagement and mobilization.  To solve hunger today, Food Lifeline provides fresh, nutritious food and pantry staples to hundreds of thousands of people facing hunger every year by sourcing donations from food industry partners, contracts with government food assistance programs, working with farms, and purchasing traditional, and culturally relevant foods. We distribute this food through a partnership with 350 food banks, shelters, and meal programs, enabling us to provide the equivalent of 282,000 meals every single day in order to foster healthy communities.  Learn more at foodlifeline.org.  

Second Harvest was founded in 1971 as a central warehouse for a handful of emergency food pantries in Spokane. Today, hunger solution centers in Spokane and the Tri-Cities supply donated food to 280 partner food banks, meal sites and other programs, including our own Mobile Market free food distributions. Our network provides food for almost 80,000 meals each day to serve people facing hunger in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. For more on Second Harvest, visit https://2-harvest.org/ .