Happy New Year (and goodbye 2022!)
Published on December 30, 2022 by Ellen Y Kuwana
To start, some numbers:
- $111,269.92 raised on the Open Collective platform from 257 donors!
- $110,260.01 spent to date (leaving $1009.91 currently)--all this is visible on this platform.
- 150 restaurants in Seattle supported (or the Seattle area), many family-owned and many owned by minorities. It's been so meaningful to get to know so people in the industry.
- 75,000 essential workers fed/caffeinated at more than 125 sites.
As you might have noticed, WeGotThisSeattle has been a bit quieter this year. I'm tired, my few volunteers are busier than ever--so we are doing what we can.
I continue to say yes to every request that comes in.
This year we've fed work teams at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, numerous medical clinics, hospitals, veterinary hospitals (human and vet emergency rooms operate 24/7 with dedicated staff who are working harder than ever to keep up with increasing demand for services).
I also got a hot meal to EMTs near SeaTac airport, which was meaningful to me because I coordinated it with the EMT who helped transport my dad to the hospital before he died a year ago.
And every week, my friend Brigitta or I try to pick up donuts donated by Mighty-O donuts (organic and vegan) and deliver them to staff at schools, pharmacies, grocery stores, the post office, medical clinics, vet clinics, day care centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, food banks--wherever essential workers are.
Also every week for more than a year, LaVassar Florist has donated flowers at the end of the week and my mom (with my help when I can) makes 30-50 bouquets for staff and residents at senior living facilities--which were locked down first and for a long time in Seattle. The flowers have brightened so many people's apartments and work spaces during a stressful time. Many residents have no one to send them a token--the cards and notes we get back are quite touching.
So many people have stepped forward to help when I needed it--from early donors (all friends and family) to problem-solvers to helpers (Jenne, Signe, Brigitta, Mellina, Amy G., Julie C, Janet B, Justin G, Mikka, Carolyn, Steve, Ben, Stacy, Andy, Jane aka mom)--to Top Chefs (Shota Nakajima and his amazing chef friends) who cooked the first Copper River salmon of the season in May of 2021. I still can't quite believe that happened! But when you believe in something and know you are helping others, it's so much easier to cold-call someone you'd never dare to otherwise.
This effort would not have been possible without the unflagging and truly astonishing support from so many people all over the U.S. I know for several months this project had the most donors out of the several hundred projects on the Open Collective platform. To me, that's more significant than raising the most money. It's really kept me going that this project has touched so many lives in many different ways since April 2020.
We are a community, and I am grateful to everyone who donated.
It's cliche to say this could not have happened without you, but it's also true.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your help. I would have quit a long time ago, and often wanted to, but you kept me going.
With gratitude,
Ellen
I continue to say yes to every request that comes in.
This year we've fed work teams at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, numerous medical clinics, hospitals, veterinary hospitals (human and vet emergency rooms operate 24/7 with dedicated staff who are working harder than ever to keep up with increasing demand for services).
I also got a hot meal to EMTs near SeaTac airport, which was meaningful to me because I coordinated it with the EMT who helped transport my dad to the hospital before he died a year ago.
And every week, my friend Brigitta or I try to pick up donuts donated by Mighty-O donuts (organic and vegan) and deliver them to staff at schools, pharmacies, grocery stores, the post office, medical clinics, vet clinics, day care centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, food banks--wherever essential workers are.
Also every week for more than a year, LaVassar Florist has donated flowers at the end of the week and my mom (with my help when I can) makes 30-50 bouquets for staff and residents at senior living facilities--which were locked down first and for a long time in Seattle. The flowers have brightened so many people's apartments and work spaces during a stressful time. Many residents have no one to send them a token--the cards and notes we get back are quite touching.
So many people have stepped forward to help when I needed it--from early donors (all friends and family) to problem-solvers to helpers (Jenne, Signe, Brigitta, Mellina, Amy G., Julie C, Janet B, Justin G, Mikka, Carolyn, Steve, Ben, Stacy, Andy, Jane aka mom)--to Top Chefs (Shota Nakajima and his amazing chef friends) who cooked the first Copper River salmon of the season in May of 2021. I still can't quite believe that happened! But when you believe in something and know you are helping others, it's so much easier to cold-call someone you'd never dare to otherwise.
This effort would not have been possible without the unflagging and truly astonishing support from so many people all over the U.S. I know for several months this project had the most donors out of the several hundred projects on the Open Collective platform. To me, that's more significant than raising the most money. It's really kept me going that this project has touched so many lives in many different ways since April 2020.
We are a community, and I am grateful to everyone who donated.
It's cliche to say this could not have happened without you, but it's also true.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your help. I would have quit a long time ago, and often wanted to, but you kept me going.
With gratitude,
Ellen