Farallon employees banded together in late November to support the United Way goal of alleviating poverty and food insecurity for children. Farallon chose the theme “Keeping Families Stable” for the donation drive, which raised money for families in King County and communities local to our Washington, Oregon, and California offices.
Farallon kicked off the donation drive with a volunteer opportunity at the Eastside Baby Corner in Issaquah, Washington. Volunteers organized and packaged clothes, books, and toys for children. To encourage United Way donations, Farallon hosted competitive events, including a Chompin’ for Chili cook-off, a Gaming for Goodies night, and a silent auction. The Chompin’ for Chili cook-off raised $260 as employees purchased samples from 12 tasty homemade chilies. On Gaming for Goodies night, employees bought tickets to play games such as Jenga and Scrabble, raising $76 and knocking over several towers of wooden blocks in the process. For the silent auction, Farallon teams set their competitive spirits aside to collaborate on creating baskets containing themed goods, event packages, or personal gifts such as paintings and baked treats. The auction of the baskets raised an impressive $2,045.
Combined with substantial personal contributions and a corporate gift, Farallon raised a total of $10,161 for the United Way campaign. Beyond surpassing our 2015 goal, this gift reaffirms that Farallon’s significant growth over the past year is matched only by our commitment to supporting the communities we call home.