Wintertime Campaign Benefits Homeless Shelters Across The Northwest.
Columbia Bank launches the annual Warm Hearts Winter Drive to benefit homeless shelters in communities across the Northwest. Now through December 31 Columbia Bank will be accepting cash donations and new winter wear attire as it aims to raise $160,000 for people in the Northwest impacted by homelessness. Donations can be submitted at WarmHeartsWinterDrive.com and both cash and warm winter attire can be donated in Central Oregon 1133 NW Wall St. and 1701 NE Third St.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Northwest has increased six percent since 2015. As a result, there are 34,000 people struggling to receive essential services and stay off the street as they face overcrowded and underfunded shelters during the cold winter months. Columbia Bank established the Warm Hearts Winter Drive in 2015 to help aid nonprofit organizations in providing warmth to individuals, families and children in need.
“Thousands of families in our communities are homeless this winter, and those living on the streets have a much higher risk of exposure when it is cold and wet outside. We are proud to continue the Warm Hearts Winter Drive to help those around us who are truly in need,” said Melanie Dressel, president & CEO of Columbia Bank. “The purpose of the Warm Hearts Winter Drive is to continue to raise awareness of this growing issue, and we are hopeful that our customers and employees will join together again to help these deserving organizations and the people they support.”
During the inaugural year of the Warm Hearts Winter Drive, Columbia Bank employees and local communities collected nearly 12,000 items of winter wear and raised more than $150,000 to benefit 53 homeless shelters in the Northwest. Just as during its initial year, one hundred percent of the clothing and funds collected during the 2016 Warm Hearts Winter Drive will be donated directly back to 49 shelters and relief organizations in the communities where the collections originated.
Philanthropy and community engagement lie at the heart of what it means to be a community bank, and is why Columbia Bank is committed to programs such as the Warm Hearts Winter Drive. After launching the Warm Hearts Winter Drive in 2015, Columbia Bank received various regional and national honors, including the American Bankers Association Foundation’s George Bailey Distinguished Service Award and a Community Impact Award from Seattle Business Magazine.
For more information or to make a cash donation, please visit WarmHeartsWinterDrive.com.
Columbia Bank has been serving the Northwest since 1993. For branch locations and more information, visit www.columbiabank.com.
