Horizon Tackles Food and Housing Insecurity Through Volunteering

September 28, 2023

Clint Zitterkopf and board member Pat Fitzgerald packing food.

For one afternoon in September each year, Horizon Credit Union, based in Spokane, Washington, closes its branches and opens up a world of giving through this company-wide community outreach event.

On Sept. 19, the credit union’s Go-Givers embarked on their sixth annual day of volunteering during Go. Give. Grow.

This event is the credit union’s largest community outreach event of the year.  Over 400 employees, leaders and CU volunteers — including CEO Jeff Adams and Board Chair Steve Sharon — from central Washington to western Montana down to southern Idaho and eastern Oregon, volunteered 1600 hours at 20 local organizations that make an impact on food and housing insecurity.

In just one afternoon, Horizon employees sorted, moved, packed, and bagged over 50,000 pounds of food; sorted and organized dozens of bags of clothing; painted and deep-cleaned facilities; raked, weeded, winterized, and landscaped yards and gardens; packaged 8,000 diapers and made more than 1,500 cards that will be given to isolated senior citizens to help brighten their day.

Here is what some Go-Givers had to say when asked what they like most:

“Working for the Ronald Donald House because it’s such a great organization. It’s so fun to be there and then for all of us to do it together, we’re just bonding the whole day.”

“My favorite part about Go. Give. Grow. is the fact that Horizon is able to allow employees to give back to causes that we’re most passionate about. To close our doors and be able to put ourselves out there and make sure our employees are invested in the community is such a great thing.“

Making a difference is not just a one-day event at Horizon. Volunteering and contributing to the community are integral parts of Horizon’s mission.

In addition to closing one afternoon each year, each employee is given up to 24 hours of paid volunteer time to use during work hours each year. Many employees also volunteer outside of work hours on their own time.

Posted in Regional Member News, Washington.