This volunteer effort was launched in 2015 and is an important component of Warm Hearts Winter Drive. In 2019, Columbia Bank employees volunteered over 250 hours to serve hundreds of meals across WA, OR, and ID.
History of Warm Hearts Winter Drive
In 2019, the fifth annual Warm Hearts Winter Drive raised $313,001 and collected over 7,700 warm winter items. The program rallied local communities to make cash donations and provide new warm winter wear including gloves, scarves, coats, socks, shoes, mittens and hats for adults and children at any Columbia Bank location. The program was an instant success, exceeding Columbia Bank's goal of raising $100,000 for local shelters, and raising over $130,000 in the first 30 days.
Since the Warm Hearts Winter Drive began, Columbia Bank has raised over $1,154,000 and collected more than 40,000 items for over 60 shelters across its footprint in the Northwest. This was made possible through generous donations from clients and employees.
100 percent of the funds and winter wear collected are donated directly to shelters and relief organizations in the communities where they are collected.