Homelessness & Hunger Awareness Week
This volunteer effort was launched in 2015 and is an important component of Warm Hearts Winter Drive. In 2017, Columbia Bank employees volunteered over 250 hours to serve hundreds of meals across WA, OR, and ID.
History of Warm Hearts Winter Drive
On December 1, 2015, Columbia Bank launched the first annual Warm Hearts Winter Drive to benefit homeless shelters in local communities across its footprint in the Northwest. 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.
In 2017, during the third annual Warm Hearts Winter Drive, Columbia Bank raised $220,364 and collected 8,140 items for 58 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 were donated directly to shelters and relief organizations in the communities where they were collected.