First Financial Northwest Bank employees ended their “#30nonprofitsin30days” fundraising campaign on May 1, 2020 with a grand total of $50,820 to be divided among 30 nonprofits throughout King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties.

Employees nominated 30 local nonprofits to receive the donations. Starting on March 23, 2020, employees wore jeans to work in exchange for a donation to the cause. Dress Down for Charity (DDFC) is usually reserved for Fridays, however because numerous nonprofit auctions and fundraisers were cancelled due to COVID-19, First Financial Northwest Bank opted to honor their tradition daily for 30 work days.

Donna Dodson, AVP Banking Operations Manager, runs the nationally recognized Auction Team Program which provides a team of bank volunteers to assist at nonprofit auctions. “Many nonprofits rely on these events as their biggest fundraiser for the year. For these events to all be cancelled will definitely cause a financial hardship for many,” said Dodson.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph W. Kiley III, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Rich Jacobson, encouraged employee donations by offering a dollar for dollar match on behalf of First Financial Northwest Bank. “Many of these nonprofits will now be relied upon more than ever as our communities deal with the stress of COVID-19. We’re hopeful these donations will go toward helping relieve this stress for so many within our communities,” said Kiley.

“On behalf of the Maple Valley Food Bank, THANK YOU. Our organization relies on generosity from people and businesses like yours. This will be so helpful as we continue to serve our neighbors and alleviate the economic impacts of COVID-19,” said Lindsey Habenicht, Executive Director of the Maple Valley Food Bank and one of the donation recipients.

Checks are set to be delivered the week of May 11, 2020. Recipients include: Arlington Food Bank, Children's Country Home, Clothes for Kids, Communities in Schools (Renton-Tukwila), Community Bridges, Edmonds Food Bank, Emergency Feeding Program, Environmental Science Center, Filipino Community of Seattle, FISH, Habitat for Humanity, Kent Food Bank, Lake Stevens Food Bank, Lifelong, Maltby Food Bank, Maple Valley Food Bank, Mill Creek Community Food Bank, Mt. Baker Housing, Northshore Senior Center, Rainbow Center, RAYS, REACH, Renewal Food Bank, Salvation Army, Sarvey Wildlife, Sherwood Community Services, Snohomish Community Food Bank, The Riley Foundation, Victim Support Services, and Washington Kids in Transition.