Solarity Credit Union employees, members lift Yakima family's holiday spirits during annual donation drive

Bankers turned Santa’s helpers, Solarity Credit Union employees dropped off more than $1,000 in unwrapped toys, gift cards and other items for a single mom and her four children who are being served by Yakima YWCA this holiday season. Each year, YWCA asks businesses, organizations and community members to adopt families utilizing YWCA services.

The Adopt-A-Family program is a favorite of Solarity Credit Union employees. This year, the family Solarity adopted included a Mom and her four children, ages 5-16, who wished for toys, tablets, bikes and beauty products. Mom asked for household goods and a warm jacket.

A team of Solarity elves began collecting gifts the week of Thanksgiving. On Wednesday, December 14, they loaded up a vehicle and arrived at YWCA Yakima to deliver the holiday cheer. Besides the toys and other gifts on the wish list, generous Solarity employees and members donated money, which affords Mom the opportunity to purchase additional items for her family.

“The families that the YWCA serves are experiencing unimaginable difficulty, and it’s particularly hard this time of year,” says Solarity President and CEO Mina Worthington. “It was so wonderful to see our supportive employees, our members and the larger community donate so generously to make the holidays just a little brighter for them.”

“We are humbled by Solarity’s continued partnership. We can count on them throughout the year for support and it means so much,” says Cheri Kilty, YWCA Yakima’s executive director. “We are grateful to Solarity and so many others in our community who opened their hearts and wallets for these families – it’s so uplifting.”

This year, the community stepped up and adopted 131 families – both in transitional housing and in the YWCA’s emergency shelter. The organization will help approximately 14,000 of our neighbors in 2022.

"There are so many children that are going to wake up on Christmas morning here at the YWCA and be worried Santa didn't find them and through the generosity of our community, we're going to have a lot of smiles," Kilty told KIMA-TV journalist Alahna Martinez. 

In addition to the Adopt-A-Family holiday donation drive, Solarity employees support the YWCA throughout the year. They do this by designating a portion of their paychecks that go directly to the YWCA’s community partner fund, bringing 2022’s total employee cash donation to more than $3,600 dollars. Solarity also supports the YWCA’s back-to-school supply drive in August and attends their yearly fundraising luncheon that promotes its mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, standing up for social justice, helping families and strengthening the community.