Impact Stories

GiveBIG

GiveBIG Supports Food Bank, Charity Care and Research

Generous donors joined together to ease the burdens of others in a day of giving. GiveBIG Seattle is a one-day online giving event to raise funds for nonprofit organizations. On May 10, generous donors gave $33,981 to support charity care at Virginia Mason, the client food bank at Bailey-Boushay House (BBH) and peanut and food allergy research at Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI). Since 2011, GiveBIG has raised nearly $250,000 for the Health System with more than 570 donors participating.

“During GiveBIG, people see the needs of others and take the opportunity to help. It’s incredibly inspiring and meaningful to us. We count on these gifts every year to help the people we serve,” says Jeanne Jachim, president of the Virginia Mason Foundation.
 
In 2017, the gifts went to these areas of need:

Stocking the food bank at Bailey-Boushay House – GiveBIG donations, matched by a donor up to $10,000, will stock the food bank for several months. This ensures BBH clients in the outpatient program will have groceries. Many clients, who may also be homeless, run out of money at the end of the month and cannot afford food. Not only are they hungry, but it’s hard for them to take their life-saving medications on an empty stomach.
 
Supporting charity care at Virginia Mason – GiveBIG donations help support patients and families who need help with costs of their care not covered by health insurance. This includes temporary housing, transportation, food, medical supplies and medications. This alleviates some of the fear and anxiety patients may feel as they face the uncertainties that can accompany a health crisis.

Funding food allergy research at Benaroya Research Institute – GiveBIG donations will support breakthrough studies at BRI aimed at preventing and treating peanut and other food allergies. Food allergies can be life-threatening and they are on the rise – affecting 1 in 4 Americans.