Co-op Ambassadors Serve the Community

Central Co-op is excited to have launched a new program for our employees and community called the Community Ambassador Program.  This program allows us to send some of our store staff out to volunteer at our partner organizations as representatives of Central Co-op while being paid for their time.  It’s a great way for more of our staff to build relationships with organizations in our communities while accomplishing the goals of our various partners. 

Although the program is new, two of our Ambassadors from our Seattle store have already gone out and volunteered multiple times. Tim, who you may recognize as one of our cashiers, has volunteered with Byrd Barr Place at their food bank in the Central District. He helped prepare the food bank for receiving customers, setting up tables, unpacking food from Northwest Harvest and other donors, and packing the food in crates for display. Byrd Barr Place also distributes no-cook bags of food for people without access to a kitchen.

Tim, who has volunteered for other food banks in the past, is impressed by Byrd Barr Place, “I really like it. It’s very well-run and very clean. The staff’s very dedicated.” He says he takes every chance he has to let people know he is from Central Co-op!

Theresa, a Store Support Coordinator, has volunteered as an Ambassador at Byrd Barr Place and Community Lunch on Capitol Hill.

“I really care about the community and what our image looks like in the community,” she explained, “We have a community of such diverse background, so I wanted to present a face that exemplifies what we are at the co-op.”

Theresa says preparing and serving food at these organizations has been a great experience. She described the clients as diverse in many ways and she enjoyed rubbing elbows and talking with them.

“We’re doing good things in the community. It’s nice to be able to represent and get out there and show people what we’re about.”

We’re very excited to have created this new way to support and connect with our neighbors. We look forward to adding more Ambassadors and partner organizations as the program grows!

Date: Wednesday January 29, 2020

Category: Community

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