Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday that is also designated by Congress as a national day of service. Kaiser Permanente employees across the region volunteered at multiple events in partnership with organizations including the Trust for Public Land, Food Lifeline, Second Harvest, Rainier Valley Food Bank, City Year, Seattle MLK Jr. Organizing Coalition, Birthday Dreams, World Relief, and others.
Kaiser Permanente’s 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment revealed that many people do not have enough resources to meet their basic needs, including having enough food to eat to lead a healthy, active life. Rates of food insecurity in Washington state nearly tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic, notably impacting families experiencing pandemic-related job loss.
Second Harvest, located in Spokane, operates as an anchor food bank distributing food to a network of 21 counties in eastern WA and 5 in northern Idaho. Kaiser Permanente has partnered with Second Harvest on event sponsorships and food drives and provided an additional donation to support food distribution during wildfire relief efforts in 2023.
Kelly Stanford, Vice President of Ambulatory Operations, led this volunteer event in Spokane.
Kaiser Permanente employees also partnered with City Year, an AmeriCorps program, in support of a new mural at Denny International Middle School. 2024 marked the fifth consecutive year that Kaiser Permanente partnered with City Year on MLK Day Jr. sponsorship and volunteer activation.
Dr. Linda Tolbert, executive medical director of Washington Permanente Medical Group and Dr. Kristin Conn, senior associate medical director, EID, brand, and community engagement for Washington Permanente Medical Group, led this volunteer event in Seattle.