The shelves were almost bare going into the holiday season inside PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center's Dove Pantry–an onsite food pantry for hospital employees. In December, OFNHP President Adrienne Enghouse challenged the steward council to do something about it.
OFNHP steward and Ultrasound Tech Shawna Ross stepped up to lead the project, spreading the word about the donation drive during her union release time in January. Through Facebook posts, flyers, break room visits, and social networks, stewards advertised the drive and collected over 500 lbs of food and supplies.
On January 31, volunteers met to package items–making sure each one had a union sticker–before delivering the items to the pantry and organizing the shelves.
As an elected delegate to the Southwest Washington Labor Council, Shawna also made an appeal to area labor unions for support. Delegates passed the hat and raised almost $200 dollars, and some individual locals took it a step further. The Bakers union is coming through with a massive donation of chips, while the teachers pledged to organize a donation drive for hygiene products.