December 22, 2020

MultiCare’s Community Partnership Fund awards $600,000 to local organizations in 2020

Grants will address housing, food insecurity, health care and children’s needs in the Puget Sound region

TACOMA, Wash. — MultiCare Health System’s Community Partnership Fund today announced it has awarded $600,000 in 2020 to more than 75 Pierce, King and Thurston county organizations focused on addressing housing, food insecurity, health care and children’s needs in its communities.

“We know that a person’s health status is heavily influenced by having a safe place to live, and food to eat,” said Lois Bernstein, chief community executive for MultiCare Health System. “We are proud to partner with these organizations and work collaboratively to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.”

The fund is part of MultiCare’s focus on building enduring partnerships that contribute to the health and vitality of its community. In 2020, MultiCare awarded grants to programs such as:

• Medical Teams International, providing emergency dental care in King and Pierce counties for those without resources;
• South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity, providing critical home repairs to low income families in Thurston County;
• Emergency Food Network, providing food to local food banks in Pierce County.

“Many of these organizations provide critical services, such as shelter and food for those in need, and childcare for the children of first responders and health care workers,” said Bernstein. “We are thankful for the work that these organizations do in our community, and we want to help them continue their work, particularly during this uncertain time.”

MultiCare’s Community Partnership Fund has given more than $3 million in its first six years to hundreds of community groups across Washington to support programs that improve the health and economic well-being of communities. To learn more about the Community Partnership Fund, visit multicare.org/communitypartnership. The full list of 2020 recipients for the Puget Sound region is located at multicare.org/2020-puget-sound-recipients.

Separately from the Community Partnership Fund allocations, MultiCare announced a $1 million donation in early April to help support other community organizations providing critical services such as shelter and food for those in need in Pierce County, South King County and the Inland Northwest region during the COVID-19 pandemic.