But, judging from conversations with representatives of a dozen large, South Sound companies last week, the recession has given a jolt of energy to so-called “sweat equity” programs, in which employees donate time instead of money.

Some businesses say their volunteer programs are becoming stronger and more creative, invigorated by employees touched by the growing need in the community.

“The spigot of generosity in this community definitely has not been turned off,” said Constance Swank, vice president of resource development at United Way of Pierce County.

“If we think narrowly about what philanthropy is, we miss a whole gamut of possibilities of giving,” Swank said. “Generosity is not always opening one’s wallet. It’s really the human capital of the community as much as the financial capital. Times like these challenge a community to be creative.”

The surge in volunteerism has been obvious, for example at the Tacoma branch of the kidney care company DaVita.

A workday at the Emergency Food Network, in which DaVita employees left their cubicles to repackage 7 tons of frozen vegetables, was so popular, organizers scheduled a second visit.

DaVita employees always give generously, said Anthony Sackett, one of the organizers of the event, but he thinks the economic meltdown has increased employees’ urge to help.

“For me personally, my thought is, if I have it, I’m wanting to give more because of the local softening in the market and hard economic times,” Sackett said. “And I see that with others as well.”

At the Weyerhaeuser Co., which downsized drastically this year, annual giving has understandably dropped – from around $9 million to about $5 million.

That’s not because of a change in philosophy, said Weyerhaeuser spokesman Bruce Amundsen. “The difference we’ve seen is more a function of the size of the company than it is anything else.”

“We’re approximately half the size we were a couple of years ago,” Amundsen said. “As we’ve gotten smaller, things have necessarily changed. The company foundation budget has been racheted down.”

At the same time, Amundsen said, Weyerhaeuser has increased its support for employees who volunteer their time to help charities.

The company’s “Making WAVES” program (an acronym for “Weyerhaeuser active volunteer employees”) rewards employees who volunteer for community organizations.

In the past, if five or more employees spent 50 hours volunteering for an organization, Weyerhaeuser gave the organization a grant ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

This year, Amundsen said, the threshold has been changed to make contributions easier to get. Now, if three employees spend 30 hours for a group, the group is eligible for a Weyerhaeuser grant.

“Obviously with fewer employees, there are fewer people to volunteer,” Amundsen said. “Yet, as a company, we still feel it is critical for employees to be out there, to be involved.”

Rick Meeder, head of Intel’s corporate affairs office in DuPont, said his company’s corporate contributions have actually increased this year, in part because of Intel’s ambitious volunteer program.

“Early in the year the company made a commitment to deliver a million volunteer hours worldwide, and everybody kind of rallied around that,” Meeder said.

Intel’s 1,000 employees in Washington – most of whom work in Pierce County – donated approximately 10,000 hours this year, Meeder said, which will generate more than $100,000 in matching grants from the company.

“Despite all the economic turmoil and uncertain business conditions, total giving was up 18 percent,” Meeder said.

Intel volunteers worked for a wide variety of nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity, L’Arche – a farm and garden program for people with disabilities – and the Thurston County Food Bank.

Intel also sponsored a Thanksgiving food drive to benefit the Thurston County Food Bank and is participating in an adopt-a-family program in Pierce and Thurston counties.

In that program, groups of employees are connected with needy families recommended by social service agencies and try to satisfy their needs for living necessities and holiday gifts.

Russell Investments participates in that program, too, with each floor in its Tacoma headquarters building participating as individual teams.

Vickie Glastetter helps organize the effort on the sixth floor, staffed with 88 sales people, client executives, consultants and support staff.

This year, Glastetter said, her floor decided to adopt two families instead of one, as they normally do.

“We had a long talk and said, ‘We’ve never found that we could not met a family’s needs. Let’s go for two.’”

Both of the families adopted by her floor have four children, each headed by a single mother, Glastetter said.

The lists of needs were posted on a Tuesday, Glastetter said. Just four days later, 75 percent of the needs were taken care of.

“It has actually surprised us just how quickly it happened,” she said.

“People have really stepped up to this, and the compassion for those who have a need greater than our own seems to have shown through.”

“We do it because it gives us joy,” Glastetter said. “People are committed to finding a way to make it happen.”

Russell employees also participate in a “Jeans Day” program in which employees chip in $5 (or more) for being able to wear jeans to work on Fridays.

Russell employees raised $71,000 for charity through Jeans Days in 2007, said company spokesman Steve Claiborne.

As of last week, Claiborne said, this year’s Jeans Days already had raised $70,000.

Recent recipients of Jeans Day contributions include Pierce County’s FISH Food Banks, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and My Sister’s Pantry, a Tacoma food bank and meal provider.

The enthusiasm for giving does not surprise United Way’s Swank.

While it’s true that economic downturns can reduce contributions, she said, the reverse can also be true. “When the economy slows, people dig deeper,” she said.

Yet Swank has no illusions that the volunteer programs will be enough.

“This economic wallop is hitting so many different sectors, it could be changing that equation,” she said.

Judging from the number and types of calls for assistance to the 211 line, the needs are growing exponentially.

“If you’re pushing down on one part of the family budget, you probably have ramifications for other parts of the family budget,” she says.

“It becomes a crucible of distress. If kids arrive at school hungry, how can they learn? What are their needs for increased health care?

“These things don’t present themselves in isolation.”

Rob Carson: 253-597-8693

blogs.thenewstribune.com/business

HELP YOUR NEIGHBOR

Groups looking for donations and volunteers can use The News Tribune’s online form to request help. We’ll maintain an online “Help Your Neighbor” database. Go to www. thenewstribune.com/soundinfo.

Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | About Our Ads | Advertising Partners | Contact Us | About Us | Site Map | Jobs | RSS
1950 South State Street, Tacoma, Washington 98405 253-597-8742
© Copyright 2009 Tacoma News, Inc. A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company