An $850,000 donation highlights a history of support from Sumner’s industrial park

It’s sometimes difficult to imagine Sumner’s Manufacturing Industrial Center as anything more than a sea of giant, boxy warehouses.

But behind the scenes, some of those businesses are more involved in the community than one might think.

Take Brooks Running.

The global running brand announced this month it was moving its distribution center to the Midwest after 20 years in Sumner’s industrial district. The news was shared to employees in 2017.

This month, Brooks also donated $850,000 worth of products to communities stretching from south Tacoma to north Seattle, affecting about 30 different nonprofits.

A transition to the Midwest means Brooks will have to clean everything out of its current home — including storage — but Brooks spokeswoman Danielle Pepperl said the donation was actually part of the company’s corporate giving program. Last year, the company donated $7.5 million in cash and product.

“We champion organizations that share similar values, and donate time, gear, and money to companies working to make the world a better place to run and live,” Pepperl said.

Typically, Brooks’ donations go to nonprofits in Seattle, where the company’s headquarters is located. The Fremont Rotary Club in Seattle has been given Brooks donations on a fairly regular basis.

This time, the Sumner community saw the bulk of the $850,000 donation, which was so large that Sumner Rotary had to step in to help distribute it.

A wide reach

Sumner Rotary member Ron Haines first heard about the donation after a call from Fremont Rotary member Zoe Mote. Mote said the Fremont group couldn’t manage to get to Sumner to pick up the donation and asked if Haines could help.

Haines drove to the Brooks distribution center, where a surprise awaited him.

“When we walked into the Brooks warehouse, it (was) absolutely huge,” Haines said. “A quarter mile from the front of it to the back of it. And sitting there, they had two rows of stuff exactly 53 feet long.”

It was a lot more than he was expecting. Haines immediately sought help and found it in Dave Radcliffe, owner of The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse in Sumner. Radcliffe loaned two semi trailers for the donations, which included boxes of shirts, shorts, sports bras, even Frisbees.

The donations were taken back to a property owned by The Old Cannery, where it was distributed to various nonprofits. All of it was gone in two days.

“I just think we all need to be thankful for companies like Brooks that step forward and help with these problems,” said Arlene Evavold, the director of Emmanuel Food Pantry at the St. Andres Catholic Church in Sumner.

Emmanuel Food Pantry was one of the recipients of the donation. Last month, the pantry served about 520 people. While Evavold works mostly with food, clothing is another need for the people she serves.

“Nothing’s better than clothes just before school starts,” she said.

Sumner Food Bank, which serves an average of 1,100 people a month, 200 of which are homeless, was another recipient. One woman experiencing homelessness told food bank director Anita Miller that the donated Frisbees could be reused as dinner plates.

“I have to tell you, I stood there and stared at her,” Miller said. “I never thought of that. I was overwhelmed.”

Treehouse, Mother 2 Many, Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST), Care Net of Puget Sound Pregnancy and Family Services, WonGen Central and the Sumner School District Family Center are among the organizations that benefited from the donation.

A flood of donations

Brooks isn’t alone when it comes to donating to local causes.

When Cummins Sales and Service moved into Sumner last October, it told The Herald it was “dedicated to getting to know the city in which their new home now resides.” The company has hosted blood drives and donated backpacks full of supplies to the Sumner School District.

“Keurig Green Mountain redid the alley off Main Street; REI helps with tree planting & trail clearing … Amazon.com donated to our animal shelter; Bellmont Cabinets has a huge commitment to communities in South America; Golden State Foods also helps us plant trees every year; AIM Aerospace helps us with Toy Box each year; Dillanos does a ton of donations/support; Helly Hansen donates to our golf tournament for American Cancer Society; and on and on and on,” Sumner Communications Director Carmen Palmer said in an email.

“We’re trying to decide if we’re just lucky or if there’s something in Sumner’s character that attracts businesses that care,” Palmer added.

So what will happen once Brooks leaves Sumner? Pepperl said the company will continue to donate to the community but didn’t specify beyond that. The company’s Seattle headquarters will stay put.

“It’s been a great partnership,” Miller said about Brooks. “We’re going to miss them.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2018 at 8:00 AM.