Huskies Helping Huskies

This year’s Better Together Service Day with BECU was the biggest yet! 

On Sunday, May 4, 2025, 100 UW staff, students, alumni and retirees came together to serve the University District community at our third annual volunteer service day.

Participation doubled over previous years, as Huskies responded to the growing needs of the neighborhood. Volunteers split up into small teams to tackle several projects, making new friends in the process.

Groups spruced up the Ave with the U District Partnership by cleaning up trash, washing windows, using the Find It, Fix It app to report maintenance needs and, new this year, a group stenciled drains to raise awareness about orca and salmon health.

In addition to beautifying the neighborhood, volunteers tackled deeper community issues like food insecurity. By partnering with the U District Food Bank, UW Food Pantry, the People’s Breakfast as part of the Seattle Mutual Aid Coalition, and Friday Feast, our volunteers helped more than 3,100 students and community members this week. Projects included preparing utensils and toiletry kits, cleaning up the Food Bank to prepare for the week ahead and serving a hot breakfast for those in need.

Some folks lent their skills to a different type of cleaning; half a dozen iSchool volunteers assisted the Burke Museum with their data cleanup efforts.

Leading up to the day of service, donation bins were set up in the lobby at the Washington Commons building to accept requested items ranging from non-perishable food to personal hygiene products. Collected items were delivered to our partners at UW Food Pantry and University District Food Bank.

Here’s a snapshot of what we accomplished at this year’s Better Together Service Days with BECU:

• 100 volunteers
• 2,000 utensils for Friday Feast
• 465 lbs of trash picked up
• 200 toiletry kits packed for UW Food Pantry
• 200 notes of encouragement for those impacted by food insecurity
• 127 individuals served at the People’s Breakfast
• 33 businesses windows washed
• 12 storm drains painted to protect orca and salmon health
• 2,000+ people will use the University District Food Bank
• 127 lbs of food and supplies donated to UW Food Pantry and University District Food Bank
• 200 data contacts cleaned up for the Burke Museum

Plans are already underway for future days of service. Special thanks to BECU for their support and commitment to building strong communities, and to our partners in the U District: Friday Feast, People’s Breakfast through the Seattle Mutual Aid Coalition, U District Partnership, University District Food Bank and the UW Food Pantry.