Family-owned grower, packer and shipper of tree fruit Stemilt Growers says its 2024 donations supported over 50 organizations within the Wenatchee Valley in Washington state, totaling $240,000.
Stemilt said it has long been committed to supporting key areas in the community, including education, nutrition and wellness. Earlier in the year, the company reached a milestone donation with the Washington Apple Education Foundation of $1.3 million, and to wrap up the year, it provided gifts for foster children, according to a news release.
“To serve the community is a true honor and we’re privileged to give to numerous organizations in need of support in the Wenatchee area,” said West Mathison, president for Stemilt. “Our founder and my grandfather, Thomas K. Mathison, always valued being a steward to the community and the next generation. It’s this passion he had for giving that Stemilt has adopted and why we continue to pursue ways to positively impact the health, safety and well-being of people inside and outside of Stemilt.”
Stemilt’s contributions in 2024 supported organizations including the CAFÉ Yes program, Columbia Valley Community Health, Project Search, Safe Families for Children, Serve Wenatchee Valley, Special Olympics, Wenatchee Valley YMCA, Wildcat Booster club, Brave Warrior Project, Wenatchee Women’s Resource Center, Wenatchee High School Random Acts of Kindness Club as well as various elementary schools, the release said.
“We are incredibly proud of reaching $1.3 million in donations to WAEF, which was made possible by a record-setting annual golf tournament,” Mathison said. “This paves the way for more funding to support several Stemilt scholarships, including the Mathison Family scholarship, Stemilt Growers scholarship and the Thomas K. Mathison scholarship.”
In efforts to help those in need during the holidays, Stemilt said it provided gifts for foster children in the Chelan and Douglas counties for the 12th year in a row. Stemilt employees and the Community Investment Committee shopped for 112 foster children aged 17 and under. The gifts benefited children with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Family Services, an agency for state-funded services that support children and families to build resilience in health and to improve educational outcomes; and K Connections, a behavioral rehabilitation service that focuses on providing extensive case management services to children, the release said.
“In addition to gifting to those in the community, Stemilt held a friendly competition within its office to provide warm clothing items for children of Stemilters this year,” Mathison said. “The team donated a total of 827 clothing items that have been distributed to employees and their children to keep them warm during the winter season.”
