There are plenty of ways to make an all-staff meeting better. Two hundred Dick's cheeseburgers is definitely one of them.
Recently, Dick's Drive-In donated 200 cheeseburgers to Everett Gospel Mission, thanks to a connection made by egm board member Chris Willis. The burgers were shared with our staff and neighbors in our community—and, as you might imagine, they didn't last long.
For a company that's been serving burgers, fries, and shakes around the Puget Sound since 1954, it felt like a particularly Northwest way to show up.
If you grew up around Puget Sound, Dick's needs no introduction. The first Dick's Drive-In opened on January 28, 1954, in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood—after founder Dick Spady and his partners were turned away by the banks and built it anyway. A blizzard shut the place down within its first month; when the snow melted, customers came right back.
Seventy-plus years later, the menu is still gloriously simple—burgers, fries, and shakes—and Dick's is still family-run, still local, and still one of the most beloved institutions in the Northwest. You can read more of their story on their history page.
Just as notable: giving back has always been part of how Dick's operates, from scholarships for their employees to long-standing support for shelters and housing organizations around Seattle. Showing up for egm fits a pattern decades in the making.
“Good things tend to begin by getting to know people, listening, and seeing where the conversation leads.”
Our new Director of Community Partnerships, Damian Thompson, is getting to know the folks at Dick's and exploring what might come next. That fits Damian pretty well—the relational approach above is central to how he works at egm.
For now, though, we simply want to say thank you.
Dick's Drive-In, thanks for the burgers—and for thinking of our staff and neighbors.
You made an ordinary day around here a little more delicious.
Want to connect with Damian? Reach Damian Thompson, Director of Community Partnerships, at dthompson@egmission.org, or check out his video introduction.
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Help us be ready for the men, women, and children at the Mission and in the community who come here every day for desperately needed help.
We are grateful to receive donations of food, clothing, and toiletries alongside financial support.
