Bremer Trust Issues $25,000 Matching Challenge to Support Olympic College Students Facing Food Insecurity

The Bremer Trust has announced a $25,000 matching gift to Olympic College’s Hunger-Free Campus Initiative, aiming to address food insecurity among students across Kitsap and Mason counties. When fully matched, the contribution will provide up to $50,000 in funding to directly support student food pantries and hunger relief programs.

“I applaud the Bremer Trust for their decades-long support of Olympic College and call on our community of donors to rise to this challenge so that we can double the impact of their generosity,” said Kimberly Cizek Allen, executive director of the Olympic College Foundation.

The matching funds arrive as many Olympic College students face increasing financial strain, including those affected by the recent extended government shutdown. According to the college, approximately 39% of students experience food insecurity. The Hunger-Free Campus Initiative currently operates on-campus food pantries serving more than 800 students each year at the Bremerton, Poulsbo, and Shelton campuses.

The new funding will expand pantry services and provide additional support to military-connected students, including those in apprenticeship and helper programs at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF).

“Stepping in with these funds will have an immediate impact on students who are already managing significant academic and economic stress,” said Trustee Barbara Stephenson. “The need to help hard-working students striving to create a better life through education is even more important today, especially as resources they rely on to feed themselves and their families are threatened or halted.”

The Bremer Trust has been a long-standing partner of Olympic College, supporting student success for nearly 40 years through capital project funding, scholarships, and student life initiatives. The Trust, established in 1987, manages the former holdings of John and Edward Bremer, sons of Bremerton founders William and Sophia Bremer.

Businesses and individuals interested in contributing to the Hunger-Free Campus Initiative can visit the Olympic College Foundation website and click “Give Now” to make a donation and secure a matching contribution.

The community is also invited to attend the “Pack the Pantry” event on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 5 p.m. at the Olympic College Bremerton Campus. The event will feature student stories, networking opportunities, and light refreshments, while collecting matching donations of food, supplies, and funds.

For more information, visit olympic.edu or bremertrust.org.