Meet Elaine.

Elaine is POM’s newest part-time staff member as Director of Community Engagement. Elaine has been involved with POM one way or another for around 16 years. She grew up in Issaquah and moved to Buckley in 1995 with her husband to start a family in a rural, country setting. They raised two children on their small “farm” of horses, goats, dogs and barn cats. When asked why Buckley, she responds, “We wanted a small town, where it can take twice as long to do your grocery shopping because you know just about everyone in the store!” Elaine recently retired after nearly 29 years as an Air Traffic Controller, which she says, gives her more time to do what she really loves.

Elaine’s passion for service began as a young adult when she volunteered as a Big Sister. When her children were small, she was involved with the PTA and Sunday School. She says she discovered POM one day as she drove by, “and I saw this long line of people waiting outside the door of what seemed to be a food bank. I was immediately drawn to that place. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it.” A week later she was volunteering in the Thrift Store. After a few years she began volunteering as a case worker in Samaritan Services, and in 2008 she joined the board of directors where she served various roles, most recently as treasurer and volunteer Director of Community Engagement (DCE). At the end of 2019 the Board of Directors decided they wanted to make the DCE a permanent part of POM’s staff and Elaine applied for the job. In 2020 she leaves POM’s board and joins the staff as the part-time DCE. We are thrilled to have her on board!

Elaine will try to tell you that her talent really lies in boring old numbers and spread sheets. But don’t let her fool you, she has a heart and talent for telling POM’s story. She writes the stories that touch our hearts. She makes it clear to the community that it is they who are making a difference. She says, “It is everyone together, lifting people up and giving hope.” Elaine says she loves to meet with the case workers and hear the stories of success. She loves to turn them around and give the community a glimpse of how they are changing lives, every day.

When asked what her favorite part of her new job is, she says, “Oh! It’s totally sharing the passion for the work of POM with our supporters! I love to meet with people who share the same deep desire to help those in need right here in our own back yard. Our donors, volunteers, and supporters, we’re all in this for the same reason and that’s so amazing to be able to sit down and share that passion with each other!”

We asked Elaine, as Director of Community Engagement, what is the one thing she most wants the community to know about POM. “If I could just choose one thing for people to take away, it’s that POM is US; it’s you and me and all of our neighbors, working together to make our little corner of the world a better place. It’s not all about money and donations. Yes, that is important, but it’s more about that feeling of family. These are our neighborhoods, our communities, and just like family, we take care of each other. That can mean something different for each of us. For some, it’s donating money. For some it’s volunteering in the thrift store. For others it’s praying for POM and our clients. But all of this together makes us stronger, gives us the energy and power to keep moving forward, to keep giving hope. That’s what I want people to know, that however they choose to be involved, they are giving hope to those that need it the most. That’s just so powerful.”