Puget Sound taxicab operators made a special trip this Friday.  The drivers traveled to Northwest Harvest, where they delivered a $3300 gift to the food bank in a show of solidarity and support of families in need this holiday season.

Members of the Western Washington Taxicab Operators Association (WWTCOA) presented Deborah Squires, Northwest Harvest's Director of Community Engagement, with the donation at 11 A.M. this morning. 

"This is the busiest food bank in the State," Squires said.  "In a week 5000 people on average come through here, so your gift goes a long way.  $3300 means 15000 meals because the buying power of Northwest Harvest means we can give a person a full nutritious good meal for about 22 cents." 

"One in four kids in our state doesn't have enough food, so you just fed a lot of kids," she said.  

The WWTCOA, in partnership with Teamsters Local 117, started collecting the donations from taxicab operators shortly before Thanksgiving. 

“We live and work here in the community, and this is our way of giving back during the holidays,” said Parminder Cheema, a member of the WWTCOA Leadership Council.  “It is our way of saying, ‘Thank you’ to the community that helps provide for our families by choosing taxis to get around town.  As independent owner-operators of our cabs, we rely on the community for their support.”

"People are struggling, and we are trying to make a living, too," said Jagjit Singh, a taxi driver with Orange Cab.  "It's good to share that with somebody."