Community

Basket Brigade carrying on and bigger than ever, even as its founder steps aside

Posted on November 19th, 2024 By: Marsha Hart

More than 800 area families will receive the makings of a traditional Thanksgiving meal next week thanks to the annual Thanksgiving Basket Brigade.

This idea of helping families in need has been a passion for David and Debbie Cathers of Gig Harbor, who started the Basket Brigade in 1994 with the help of a few friends.

They put together 12 baskets that first year. The next year they distributed 45, all from their living room.

Each year, the need became greater and the team expanded. Donations soon outgrew the Cathers’ living room. The Church of the Nazarene donated the use of its building. When Borders Books closed in 2011, volunteers assembled the boxes of food there. Eventually, the operation ended up in the hangar at the Gig Harbor Vintage Aero Museum.

Volunteers load boxes from the Basket Brigade last year to be delivered to families. Photo courtesy of Greater Gig Harbor Foundation

Under the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation’s umbrella

Cathers soon realized that the project — which now involves about 400 volunteers — needed a nonprofit umbrella organization to organize it. So in 2015, he approached the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation.

But, as with all things, changes have happened. In October, Cathers announced that he was stepping away from the project due to a difference of vision with the foundation, he said.

Cathers always viewed the Basket Brigade as a matter of neighbors helping neighbors, and would prefer it remain that way. The foundation, in order to meet the growing need, turned to help from corporate partners.

“The foundation keeps looking at it as they want big donors, but it can be done with people doing it the right way, and with their hearts,” Cathers said.

Still a supporter

Nonetheless, he still believes strongly in the mission of the Basket Brigade.

“It hurts,” he said. “It’s been a part of our lives, and still is.”

The Basket Brigade has been a true labor of love for Cathers, he said. He often worked 16- to 18-hour days coordinating donations, recruiting volunteers and identifying families who benefit from the meals.

While Cathers doesn’t believe that having corporate involvement is necessary, he said the message families receive with the box is. It conveys the intent of the program.

“The nice thing is the tag on the box,” he said. “This comes to you from someone who cares about you. All we ask is that you take care of yourself well enough to do this for someone else someday.”

Tags attached to turkeys being distributed through the Basket Brigade in 2022. Vince Dice

New chair of the Basket Brigade

Dan Gregory took on the role of chair of the Basket Brigade. He spent two weeks trying to get up to speed and is highly complimentary of Cathers.

“David Cathers and his wife Debbie started the Basket Brigade 30 years ago,” said Gregory, a former Peninsula School District assistant superintendent. “He has been the person who has led all of this work for 30 years, and has done a wonderful job. He was instrumental in getting this program off the ground, and expanding it.”

The Basket Brigade has long relied on help from businesses, but usually they were local businesses like Olalla Vineyard and Winery. Owner Mary Ellen Houston said the vineyard has supported the Basket Brigade since Cathers approached her to get involved in 2016.

Houston said she donates more than $10,000 each year to area nonprofits, and she dedicates money raised in October to the Basket Brigade. Each Friday in October she hosts live music at the winery. The performances are an opportunity for patrons to not only support the musicians, but also raise funds for the Basket Brigade.

A decorated box of Thanksgiving dinner fixings ready for distribution at the Basket Brigade on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. Vince Dice

Foundation’s view

The project is all-volunteer based, said Julie Gustanski, CEO and president emeritus of the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation. About 50 drivers deliver between five and eight boxes apiece, each decorated by schools and senior centers, to families. Many others help assemble the boxes.

The school system, faith-based organizations, and others in the community nominate families who could benefit from the Basket Brigade. Some military families at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton as well as Joint Base Lewis McChord near Tacoma also receive meals.

The Basket Brigade gets food and financial support from a number of places, including churches, schools and (yes) corporate sources and sponsorships, she said.

“Whatever we can’t raise in food donations we work with a wholesaler or stores to see what kind of pricing they can get for us,” said Gustanski, who has been involved with the Basket Brigade since 2013. “We work with the community to try to get as much of the food donated as possible, and people make donations as well. If we had to purchase all of this it would be about $55,000. Annually we are spending about $30,000 to $35,000 and the turkeys are the most expensive thing.”

In addition to Amazon Fresh turkeys, Amazon offered a sponsorship worth $6,000. Washington Water Service chipped in $2,000, and GGHF members also committed to monetary donations, she said.

Boxes of food await distribution at the Basket Brigade on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. Vince Dice

“Amazon and Washington Water have also committed to providing some vehicles from their fleets to help move food from wherever it is gathered — at schools, and businesses — and get it to the assembly location before the great big team effort,” Gustanski said.

How the Basket Brigade works

Volunteers sort, assemble and load the boxes on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. They get delivered on Wednesday.

Military service members deliver boxes to recipients on base to alleviate security issues with civilians trying to get through the gates. Volunteers deliver the rest of the boxes to the doors of each family receiving one.

Recipients don’t always know that the box is coming. That is what Cathers said makes the Basket Brigade so nice. He said it was just regular people helping their neighbors, with good intentions, and no need for recognition.

“It has come full circle so many times,” Cathers said. “So many volunteers who received baskets come to help, and we always door-bell-ditch. If you get caught, you’ll never forget it, you’ll come back and help because it will touch you like you’ve never been touched.”

Members of the military load Basket Brigade boxes to be delivered to families. Photo courtesy of Greater Gig Harbor Foundation.

Knock and run

Gustanski said that is still the intent of the program: To place a box on a porch, ring the bell and leave before the door opens.

“People don’t always get away as quickly as hoped, so sometimes they get caught, but often it has brought tears of joy,” she said.

Click here to volunteer, donate to the list of needs, or nominate a family for the Basket Brigade.