This blog post was written by Gerald Tracy, Puget Sound Energy’s Media Engagement Program Manager. Puget Sound Energy has partnered with United Way for decades, supporting efforts like these through employee giving, volunteerism, and community investment.

Summer is often imagined as a season of rest and adventure here in Issaquah and across King County.

But for many students, summer brings uncertainty.

During the school year, classrooms provide more than education. They’re where children count on daily meals, access to basic hygiene items, structured activities, and caring adults who help connect families to resources. When school ends, those supports can disappear overnight, with an immediate impact.

Research shows food insecurity rises, learning loss accelerates, and financial pressure increases for families already stretched thin when school lets out. Summer isn’t a break for everyone. For many, it’s a strain.

This is where our community comes in.

A Bus Full of Hope

This May, United Way of King County, alongside longtime community partners like Puget Sound Energy, is launching Pack the Bus, a powerful, hands-on effort to support students through the summer months.

Volunteers will come together on May 20 to assemble 2,500 summer kits filled with food, hygiene supplies, and educational activities at North Seattle Community College.

These kits are carefully designed in partnership with local districts and Communities in Schools of Greater King County, which supports 39 campuses across South Seattle, Renton, Issaquah, and Lake Washington. Once assembled, the kits are loaded onto a bus and delivered directly to schools and trusted staff who distribute them in ways that respect dignity and reduce stigma.

Bus isn’t just a volunteer event. It’s a bridge helping to carry students from the last day of school to the first day back, with nourishment, care, and connection along the way.

Summer Hunger Is Real and Fixable

Even with efforts like Pack the Bus, summer hunger remains one of the biggest challenges facing families.

When school cafeterias close, Federal programs like Free Summer Meals and SUN Bucks grocery benefits are designed to help, but in Washington, too many families aren’t reached. Only about 1 in 7 who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals are currently accessing summer nutrition programs, according to the Food Research & Action Center.

This means families are missing meals, and our state is leaving vital federal resources unused.

United Way of King County is working to close that gap by:

• Launching and funding new summer meal sites where kids need them most.
• Connecting families to free meals through outreach, maps, and a text line.
• Supporting local schools and partners so programs run smoothly.
• Expanding access to SUN Bucks grocery benefits.
• Leading Free Summer Meals Week statewide each July to boost awareness.

This behind-the-scenes work ensures help exists and families know how to find it.

Why Summer Giving Matters

Summer giving is especially powerful because it fills a critical gap when needs rise, but attention often fades. Supporting United Way this summer means:

• Helping local students stay nourished and healthy.
• Reducing learning loss and summer stress for families.
• Strengthening the school communities we’re all part of.
• Showing our kids what it looks like to care for one another.

Be Part of the Story

Hunger and financial insecurity don’t take a vacation, and neither do caring communities.

Whether through a donation, spreading the word, or supporting local United Way efforts, you and your Issaquah Highlands neighbors can help ensure every child has what they need to thrive this summer and beyond.

Together, we can pack more than a bus. We can fill the summer with opportunity.