Fireworks to Fight Childhood Food Insecurity
Annual campaign supports youth food programs in East King County.
The annual Illuminating Hope fundraising campaign helps thousands of children get the nutrition they need and culminates in a spectacular fireworks celebration over South Lake Sammamish on July 4, 2025 at 10:00 p.m. This major fundraising effort supports the vital youth food programs serving 5-zip codes in East King County by the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank.
Did you know that 2,540 children in the Issaquah School District qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches? Many of these children and more may need help accessing nutrition outside of school hours. “With the help of school teachers, nurses, and counselors we identified nutrition gaps for students, which led us to developing our Summer Lunch, Lunch for the Break, and Power Packs programs. No child should ever have to be without the nutritious food they need to thrive!” shared Stephanie Norton-Bredl, Executive Director of the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank.
Since 1971, the food bank has been removing barriers to access to food security for individuals and families in East King County. The food bank experienced an 83% increase in the number of households accessing their market and emergency food services in 2023. With this growing need and increasing expenses, this year’s goal is to raise $110,000. The KLD Real Estate Group is generously matching the first $20,000 in donations of $150- $5,000. For more information and to donate to support youth nutrition programs in East King County, visit issaquahfoodbank.org.
This campaign and celebration have been hosted by the KLD Real Estate Group since 2015. This year’s sponsors include Amazon, Arena Sports, Bear Creek Landscaping & Construction, Northwest Inboards, Issaquah Honda Kubota, Sign Pros, CrossCountry Mortgage, and Vasa Park, helping to ensure that funds go directly towards feeding more children.
The fireworks celebration event on July 4 begins at 10pm. Fireworks will be launched from a barge off the western shore of South Lake Sammamish, about halfway between Vasa Park and Lake Sammamish State Park. Anywhere along the southern part of the lake should be a great viewing spot. Vasa Park in Bellevue is providing free admission after 6:00 p.m.
