Real estate agency raises money for local nonprofits

VANCOUVER — Realtors with Windermere Real Estate, which has three offices in Clark County, recently raised almost $170,000 for 50 food banks and nonprofits across Southwest Washington and Oregon. Windermere Foundation challenged its offices across 10 states to beat a matching donation, raising $690,000 in total. This topped their goal of $500,000. Nonprofits all over the two states received donations, including Fruit Valley Food Pantry in Vancouver. For the last 35 years on the first Friday in June, the real estate business closed its doors to participate in their annual Community Service Day, when employees volunteer in their local neighborhoods. This year, they replaced it with a Neighbors in Need fundraising campaign. “Our brokers have upheld Windermere’s ongoing commitment to community service for 35 years. Unfortunately, the need for us to step up has never been greater,” Scott Mitchelson, president of Windermere Services Company in Oregon and Southwest Washington, said in a news release. “We are committed to doing our part to ensure that our neighbors make it to the other side of this crisis.”