Team Recs – Local Love

In each edition, we crowdsource recommendations from our team, everything from hikes and dog parks to road trip destinations and restaurants. This edition, we’re sharing local favorites that give back to the community.

Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream

Recommended by: Cici Suehiro, Structural Staff Engineer

Why I love it: I love ice cream and Molly Moon’s is a local gem for making so many good old-fashioned, classic flavors, while still focusing on the care of their employees and their community. Similar to Optimism Brewing, Molly Moon’s fosters a no tip culture, choosing to pay their employees better wages and provide health benefits, 401(k) matching, and a host of other benefits. A woman-owned business, they also donate at least 10% of their profits to food banks, equity organizations, and women and girl empowerment initiatives each year. If you’re craving ice cream, you can feel good about supporting Molly Moon’s!

Pro Tip: Caramel and sweet cream ice cream make a delicious caramel milkshake.

Image Credit: Molly Moon’s

Facing Homelessness & The BLOCK Project

Recommended by: Paul DuJardin, Civil Technician

Why I love it: As part of Facing Homelessness, The BLOCK Project was started by Rex Hohlbein, a local architect. Growing out of conversations held with people who are unhoused, the organization has built 13 permanent homes across the city. I had the opportunity to volunteer with them in March and it was a great experience! We assembled a ceiling module at the BLOCK Shop in Georgetown that was later installed in a permanent Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (DADU) in Magnolia, fully permitted and tied into utility services. We went from bare dirt to framed and roughed out in a week! This efficient building process allows anyone, regardless of experience level, an opportunity to participate. Being able to build these homes in neighborhoods across the city provides community and an opportunity for connection. You also get to meet awesome people from all walks of life when you volunteer.

Pro Tip: Volunteer spots fill up quickly, so if you’re interested, you should sign-up and complete the online orientation early. Volunteer slots are usually 3-4 hours long. Remember to bring boots, a full water bottle, and a snack. Gloves, eye, and ear protection are provided.

Image Credit: The Block Project

Coping Cookies

Recommended by: Kate Rosengren, Senior Marketing & Graphics Coordinator

Why I love it: When I heard about Coping Cookies, I was immediately drawn to the story and mission. What started as a local bake sale during the pandemic turned into a cause I was so inspired by. Founders and partners Sam and Ash both have backgrounds in mental health and physical rehabilitation. They realigned their careers to create a business that continues to help and connect with others. And what better way than cookies!? A portion of the proceeds supports organizations that focus on trauma recovery and mental health. Each month they select a new organization to support.

Pro Tip: They host pop-ups at different locations each week! Take a look at the Cookie Vault for their delicious recipes and check out their Current Cookies listing for the latest concoctions.

Image Credit: Coping Cookies

Mountains To Sound Greenway Trust

Recommended by: Riley Pascual, Structural Technician

Why I love it: Mountains to Sound is an awesome local organization responsible for maintaining a 1.5 million-acre-landscape that everyone should know about! I especially love participating in their tree planting events. Fun outdoor activities that the entire family can enjoy, volunteers plant trees and all sorts of native plants. And you don’t need to be an expert to participate – the volunteer leads are great guides! So many local trails and parks between Seattle and Ellensburg need some extra TLC and Mountain to Sound comes to their rescue. They even take volunteers to some pretty remote areas that you probably had no idea existed. One year, I discovered a beautiful small pond that I now return to every summer. It’s fun to revisit the areas you’ve restored to appreciate your handiwork and check out all the new growth.

Pro Tip: Dress comfortably and always bring rain gear as the PNW weather can be pretty unpredictable.

Image Credit: Washington Trails Association