Office Equipment Reuse

Coordinating the FIFA World Cup in Seattle meant building a team that would grow quickly, host a massive event and then draw back down just as fast. At peak operations, nearly 50 people were using SeattleFWC26’s office, and all of them needed places to sit, meet and work.

Under the leadership of SeattleFWC26 COO Ann Kawasaki Romero, the organization outfitted its growing team without purchasing new office furniture. When operations wound down, the same thinking applied in reverse: still-usable furniture and equipment would not be thrown away.

That approach gave local nonprofits and community-serving organizations an opportunity to refresh their own offices without buying new. SeattleFWC26 donated good-condition furniture and equipment to Evergreen Treatment Services, Friends of Little Saigon, the Seattle-King County Coalition on Homelessness, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington, Interim CDA, Recovery Café, CID BIA, SCIDpda and the Central Area Collaborative.

Coordinating pickups across so many organizations took a little more work. The tradeoff was less waste and useful equipment going directly to organizations serving the community.

Sometimes Legacy means building something new. Sometimes it means finding a better use for what you already have.