For some Tri-City nonprofits, the legacy of support from Hanford contractors dates back decades.

When community members came together in 1958 to found United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties, more than half of them were from the Hanford site, said President and CEO LoAnn Ayers.

Hanford contractors continue to contribute to United Way today, along with dozens of other community organizations.

One contractor estimated that collectively, the Hanford prime contractors donate more than $1 million to nonprofits each year in both financial donations and volunteered time. 

“We actually can’t do what we do without their support,” said Leanne Luehrs-Purcell, executive director of The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia, which works to engage families in helping their children read and prepare for school.

“I feel blessed that we have such a huge support from Hanford contractors,” she said.

With their focus on Hanford cleanup, the contractors don’t always get recognition for their work in the community center, said Sara Harpster, executive director of Safe Harbor Support Center. “I’m so happy that they’re getting a spotlight.”

Bechtel National Inc.

Bechtel National Inc. donates to a diverse range of nonprofits. Some of 2024’s highlights include raising more than $30,000 for Special Olympics’ Polar Plunge and donating $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties for workforce readiness, $10,000 to the Reach Museum for student programming and tours, and $10,000 to the Tri-Cities Diversity and Inclusion Council for programming and events.

“Bechtel and its leadership believe strongly in investing in the local community where our team members live, work and play,” said Brian Hartman, Bechtel senior vice president and project director of DOE’s Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, in a statement. 

“Bechtel has supported the Tri-Cities for decades and proudly partners to drive economic vitality, workforce development and quality of life,” he said.

For the last three years, Bechtel has been the title sponsor for the reading foundation’s Books and Vines fundraiser, said Luehrs-Purcell.

“They’ve given us a tremendous amount of support over the years,” she said. A Bechtel employee is also the current president of the group’s board of directors. 

Ayers described Bechtel as a “powerhouse” for United Way. Over the past 26 years, the company has had an impact of $5.75 million, she said. 

CPCCo

Central Plateau Cleanup Company, or CPCCo, works with more than 30 different organizations throughout the region, from Friends of Disabled Veterans to the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers.

The company decides which organizations to support based on need and/or opportunity and its four pillars of community commitment: education, economic development, health and human services, and quality of life, said Rob Roxburgh, communications director for the company.

“Creating meaningful partnerships in the Tri-Cities community is at the heart of our company’s mission,” said CPCCo President and Project Manager Bob Wilkinson in a statement. “By engaging with and supporting our local communities, we not only contribute to their growth and well-being but also strengthen the bonds that make our projects successful. It’s about building a sustainable future together.”

CPCCo has donated $40,000 to Safe Harbor Support Center since 2020, Harpster said. The company has been “really, really productive with jumping in with volunteers,” she said, from yard work to painting. 

Safe Harbor works to support vulnerable populations and focuses on trauma intervention. 

Many employees of Hanford contractors serve on Safe Harbor’s board. 

Hanford Mission Integration Solutions supports The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia’s Resolution Read. Each year, HMIS employees help label, bag and deliver more than 6,000 books to 500 families.

| Courtesy Hanford Mission Integration Solutions

HMIS

Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, or HMIS, financially supports more than 50 local organizations and events each year, and in 2024 alone, the contractor gave more than $400,000 in nonprofit donations, scholarships and investments in local development organizations. 

In addition, employees across the organization serve on nonprofit boards and volunteer at company-supported events. 

In choosing which nonprofits to support, “our primary focus is on organizations that provide education and leadership development for youth, as well as workforce development,” said Reneé Brooks, HMIS’ communications manager, in a statement. 

Luehrs-Purcell said that HMIS has had a big impact on the foundation’s Resolution Read program.

HMIS has provided $15,000 annually for the past four years to the program, which delivers 12 free books to 500 families who sign up to read 20 minutes with their children each day. The money goes directly to buying books for the families, from bilingual to baby board books. 

“The monetary piece that they contribute is huge – we wouldn’t be able to do the program without them,” Luehrs-Purcell said. 

Each year, more than 40 HMIS volunteers also help assemble the bags of books and deliver them to families. 

HMIS also has contributed $76,000 to Safe Harbor since 2020, Harpster said.

WRPS and H2C

The Hanford contract for Washington River Protection Solutions, or WRPS, ended earlier this year, but the company had a history of supporting nonprofits over its 17 years. 

WRPS donated more than $8 million to more than 50 community programs during that timeframe, according to a flipbook on the contractor’s legacy.

About half of that amount has helped fund United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties.

Between corporate giving and employee payroll deductions, a total of $4.4 million has been given to United Way, Ayers said. 

“Think about how many families that has helped,” she said, from mental health support to keeping kids in schools. “…Those are the kinds of things that those dollars have enabled us to do.”

The nonprofit focuses on helping kids and acts as a clearinghouse to support other lesser known nonprofits, Ayers said. 

WRPS was replaced by a new contractor, Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure LLC, or H2C, earlier this year. An H2C employee is already on United Way’s board, Ayers said.

WRPS also gave $58,500 to Safe Harbor since 2020, and Harpster said the contractor was a big supporter of the organization’s Beggars Banquet in 2023 and 2024, helping to incentivize donors at the event.