Wellness group tells council its school mental‑health work served about 82 students; senior meal program delivers 400 meals weekly

Tammy Verhus, interim executive director of the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation, updated the Eden Plus City Council on the nonprofit’s expanding school mental‑health services and its senior hot‑meals program.

“First of all, so we’re looking for really exciting things to happen,” Verhus said, and summarized the foundation’s recent caseload: “we have served a total of 82 students…62 at Enumclaw High School, 9 at Enumclaw Middle School, and 11 at Thunder Mountain.” She said six of the Enumclaw High School students have “graduated from therapy,” and described a measurable improvement in behavioral‑incident averages between the 2024–25 and 2025–26 reporting periods.

Verhus also reviewed the foundation’s senior meals effort, saying the program currently serves about 66 regular senior clients and has served roughly 80 people year‑to‑date. She said the program delivers six meals each week via three delivery days and that staff prepare about 400 meals from scratch each week with the help of approximately 87 volunteers.

Kristen Reed, the city’s finance director, later noted a $35,000 budget amendment item (Ordinance 2841) that will fund two digital reader boards from the street fund; Verhus thanked the council for past support and encouraged continued partnership.

Why it matters: School mental‑health referrals and senior meal delivery are direct services for residents; the council learns patron counts, volunteer capacity and program costs when considering future funding or partnership requests.

What to watch next: Verhus said the foundation is recruiting or replacing staff after a recent director’s departure and invited council members to reach out with questions about staffing and program metrics.