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Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation reports school mental-health gains and expanding senior meal program
Summary
Tammy Verhus, interim executive director of the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation, told the Eden Plus City Council the foundation served 82 students in its school mental-health program and is delivering roughly 400 senior meals per week; the council heard the report and thanked the organization.
Tammy Verhus, interim executive director of the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation, told the Eden Plus City Council on July 13 that the foundation’s school-based mental-health program has grown and is already serving 82 students.
"We have served a total of 82 students," Verhus said, adding that 62 were at Enumclaw High School, nine at Enumclaw Middle School and 11 at Thunder Mountain. She said six EHS students "graduated from therapy," and described a measured improvement in behavioral-incident rates and a slight uptick in average GPA between 2025 and 2026.
Verhus said the foundation’s senior hot-meals program is active as well, serving between 66 and more than 80 seniors year-to-date with roughly 400 meals prepared from scratch each week and about 87 volunteers helping with preparation and delivery. "They received 6 meals weekly via 3 deliveries," she said, describing the delivery schedule.
The presentation was framed as a status update: Verhus called the student and volunteer counts "a huge improvement" and thanked the council for prior support. Council members asked no substantive follow-up during the presentation and the chair thanked Verhus for the report.
Why it matters: The report highlights local delivery of mental-health supports in schools and an active senior nutrition program—services that council budgets and partnerships help sustain.
Next steps: Verhus invited council members to follow up with the foundation or with outgoing executive director Sarah Stratton for additional questions or partnership opportunities.
