Sara Averbeck, ad-ministrator at the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland, left, accepts a donation from Kristy Athens, owner of Genuine Wallowa County.

ENTERPRISE — Genuine Wallowa County made a recent donation to the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland as it continues its goal of supporting the community with assisting local nonprofits, GWC announced Aug. 16.

“I think of GWC as a mission-based business,” owner Kristy Athens said. “The main reason I’m running this company is to strengthen Wallowa County’s economic resiliency.”

GWC operates two channels, an online gift box store and a local food delivery service called GWC Provisions.

To achieve its mission, Athens buys handmade goods and food from more than 70 Wallowa County and Nez Perce artists, farmers and ranchers. She then ships curated gift box collections — purchased by both locals and by people outside the area — across the United States, while also delivering groceries to Wallowa County homes and workplaces on a weekly basis.

From the proceeds, Athens makes quarterly donations to Community Connection’s food pantries in Enterprise and Wallowa, and annual donations to Oregon Community Foundation’s Wallowa Fund and the Homeland, which as of August, totaled more than $1,000. GWC also provides various gift certificate donations and sponsorships, such as to competitors at the Wallowa County Fair.

“This year’s gift has an exponential impact,” said Angela Bombaci, executive director at the Homeland. “These dollars have already benefited local growers, makers and entrepreneurs, and now they’ve come back around to help bring Nez Perce people home to Wallowa. Thank you Genuine Wallowa County for supporting our mission at the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland, and for promoting the values that make our community special.”

For Athens, it’s the only way to do business.

“I plan to register GWC as a benefit corporation in the next year or two,” she said. Benefit companies are committed to honoring a triple bottom line of “profit, people, and planet.”

To learn more, visit GenuineWallowaCounty.com or GWCProvisions.com.