I first met Indira Rouw through my local Buy Nothing group—she’d put out a call for sturdy grocery bags, and my cupboard was overflowing, so I popped over to her downtown Mount Vernon office with my arms full. I expected to have to explain myself to the person at the front desk, but the minute I opened the front door I saw the piles: grocery bags, yes, but also blankets and sleeping bags, which Rouw was collecting for homeless youth. This was clearly more than a one-off call for donations; it was an ongoing commitment to improving the lives of others.
Photograph by Anne Godenham
As a longtime agent with Farmers Insurance, Rouw has decades of experience helping her community with financial protections like life, auto, and homeowners insurance. But she’s also deeply involved in volunteering for local organizations and events, along with her kids.
“Volunteering became our family outing/activity,” Rouw says, noting that the whole family has benefited and “we’ve created the best and most meaningful memories volunteering together.”
Photograph by Anne Godenham
Not that she expected anything less; Rouw was raised with a strong sense of the value of giving back. Her father “was a pivotal volunteer for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival” and her mother volunteered for hospice work through Skagit Valley Hospital. So her kids’ entry into the world of community service was both a natural inheritance and a strong reminder of what matters. Since entering their teens, both of Rouw’s children have continued volunteer work on their own, earning recognition from teachers and peers alike.
Photograph by Anne Godenham
As a family, they’ve volunteered with or supported more than a dozen local organizations, including Helping Hands, Skagit Friendship House, and Skagit Habitat for Humanity. When the kids were young, Rouw focused on helping out wherever she could—there was no shortage of need, and time is always in short supply when you have little ones—and they all eventually found areas they felt especially passionate about. For example, Rouw has become increasingly involved with the food bank.
“During the pandemic we had heard about drivers being needed for our local food bank to help deliver food boxes—so we did [that],” she says. “A few weeks later a call went out asking for someone to step up and organize/schedule all the volunteers at the food bank (drivers, distribution site workers, folks in the warehouse putting together bags of food on different shifts etc), so I said ‘yes, let’s do this’.”
Photograph by Anne Godenham
Rouw believes that not only is volunteering essential to those who benefit from the service, but it’s also “an incredible feeling” to give one’s time and energy to others.
“Through volunteering we have met incredible people and created lasting friendships, learned new skills, found a strong sense of shared purpose and civic responsibility,” she says, noting just a few of the reasons she makes time for community service. “I would add volunteering reduces stress, builds increased confidence and self-esteem, and does wonders for your mental and emotional health.”
Photograph by Anne Godenham
So how can the rest of us get more involved? After all, ‘tis the season—but there’s no reason we can’t build giving back into our lives throughout the year.
“Look around and be open to opportunities and they will begin to present themselves,” Rouw advises. “There are opportunities to volunteer from your home, your business, at different places of business and organizations. Whatever your special skill or your interest area…..there is a need.” Mount Vernon
