If anyone knows how to make lemonade out of lemons – or rather hummus – it’s Victor Azar, owner of Victor Foods of Spokane, Washington and producer of the award-winning Victor’s Hummus and Victor’s Jadra. “My business came about as a result of the last recession,” he says. “As my catering business began to decline, I switched to making hummus for a local market. This way I was able to hold onto my employees and through a lot of hard work, this product has led to a successful manufacturing and distribution business.”

Such flexibility is now serving Azar well during the pandemic and economic downturn. “We’ve strictly followed all state and local guidelines to be able to remain open and serve our vendors,” he continues. “Indeed, it has been a challenging time for everyone, but hopefully our efforts and products will continue to bring smiles to many!”

His efforts to spread some happiness is the reason Azar is participating in Columbia Bank’s Pass It On Project. Victor Foods is providing free food to various women’s shelters and to first responders and Columbia Bank is paying the bill. “With Columbia Bank’s help, we want to brighten the day of people who could really use some joy right about now.”