What do a prize-winning pig, a Whidbey Island sculptor, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable donations have in common? The answer is sitting right beneath the famous Public Market Center sign at Pike Place Market! Her name is Rachel, and while she's become one of Seattle's most photographed landmarks, there's actually something about her that many people don't realize. She's actually a working piggy bank, and for the past 40 years, she's been collecting donations to help the people who live and work at Pike Place Market!
Rachel arrived at the Market in August 1986, created by Whidbey Island sculptor Georgia Gerber. And here's a fun fact, she was modeled after a real pig! The original Rachel was a prize-winning pig from Whidbey Island who earned recognition at the 1985 Island County Fair. Gerber used her as the inspiration for the 550-pound bronze sculpture that would eventually become a Seattle icon. And if you've ever wondered why Rachel's nose looks a little shinier than the rest of her, there's a reason for that, too. Local tradition says that rubbing her snout and making a donation brings good luck, so she's received quite a few nose rubs over the years!
But the reason Rachel was created in the first place is what makes her story so special. In the early 1980s, federal funding cuts threatened essential services at Pike Place Market, including its medical clinic and preschool. The Pike Place Market Foundation was established in 1982 to help protect these programs and support the Market's community. A few years later, Shirley Collins, the founder of Sur La Table and an early Foundation board member, came up with an idea. What if visitors could contribute their spare change to help support the people who call the Market home? Rather than installing an ordinary donation box, they decided to create something a little more memorable. And that's how Rachel came to be the legend that she is today!
Over the years, Rachel has collected thousands of dollars in spare change, dollar bills, and donations from visitors around the world. Together with her cousin Billie, another bronze piggy bank located at the MarketFront, the two have raised more than $350,000 for the Pike Place Market Foundation. Those donations help fund programs providing affordable housing, access to healthcare, fresh food, childcare, and services for seniors and families in the Market community. It's easy to think of Pike Place Market as a place to grab flowers, watch fish being tossed through the air, or enjoy a cup of coffee, but it's also a neighborhood where people live, work, and rely on these important services.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought this was an especially meaningful story to share. We often think about giving back during the holiday season through big donations, volunteer opportunities, or charitable events, but Rachel is a wonderful reminder that even the smallest contributions can add up to something pretty incredible. What started as a creative way to collect spare change has become a 40-year tradition of neighbors helping neighbors.
There's something very Seattle about this story. One of our city's most photographed landmarks isn't just there to make people smile. She's quietly helping take care of the community around her. So the next time you're wandering through Pike Place Market, stop by Rachel, drop a little change into her back, and give her snout a rub for good luck!
