A Raccoon Named Jimothy Went Viral And His Fame Raised $12,000 For A Food Bank

Jimothy is a raccoon who lives in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood and, due to what researchers believe is a rare congenital spine condition, has a distinctly round, compact body that makes him look unlike any other raccoon anyone in the neighborhood has seen. He appears to be happy, mobile, and entirely unbothered by his internet fame, which arrived swiftly and completely in mid-July 2026 when old footage of him as a baby resurfaced alongside new backyard clips, turning him almost overnight into a meme, a city proclamation, a neighborhood mural, and a tattoo flash sheet. He also inspired Seattle artist Ryan Henry Ward to paint him. Ward shared a surrealist portrait of Jimothy on social media on July 18th alongside an announcement: he was auctioning the painting with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Ballard Food Bank, an institution that has been fighting food insecurity in northwest Seattle since the 1970s using a grocery store model that lets people browse shelves and choose what they need. Ward wrote that the Ballard Food Bank was a place that had helped him through some of his hardest times, and that he felt it deserved a hook-up.

He invited people to make offers in his direct messages by midnight, with the highest bid taking the painting and the food bank taking everything. The comments filled immediately with local support. Amazon's brand account left a message pledging to match the winning auction donation, describing it as a fun way to celebrate a Seattle favorite while supporting a great cause, and encouraged other Puget Sound companies to join in. The highest bid came in at $6,543.21 from a woman named Angela Galdabini. With Amazon's match, the Ballard Food Bank received over $12,000. Ward wrote that if anyone could glance at his direct messages from that night they would see what a powerful altruistic community we have. He thanked Jimothy, in all sincerity, for inspiring them all to greatness. Ward posted a receipt of the donation going through two days later. Niche Ballard, a local art gallery, praised his approach and noted that helping others does not need to be perfectly organized or a long-term commitment, only that you step up in your own way. Jimothy, for his part, was last seen scurrying around a trash can in Ballard, apparently unaware that his distinctive silhouette had just fed a neighborhood.

Source:https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/jimothy-the-raccoon-internet-meme-painting