The Pierce County Auditor’s Office will open at 7 a.m. Jan. 2 to kick off the team license plate sales featuring Seahawks and Sounder FC themes. The license plates will carry an iconic symbol for each team – the 12th Man flag for the Seahawks, a team scarf for Sounders FC.

Net proceeds from Seahawks plate sales will go to InvestED, a Seattle-based nonprofit that partners with schools statewide to help students from low-income families pay for clothes, shoes, school activity cards, testing fees and other student needs.

The bulk of the proceeds from Sounders FC plate sales will benefit Washington State Mentors, a public/private partnership based in Issaquah that provides grants and assistance to youth organizations across the state. A third nonprofit, the Association of Washington Generals, is to receive a smaller portion of the Sounders FC plate sales. The AWG recognizes outstanding individuals and promotes a variety of civic and veterans causes. Neither of the teams profit from the sale of the specialty plates.

“We just couldn’t resist opening the office a little earlier,” said Auditor Julie Anderson. “We didn’t want our regular customers to be caught up in a crush of football fans. And our staff is equally excited. No one is earning overtime for the morning, but I’m letting everyone get decked out in their Seahawks attire.”

Plates will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. The Auditor’s Office accepts cash or checks only.