A grandmother caring for two small children received help with her utility bills.
An out-of-work logger in Quilcene got money to obtain prescribed medicine.
A fourth-grade student got the glasses he needs to do his school work in Port Townsend.
Material was provided to help a volunteer group assist a Port Angeles woman with repairs to her mobile home.
A Forks woman received a load of wood to heat her house.
Using the money donated in 2007, more than 2,700 individuals and households received $186,647.70 in help so far this year from the Peninsula Daily News’ Peninsula Home Fund.
From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, the Peninsula Home Fund — a safety net for residents in Jefferson and Clallam when there is no where else to turn — is seeking contributions for its annual holiday season fund-raising campaign.
Beginning this Sunday, Peninsula Daily News will publish stories every Wednesday and Sunday during the campaign listing contributors and reporting on how the fund works.
The Peninsula Home Fund is a unique, nonprofit program:
— No money — not one penny — is deducted for administration or other overhead.
— All contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible for the year in which the check is written.
— Your personal information is kept confidential.
The PDN does not rent, sell, give or otherwise share your address or other information with anyone, or make any other use of it.
— Money is used to give families and individuals in Jefferson and Clallam counties “a hand up, not a handout” to get through an emergency situation.
— All instances of help are designed to get an individual or family through the crisis — and back on the path to self-sufficiency.
— Every penny, every dollar, contributed to the Peninsula Home Fund goes to making life better for children, teens, families and the elderly across the North Olympic Peninsula — from Port Townsend to Forks, from Quilcene and Brinnon to LaPush.
All the money collected goes — without any deductions — to families in Jefferson and Clallam counties for hot meals for seniors; warm winter coats for kids; home repairs for a low-income family; needed prescription drugs; dental work; safe, drug-free temporary housing; eyeglasses — the list goes on and on.
— Home Fund case managers work with each individual or family to develop a plan to become financially stable — and avoid a recurrence of the emergency that prompted aid from the fund.
Out of money by Dec. 31
— Money is usually distributed in small amounts, usually up to $150. The average amount of help this year — about $80.
— Assistance is limited to one time in a 12-month period.
Now in its 19th year, the fund is supported entirely by Jefferson and Clallam residents.
Individuals, couples, businesses, churches, organizations and school groups set a new record for contributions in 2007 — $193,312.11.
All of that money is expected to be spent before Dec. 31.
The fund is managed for the Peninsula Daily News by OlyCAP — nonprofit Olympic Community Action Programs — the No. 1 emergency care agency on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Peninsula Home Fund contributions are often used in conjunction with money from churches, service clubs and other donors, enabling OlyCAP to stretch the value of the contribution.
To apply for a grant from the fund, phone OlyCAP at 360-452-4726 (Clallam County) or 360-385-2571 (Jefferson County).
OlyCAP’s Port Angeles office is 228 W. First St., Suite J (Armory Square Mall); 360-452-4726.
Its Port Townsend office is at 803 W. Park Ave. (P.O. Box 1540, PT 98368); 360-385-2571.
The Forks office is at the community Recreation Center (across from City Hall), 651 E. Division St.; 360-374-6193.
Its Web site: www.olycap.org; e-mail: action@olycap.org.
Tim L. Hockett, OlyCAP’s executive director, oversees the Peninsula Home Fund.
The fund started in 1989 with $2,000 in contributions and has grown every year.
The final total of $193,312.11 for the 2007 campaign (for use in 2008) smashed the old record set in 2006 of $191,349.85.
The 2007 fund drive also set a record for the number of contributions — 1,127 from individuals, couples, businesses, churches, clubs and school groups.
How to donate
From children’s pennies to checks for thousands of dollars, the generosity of Peninsula Daily News readers makes a positive difference.
A gift of any size is welcome.
The Peninsula Home Fund has never been a campaign of heavy hitters.
If you can contribute only a few dollars, please don’t hesitate because you think it won’t make a difference.
Every gift makes a difference, regardless of its size.
To donate, write a check to “Peninsula Home Fund” and attach it to the coupon that accompanies this story.
Mail both items to Peninsula Home Fund, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles 98362.
Or drop them at the newspaper’s offices in Port Townsend, Sequim or Port Angeles (their addresses are on Page A2 of the PDN every day).
Again, all contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
You will receive a written thank you and acknowledgment of your contribution.
If you have any questions about the fund, contact John Brewer, Peninsula Daily News editor and publisher, at 360-417-3500.
Or e-mail him at john.brewer@peninsuladailynews.com.
