PORT ANGELES — When a family falls a couple hundred dollars short of making rent or paying a utility bill, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul steps in.
The society was awarded three separate $5,000 Peninsula Home Fund grants this year for use in Sequim, Port Angeles and East Jefferson County.
At the St. Joseph Conference in Sequim, president Edward S. Koszykowski said the grant helped nearly 30 families with rent, utility or transportation assistance.
“The Home Fund is a Godsend to us because our focus has been primarily on minimizing homeless and all the factors that contribute to it,” Koszykowski said. “We used those precious funds to help with situations like rent deposit or rent itself.”
The Peninsula Home Fund allocated a total of $90,000 this year to 15 nonprofit organizations in Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Now in its 36th year, community members have contributed $42,935 since Thanksgiving toward next year’s grant cycle, which will be administered through a partnership with Olympic View Community Foundation.
Although fundraising occurs throughout the year, a special campaign is conducted annually through the holiday season.
Grant applications will be due in mid-February for the 2025 cycle, and winners will be announced in April.
Donations, along with the names of the donors — should they elect to have them published — will be presented in the Peninsula Daily News throughout the campaign.
Over the years, the Peninsula Home Fund has raised more than $5.05 million for those in need in Clallam and Jefferson counties. Some donate throughout the year while others provide one donation during the campaign months.
From children’s pennies to checks for thousands of dollars, each donation makes a difference, helping people from Port Townsend to Forks, from Quilcene and Brinnon to Sequim, Port Angeles, Joyce and La Push.
All contributions are fully federally tax-deductible for the year in which the check is written.
Those who wish to donate can mail checks to Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA, 98362, or to Olympic View Community Foundation, P.O. Box 3651, Sequim, WA, 98382.
An online option is available at https://ov-cf.org/peninsula-home-fund-donation.
At the St. Joseph Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, the $5,000 grant was distributed between July 20 and Aug. 20, Koszykowski said.
Ten families comprised of 15 adults and five children were helped with $3,420 in rent assistance.
“All 10 families were on the verge of being evicted for various reasons: missed work due to wage earner or a child being sick, senior person having unplanned medical expenses, and a car needing repairs,” Koszykowski said.
An additional $1,219 helped eight families comprised of 10 adults and three children with their utility bill. Families cited lost days of work, the higher cost of food for their families and the high cost of gas to get to work and transport children to school, Koszykowski said.
The remaining $361 of the grant provided gas to 10 families comprised of 10 adults and three children, Koszykowski said.
“In many cases, families had to prioritize limited income faced with increases in rent, utilities and grocery costs,” he said.
The Peninsula Home Fund was one of many sources for St. Vincent de Paul, which set a record for the organization this year by raising more than $200,000, Koszykowski said.
“The grant really contributes to stability in families and maintaining a healthy and predictable home life for people,” he said.
Utility bills have gone up for a lot of people, he added, and many times, families have limited funds.
“The real concern for many times are for the senior people, 55 and above, especially those who recently become widowed, because many of them depend on Social Security as well as food stamps,” Koszykowski said. “When you lose a spouse, half your income is gone. Every dollar is vital.”
St. Vincent de Paul is an all-volunteer organization, so every dollar provided goes to help someone in the community, Koszykowski said.
This year, the St. Joseph Conference has served more than 1,220 families in Sequim, he added.
For the Peninsula Home Fund, the following is a donor list from Dec. 5 through Thursday:
Name and amount
• Kathleen Balducci, Port Angeles, $100, in memory of my parents, Bal Balducci and Dale and Betty Owen.
• Rosemary Freed, Sequim, $100, in memory of Mark L. Freed.
• Denise Kane, Sequim, $100, in memory of John Kane.
• Roger and Linda Woods, Sequim, $200.
Name only
• John Urish, Port Angeles.
• Nancy Bull, Carlsborg.
• Ruth Jenkins, Port Angeles.
• Roger Lien, Beaver, in memory of John Lien.
• Kelly Sanderbeck, Port Angeles.
• Gerald Brownfield, Sequim.
• Martha Bell, Port Angeles.
• Marsha Carr, Sequim.
• John Skow, Port Angeles.
• Fred Weinmann, Port Townsend.
• William Brigden, Sequim.
• Joan Buhler, Port Townsend.
• Rita Marston, Port Angeles, in memory of Don Marston.
• Laurel Nutting, Port Angeles, in memory of John and Madeline.
• Dale Seward, Port Angeles, in memory of Jay Herb, Emogene Herb, Randy Herb and Joel Herb.
• Viki Kocha, Carlsborg.
• Mark and Diana Schildknecht, Sequim, in memory of Sally Locke.
• Steve and Lucy Nordwell, Port Angeles.
• Greg and Vicki Sensiba, Sequim, in memory of Lee and Donna Wooden.
• Sandra Shields, Sequim.
• Ann Chang, Port Angeles, in honor of my family.
• Becky Archer, Sequim.
• William and Karen Bloemker, Port Townsend.
• John and Renee Jones, Sequim.
• Bill and Sharon Alton, Port Angeles.
• Diane Wheeler, Port Angeles.
• Monty and Gerry Crouch, Carlsborg, in honor of George and Louise Simonson.
• Jeanne and David Oldenkamp, Port Angeles.
• Jacob, Laura, Geoffrey and Joenice, Port Angeles, in loving memory of Grandma and Grandpa Melly and Grandpa and Grandmas Kus.
• Mark and Shelley Romero, Port Angeles, for Ryan Romero.
• Janie Hill, Port Angeles, in memory of Phil Hill.
• Susan and Robert Erzen, Sequim.
• Richard Cary, Sequim, in memory of Annmarie Cary.
• Bill and Barb Pearl, Port Angeles.
• Beth Ashkin and Joseph Abril, Port Angeles.
• Ray Weinmann, Port Angeles.
• Rob and Cindy Tulloch, Port Angeles.
• Larry and Kathie Karst, Port Angeles, for Dustin Holta.
• Vicky Murphy, Port Angeles.
• Doug and Trudy Rittenhouse, Port Angeles.
Anonymous
• $200, Port Angeles.
• $100, Sequim.
• $500, Port Angeles.
• $600, Port Angeles, for Bal and Jack.
• $100, Port Angeles.
• $200, Port Angeles.
• $500, Port Angeles.
• $100, Port Angeles.
• $100, Port Angeles.
• $500, Sequim.
• $1,030, Sequim.
• $50, Port Townsend.
• $100, Sequim.
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Editor Brian McLean can be reached by email at brian.mclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
