Peninsula Home Fund campaign begins

A hand up, not a handout.

That’s the ethic behind the Peninsula Home Fund, which since 1989 has provided a little help at a critical time for many people in need on the North Olympic Peninsula.

Thanks to the generosity of Peninsula residents, more than a thousand people received “a hand up, not a handout” through the Peninsula Home Fund this year.

Residents contributed $198,329 to the Peninsula Daily News’ Peninsula Home Fund during the 2018 campaign from Thanksgiving though Dec. 31 and created a safety net for their neighbors.

Donations collected by the PDN go to Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP), the No. 1 emergency-care agency in Clallam and Jefferson counties, where case workers screen applicants and carefully distribute the funds.

Using the money contributed to the Peninsula Home Fund in 2018, OlyCAP had helped 1,008 individuals through Sept. 30. As of that date, $144,048 of the fund had been spent on grants.

The remaining funding of $18,421 will continue to help your friends and neighbors on the Peninsula through the middle of January — when 2019 donations will begin to offer a lifeline in 2020.

“The generosity of our readers and residents on the North Olympic Peninsula is heartwarming,” said Terry R. Ward, publisher of the Peninsula Daily News. “The fact that every year they continue to donate their hard-earned money to give others a hand up says a lot about the character of our neighbors.

“Although many things divide us throughout the year, it’s comforting to know when it’s time to help others through the Peninsula Home Fund, our community consistently steps up.”

From today through New Year’s Eve, the Peninsula Home Fund is seeking contributions for its 31st annual holiday fundraising campaign.

A little can mean a lot. The average amount given per person this year has been $143.

The Home Fund offers an essential bridge when things just don’t match up so people can go on with being or becoming productive members of society and improving their lives.

During this season’s campaign, the PDN will tell you about how much a little can mean.

In stories published weekly, the PDN also will list contributors and report how the fund works.

Just as gifts from the Home Fund are small — the cap is $350 — donations don’t have to be large.

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.

It creates a safety net for North Olympic Peninsula residents when there is nowhere else to turn.

It is also a unique nonprofit program:

• No money is deducted by the Peninsula Daily News for administration fees or any other overhead.

Every penny goes to OlyCAP, which uses it to help the most vulnerable members of our community, from infants to families to seniors.

Please note: Because of heavy community demands, the loss of grants because of the economy and recent cuts in government funding, OlyCAP beginning in 2012 was permitted to use 10 percent — 10 cents of every dollar donated — to pay for the vital programs and services for Home Fund clients. (Previously there were no deductions.)

• The Home Fund is not a welfare program.

Money is used to give families and individuals from Port Townsend to Forks, from Quilcene and Brinnon to Sequim, Joyce and La Push “a hand up, not a handout” to get through an emergency situation.

Money from the fund is used for hot meals for seniors in Jefferson and Clallam counties, warm winter coats for kids, home repairs for a low-income family, needed prescription drugs, dental work, safe and drug-free temporary housing, eyeglasses, car repairs — the list goes on and on.

All instances of help are designed to get an individual or family through a crisis — and back on the path to self-sufficiency.

Home Fund case managers often 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.

As needed, 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.

The goal again: “a hand up, not a handout.”

• All contributions are IRS tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law for the year in which the check is written.

Your personal information is kept confidential.

PDN does not rent, sell, give or otherwise share your address or other information with anyone or make any other use of it.

Since its beginning in 1989, the fund has relied on the support of Jefferson and Clallam county residents and distributed more than $3.64 million to help those in need on the Peninsula.

How to apply

To apply for a Peninsula Home Fund grant, contact one of the three OlyCAP offices:

• OlyCAP’s Port Angeles office is at 228 W. First St., Suite J (Armory Square Mall); 360-452-4726. For Port Angeles and Sequim-area residents.

• Its Port Townsend office is at 823 Commerce Loop; 360-385-2571. For Jefferson County residents.

• The Forks office is at 421 Fifth Ave.; 360-374-6193. For West End residents.

Leave a message in the voicemail box at any of the three numbers, and a Home Fund caseworker will phone you back.

OlyCAP’s website: www.olycap.org; email: action@olycap.org.

Dale Wilson, OlyCAP’s executive director, oversees disbursements from the Peninsula Home Fund.

How to donate

To donate, write a check to “Peninsula Home Fund” and attach it to the coupon that appears in today’s PDN.

Mail both items to Peninsula Home Fund, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.

You can also contribute online using a credit card. Just go to www.olycap.org/peninsula-home-fund.

From children’s pennies to checks for thousands of dollars, the generosity of Peninsula Daily News readers makes a positive difference.

If you have any questions about the fund, call Publisher Terry R. Ward at 360-417-3500.