EDITOR’s NOTE: This is the last in a series of articles on how the Peninsula Daily News’ Peninsula Home Fund gives “a hand up, not a handout” to residents in Jefferson and Clallam counties. Please click on the Home Fund button at left, print out the coupon and send it in with your generous donation. Thanks!
Our articles usually focus on the people whom the Peninsula Home Fund has helped.
For this story we asked Angelo and Brenda Spandrio, strong supporters of the Home Fund, to tell us why they give so generously.
When we first proposed the idea, they were reluctant, not wanting to call attention to themselves — but in the end they graciously agreed. We think you’ll find their answers inspiring.
(Story by Timothy Hockett, for Peninsula Daily News)
Brenda and Angelo Spandrio live in a beautiful home in the Sequim-Dungeness valley.
They are not needy — indeed, most would consider them comfortable, even well-off.
How the Spandrios came into their prosperity is beside the point of this story.
What is the point, however, is that they are firmly convinced that their success is a direct result of their charitable giving.
So every week, like clockwork, they write a sizeable check to the Peninsula Daily News’ Peninsula Home Fund in order to help others.
“We have no choice,” says Angelo “We want the reward.”
Years ago, Brenda got them started with tithing (the practice of giving a portion, usually 10-percent, of one’s earnings to charity) — and they are both convinced that they have actually been rewarded as a result.
“At one time in my life I needed help,” recalls Brenda,
“I was on welfare and learned what it was like to be in need.
“I also learned the importance of giving.
“I became a tither while I was still in need — and came to learn that giving a percentage of one’s income is possible no matter how much or how little one earns.”
While giving is grounded in their faith, Angelo explains that their notions about giving have been reinforced in many ways.
“I have found that, in addition to the Scriptures, many of the books I have read about success and managing wealth emphasize the principle of generous giving.
“Others have discovered, just like we have, that you get back much more.
“There is just something good about gladly parting with a good chunk of what you’ve earned.”
“It becomes a frame of mind. It becomes part of the way you think.
“Soon it spills over into other parts of your life; you become kinder, more generous with people, less likely to be aggressive when someone is indebted to you.
“The neat thing about giving is that it just works that way — it changes you.”
Frustrated by inefficiency
The Spandrios go on to relate that until they became aware of the PDN’s Peninsula Home Fund, they had “something poking us in the ribs.”
In their quest to be good stewards they had become frustrated with the inefficiencies they saw in many charities and even churches.
They decided that they wanted their donations to have a more direct effect on those who needed it.
They took it upon themselves to investigate the Peninsula Home Fund.
They met with John Brewer, the PDN’s editor and publisher, and with the deputy director of OlyCAP — Olympic Community Action Programs — the No. 1 emergency care agency on the North Olympic Peninsula which manages the Peninsula Home Fund for the newspaper.
The Peninsula Home Fund is a safety net for residents in Clallam and Jefferson counties to get them through emergency situations when there is nowhere else to turn.
All instances of help are designed to give an individual or family “a hand up, not a handout” to get through the crisis — and back on the path to self-sufficiency.
The Spandrios liked the fact that no money is deducted for administration or other overhead by the PDN or OlyCAP.
They also liked the efforts of Peninsula Home Fund case managers who 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.
The Spandrios don’t want special recognition for just doing what they think is the right thing to do.
“I think someone should toot the horn of the Peninsula Daily News and OlyCAP because they do so much work,” said Angelo. “We just write checks.”
No deductions
From Thanksgiving through Dec. 31 each year, the Peninsula Home Fund seeks contributions for its annual holiday season fund-raising campaign.
The Peninsula Home Fund is a unique, nonprofit program.
* In addition to no deductions for administration or other overhead, all contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
* Your personal information is kept confidential. The Peninsula Daily News does not rent, sell, give or otherwise share your address or other information with anyone, or make any other use of it.
* 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 Sequim to Forks, from Quilcene and Brinnon to Port Angeles 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 the low income, needed prescription drugs, dental work, safe, drug-free temporary housing, eyeglasses — the list goes on and on.
* OlyCAP has managed the PDN’s Peninsula Home Fund since the fund’s inception in 1989. Contributions are often used in conjunction with money from churches, service clubs and other donors, enabling OlyCAP to stretch the value of the contribution.
* Money is usually distributed in small amounts, usually up to $100.
* Assistance is limited to one time in a 12-month period. To apply for a grant from the fund, phone OlyCAP at 360-452-4726 (Clallam County) or 360-385-2571 (Jefferson County).
How to donate
A gift of any size is welcome.
From children’s pennies to checks for thousands of dollars, the generosity of Peninsula Daily News readers makes a positive difference.
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 (addresses on page A2 of the PDN daily).
Again, all contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
You will receive a written thank you and acknowledgment of your contribution.
