Peninsula Home Fund offers ‘hand up not hand out’

Generous donors have pushed the Peninsula Home Fund to nearly $265,000.

In the past two weeks, donations to the “hand up not a hand out” fund swelled by more than $78,900 to $264,592.65.

A list of the latest donors and a final tally for the 32nd campaign will be published next Sunday.

Keep in mind that although the active campaign that began at Thanksgiving will end next week, the Peninsula Home Fund collects donations all year long. All contributions are federally tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law for the year in which the check is written.

Each year, the Peninsula Daily News has collected donations to create a safety net for friends and neighbors in Clallam and Jefferson counties when they need a boost to help them go on with being or becoming productive members of society and improving their lives.

The money goes to Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP) to be dispersed by case workers in grants to those on the North Olympic Peninsula who need a hand when finances run just a bit short.

OlyCAP case managers help people with rent, utilities, clothes, transportation, medical bills and other needs.

Since some needs can surpass the $350 cap OlyCAP has in place, the agency has removed the cap for a one-time grant, although amounts of $500 or more will require the director’s approval.

No money is deducted by the Peninsula Daily News for administration fees or any other overhead. Every penny goes to OlyCAP, which will use 12.5 percent to assist with administrative costs.

The Peninsula Home Fund is a unique nonprofit program: It 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 help to get through an emergency situation.

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.

Donors 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.