EDITOR’s NOTE: This is another in a series of articles on the Peninsula Home Fund. Please access a donation form by clicking on the Home Fund button at left. Thank you!
Betty Johnson’s father was very ill.
He needed his daughter’s care.
So Betty, her husband and their children moved to Port Angeles from Yakima.
“My father’s condition was so severe we decided we had to come be with him,” says Betty.
After arriving in Port Angeles, “we stayed a few days in a motel and soon ran low on money.
“My husband was diligently looking for work, but the day arrived that we had no money for gas or groceries.
“That’s when we were told about OlyCAP (Olympic Community Action Programs).
“We met Rita Houston who not only helped us with gas money (from the Peninsula Daily News’ Peninsula Home Fund) so that Jim could continue his search for a job, but she oriented us to the other support services that this community had to offer.”
A few days later, her husband found a job.
Today, the Johnsons and their children have found stability in their new hometown, and under her care, Betty’s father has improved.
“The Johnsons were under so much stress and were so conscientious about looking for work that we really wanted to assist where we could,” recalls Houston.
“We helped them with some gas and milk from the Home Fund and referred them to other resources that could help with more food, transitional housing and whatever else they needed to bridge the gap.”
The Johnsons are thankful for the Peninsula Home Fund.
“When you come to a community like Port Angeles and find someone like Rita, it makes a big difference,” says Betty.
“She was a wealth of information and encouragement. We were never made to feel embarrassed — our kids never knew how tough it was for us.
“I would like to tell this community, ‘Thank you for the Peninsula Home Fund.’
“And to anyone needing help — don’t give up.”
A safety net
Peninsula Home Fund is a safety net for residents in Jefferson and Clallam counties when they face emergency situations and can’t find help elsewhere.
From Port Townsend to Forks, from Quilcene and Brinnon to LaPush, it’s a helping hand for children, teens, families and the elderly.
Every dollar goes — without any deductions for costs — for hot meals for seniors, warm winter coats for kids, home repairs for the low income, needed prescription drugs, dental work, safe and drug-free temporary housing, eyeglasses — the list goes on and on.
The nonprofit program’s emphasis is on making sure no one falls through the cracks during the most demanding time of the year — winter.
No deductions
Peninsula Home Fund is seeking contributions for its annual holiday-season fund-raising campaign.
Now in its 14th year, the fund is managed for the Peninsula Daily News by OlyCAP, No. 1 emergency care agency on the North Olympic Peninsula.
* No money is diverted for administration or other overhead. All costs are absorbed by the Peninsula Daily News and OlyCAP.
* 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.
* Money is commonly distributed from the Peninsula Home Fund in small amounts, usually no more than $100.
* Assistance is limited to one time in a 12-month period.
Individuals, couples, businesses and school groups set a new record for contributions in 2001 — $63,777.
More than 650 people had been helped as of mid-November.
All of the money collected last year is expected to be spent by Dec. 31.
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 contributions.
To apply for a grant from the fund, phone OlyCAP at 360-452-4726 (Clallam County) or 360-385-2571 (Jefferson County). There are offices in Port Townsend, Port Angeles and Forks.
If you have any questions about the fund, contact John Brewer, Peninsula Daily News editor and publisher, at 360-417-3500, or e-mail john.brewer@peninsuladailynews.com.
How to donate
A gift of any size is welcome.
Peninsula Home Fund has never been a campaign of heavy hitters.
Every gift makes a difference.
Contributions will be accepted until Dec. 31.
Please use the coupon accessible by clicking on the button at left and printing out a hard copy for submission to the PDN.
Again, all contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
You will receive a written thank you and acknowledgment of your contribution; your address and all personal information are kept private.
The Peninsula Daily News publishes news stories every Wednesday and Sunday during this year’s campaign listing contributors and reporting on how the fund works.
New contributions
So far this holiday season, $19,906 has been contributed to the Peninsula Home Fund.
The following are contributions received between Dec. 7 and Dec. 9 — thank you very much for making a difference in the lives — and futures — of your neighbors:
* Sons of Helen Marzullo, in her memory, $250.
* Thomas W. Marzullo, in memory of Helen Marzullo, $100.
* Marie and Gary Wall, Port Angeles, $25.
* Monte Rivett, Port Angeles, in memory of Bob, Rose and Bill, $50.
* Outriders Saddle Club, Port Angeles, in memory of Matthew Edwards, $50.
* Jean Kirner, Port Angeles, in memory of Bon Kirner, $100.
* Willard and Carolyn Muller, Port Angeles, $100.
* Erven and Jean Lodeen, Port Angeles, $100.
* Yvonne Dillon and Daniel Zimm, Port Townsend, $100.
Donors who requested anonymity:
* Port Angeles. $50.
* Port Angeles, $10, in honor of the Christ Child whose birth we celebrate.
* Port Angeles, $25.
* Port Townsend, $25.
* Sequim, $300, in honor of Museum and Art Center volunteers and Peninsula Friends of Animals volunteers.
* Port Angeles, $100.
* Sequim, $100.
* Sequim, $100.
* Port Angeles, $25.
* Sequim, $35.
* Sequim, $50.
* Port Angeles, $20.
* Sequim, $50.
* Port Angeles, $25.
* Port Angeles, $25.
* Sequim, $100.
* Sequim, $25.
* Port Angeles, $30.
* Port Hadlock, $50.
* Sequim, $25.
* Port Angeles, $100.
* Sequim, $50.
* Port Angeles, $25.
* *Alice L. Webb, Somers, Conn.
* *Judy Munro’s second-graders at Helen Haller Elementary School, Sequim.
* *Donald Taylor, Port Ludlow.
* *Kerry and Marilyn Perkins, Port Angeles, in memory of Eva Wilson.
* *Don and Peggy Whitmire, Sequim, in memory of George Buckingham.
* *Shirley M. Palmer, Port Angeles, in memory of Dean Palmer.
* *Alice Watkins, Port Angeles.
* *Bob and Carol Philpott, Port Angeles, in memory of Leland Lee.
* *Sue and C.V. Tondreau, Sequim.
* *Midge Bader, Port Angeles, “in memory of ‘MIA’ — so loved.”
* *Wilma and Richard Williams, Sequim.
* *Dorothy C. Melly, Port Angeles.
* *David A. Storm, Seattle.
* *Lucy E. Willis, Sequim.
* *Al Jensen, Port Angeles.
* *Tom and Joyce Leslie, Port Angeles.
* *Dottie Hopkins, Port Angeles.
* *Ruth Lund, Port Angeles.
* *Dorothy Cadwell, Port Angeles.
* *Patricia Bartlett, Port Angeles.
* *Gary and Geri Braun, Port Angeles.
* *Roy Wilson, Sequim.
*=Denotes amount of donation is private.