SEQUIM — The Sequim Police Department is seeking applicants for its Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program.
City officials say these citizen volunteers perform important duties in support of the department, including vacation house checks, child car seat checks, issuing handicap parking violation citations, traffic control and transporting vehicles.
During community special events and festivals, VIPS act as additional eyes and ears for the police, as well as ambassadors for the city of Sequim, according to a press release.
The volunteers provide help in the front office answering phones, filing, issuing licenses, fingerprinting and working on special projects.
Minimum qualifications for acceptance into the VIPS program include being at least 21 years old, a Sequim/Clallam County resident, passing a background check and a commitment to volunteering 8.5 hours a month.
The application can be picked up at the Sequim Police Department, 152 W. Cedar St., or online at www.sequimwa.gov/index.aspx?NID=302.
For more information on the VIPS program, contact the Sequim Police Business Office at 360-683-7227 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.
Port Townsend startup is competition finalist
PORT TOWNSEND — Vinder, a Port Townsend startup, has been selected as a finalist to compete in the fourth annual Food+City Challenge Prize competition.
The competition is part of the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, which narrowed to 15 finalists from hundreds of supply chain startup applicants from five continents and 14 countries.
Finalists vie for approximately $50,000 in prizes with 3-minute business pitches to judges.
Vinder was one of eight United States companies selected as finalists and the only finalist from Washington state, according to a news release.
Vinder is a peer-to-peer marketplace for homegrown produce which connects home gardeners to their neighbors to buy, sell and trade local produce.
For more information, visit www.foodandcity.org or www.veggievinder.com.