PENINSULA DAILY NEWS – Counting 11 last-minute contributions, a record-breaking $63,777 from people and organizations in Clallam and Jefferson counties was contributed to the Peninsula Home Fund.
This final total for the 2001 campaign broke the old record set in 2000 of $42,703.
The 2001 fund drive also set a new record in the number of contributors — 578 individuals, couples, businesses and school groups.
There were 345 contributors in 2000 and 314 in 1999. All contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
“The Peninsula Daily News thanks and commends all of our readers who reached out to lend a hand through the Peninsula Home Fund,”‘ said John Brewer, PDN editor and publisher.
“Community service is an essential part of the PDN’s mission, and we are very proud to be able to connect donors with those in need — and do so without any red tape or administrative expense.”
No deductions
Now in its 13th year, every dollar contributed to the Peninsula Home Fund goes to making life better for children, teens, families and the elderly across Clallam and Jefferson counties — from Forks to Port Townsend, from Quilcene and Brinnon to LaPush.
No money is diverted for administration or other overhead.
All of the Peninsula Home Fund’s costs are absorbed by the Peninsula Daily News and nonprofit Olympic Community Action Programs, the No. 1 emergency care agency on the Peninsula which manages the fund for the PDN.
The $42,703 raised in 2000 allowed Olympic Community Action to help more than 600 people in 2001 — people that the organization wouldn’t have been able to assist otherwise, according to Tim Hockett, its deputy director.
The money goes for hot meals for seniors, rent assistance for families, 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.
Contributions supplement the work of other public and private social service agencies year-round, with an emphasis on making sure no one falls through the cracks during the most demanding time of the year — winter.
The 2001 fund-raising campaign began Thanksgiving weekend and ended Dec. 31.
To apply for a grant from the fund, phone Community Action at 360-452-4726 (Port Angeles) or 360-385-2571 (Port Townsend).
Fund never closes
The books on the 2001 fund drive are now closed.
But the Peninsula Home Fund itself never closes.
Donations of any amount are always welcome.
They can be sent at any time to Peninsula Home Fund, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
New contributions will go toward the 2002 campaign.
Money from the fund is commonly distributed in small amounts, usually up to $100, and assistance is limited to one time in a 12-month period.
Peninsula Home Fund contributions are often used in conjunction with money from churches, service clubs and other donors, enabling Olympic Community Action to stretch the value of the contributions.
Every gift to the Peninsula Home Fund is treasured; every donation makes a difference regardless of its size.
The rest of this story appears in today’s Peninsula Daily News. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.