PORT ANGELES — There might be a new proverb, to go alongside “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This new one could go something like, “Reach out to a woman, and you reach out to a whole community; share with her, and she shares with others in need.”
Such could be the motto of the International Women’s Day party at Olympic Cellars, 255410 U.S. Highway 101 just east of Port Angeles, at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
While we’re making up sayings, there might also be: “Give a woman a bowl of homemade soup, a slice of bread and a glass of wine, and she’ll have a midweek party with friends.”
For seven years, Olympic Cellars has hosted the celebration on the Wednesday closest to Women’s Day, which is officially March 8.
That tradition formed because Wednesday’s just a good day to take a break and get together with friends, said Karen Hanan, a member of the board of Womanfest, the organization that collaborates with Olympic Cellars to throw the party.
Each year, the Womanfest board chooses a charity — local, cross-cultural or both — to raise money for at the Women’s Day event.
This year the beneficiary is Madre (www.Madre.org), an organization that advocates for human rights throughout the world.
Haitian help
In the wake of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, Madre is working with local women to deliver medication and medical supplies to wherever they’re needed most.
Madre was well-established before the quake and will continue partnering with Haitians far into the future, said Hanan, who will show a video about the organization Wednesday night.
“Women very often are left out of the aid picture. The large aid organizations swoop in, and then they fly away again,” she said.
Yet mothers, grandmothers, aunts and sisters carry on the work of caring for children and the elderly.
Madre, Hanan added, works with the local women to organize relief efforts and future programs to help families and whole communities.
Hanan, along with Woman Âfest board member JES Schumacher, emphasized that International Women’s Day isn’t just for women. More men have been joining the celebration each year, Hanan said.
Soups, breads
There will be homemade soups and bread to enjoy and Olympic’s Working Girl Wines by the glass, so those 21 and older can toast one another.
“It’s about supporting the women in your life,” Hanan said, “and it’s always a good time, with good companionship; good fellowship.”
Admission is a suggested $10 donation to Madre, and 30 percent of sales of wine by the glass will also go to the aid organization.
In past years, the Sequim-based Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation (www.MujeresdeMaizof.org), which raises money for scholarships for young women in Chiapas, Mexico; the First Step Family Support Center in Port Angeles; and Family Planning of Clallam County have benefited from Olympic Cellars’ International Women’s Day gathering.
The evening has raised $600 to $1,000 each March, Hanan said.
When it comes to donating to an organization that helps women, figuring out which one can be overwhelming, added Olympic Cellars owner Charlton.
She believes in finding a “charity of choice,” learning about it and focusing one’s contributions there.
That aligns too with her business philosophy: “If we’re going to make an impact, we need to focus, in anything we do.”
Charlton began hosting International Women’s Day in 2004, some years after Nancy Newman of Port Angeles had begun holding March 8 gatherings at Hollywood Beach, no matter what the weather.
Since the party moved to the winery, “we’ve seen it ebb, and we’ve seen it flow,” Charlton said.
“Bottom line, it’s brought [us] together. They’ve brought their daughters and their mothers, and we’ve celebrated the accomplishments of women.”
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.