Plan ahead to help your neighbors over the holidays

WAITSBURG—Help your friends and neighbors celebrate the holiday season this year by getting in on a fun new tradition proposed by the Waitsburg Resource Center. For the first twelve days of December place one of the items listed on page seven into a sturdy box or reusable bag. Make it easy on yourself by picking up extras of these typical groceries when you shop, so that you can easily make your “12 Days Box” complete. Once your box is complete, drop it off at the Resource Center at the Preston street entrance of Waitsburg’s Banner Bank, or at the Waitsburg Catholic, Christian or Presbyterian Churches.

“We’re always trying to incorporate new ways for people to help our neighbors out.” said Resource Center board member Pam Conover. “The items on our 12 Days Box are ones that we don’t always get in our donations that come from Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC), and they are things that people really like,” Conover added. “Folks are also welcome to donate any other items they choose, perhaps a special treat or snack they remember from their childhood,” she said.

Open on Thursday afternoons from 2:00 -4:00 p.m., the Waitsburg Resource Center is not only our town’s food bank, the small nonprofit organization also supports the community in other notable ways. Together with the Waitsburg Lions Club they provide meals for the Weekend Food Program for school age children, and they provide free lunches and activities over the Christmas break, and more.

Programs impacting the youth of our town include the annual bicycle safety rodeo, support of lifeguard education and the Waitsburg City Pool itself; a High School backpack program for school supplies, a winter coat drive and distribution, and a Christmas Goody Bag program for kids!

The board of directors has representatives of the Catholic, Presbyterian and Christian Churches of Waitsburg, including Karla and Jerry Scott, Mary Mathews, Krystal and Matthew Wyatt, Ted and Lavonne Bren, Pam Conover and Heather Duncan.

Conover reflected on the growth of the organization; “When we started in the basement of the church, it was just about food, but we realized we had the opportunity to provide more than food, and we’ve grown since then.” Conover said.

That’s where the resource part of the equation comes in - “People can come and ask questions about housing and transportation. We can head them in the direction for medical care or transportation, or electricity or rent, or laundry, or maybe they need to know something about aging care, or they are a grandparent taking care of a grandchild, we’ll provide the information they need to get started.” Conover continued.

Conover is especially grateful to Banner Bank for their continued donation of the Resource Center space, as well as to the Lions Club, who supports the weekend backpack program. That program feeds 24 Waitsburg K-12 students that receive food packets on Friday in order to make it through the weekend. “It’s a real group effort, the Lions club supplies the money, the school contacts people that might be interested, or folks can contact the school for help, then we’ll put them on the list!”

Another resource provided by the nonprofit is the free dental van. Up to eight people can be served at a visit and the van offers everything from x-rays, to extractions, to fillings. The van typically visits 4-5 times a year, each visit is publicized well in advance of the date.

Folks in Waitsburg also come forth in other ways to help their neighbors. First grade teacher Stephanie Hinchliffe has her young students do a drive for items before the holiday break, and then they all walk down and bring their donations to the food bank.

Simply put, Conover says, “We’re not a grocery store, we’re here to help. The user selects the items, at other places you are given what you get. We want our neighbors to select the items that they will use.”

Anybody can help feed their friends and neighbors by donating food, money, resources or time to the Waitsburg Resource Center. Food donations can be dropped off at the town’s Churches, and at the Resource Center. Cash donations can be mailed to Lavonne Bren at 607 Lower Hogeye Road Waitsburg, WA 99361. To help out in any other way, contact: Pastor Matt Wyatt 916-622-9932 Marge Benson 629-2988 Pam Conover 337-8876.