A group of volunteers sort clothing items in the Assistance League of the Columbia Pacific warehouse space. The clothing will go to help young people who are need of extra help.
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There is nothing quite like watching a
kid who has never had new clothes getting
dressed up and being so proud to cut the
tags off the new items, Mogenson said.
This year, instead of visiting the schools,
league members have had to just drop off
bags of clothing or vouchers to buy new
clothes instead.
“We are really missing that contact with
the kids we serve,” Mogenson said. “We
were able to change the programs a lit-
tle bit, though, and are still able to help out
kids without seeing them.”
This year, the league is on track to help
more than 700 school kids get new clothes.
Another league program is the Duffel
Bag Program, which provides a duffel bag
full of clothing, a blanket, a book, a stuffed
animal and other items to children who are
placed in foster care.
That program expanded this year
through a partnership with the Clatsop
County Juvenile Department to provide
duffel bags full of items to youth in trouble
who may otherwise fall through the cracks,
Mogenson said.
Cinderella’s Closet, another program
helps provide prom dresses to those who
need them, and a new program called Out-
reach goes to help area children with any-
thing else they may need.
This year has been difficult in a lot of
ways but it has also led to some of the
strongest community support efforts the
organization has ever seen, Cartwright said.
The league had to cancel its two main
fundraisers due to the coronavirus pan-
demic. So instead, it reached out to people
and asked for donations.
They answered tremendously, Cart-
wright said. The direct mail campaign
brought in more than it normally brings in
and businesses stepped up to donate, too.
“Both businesses and the people in our
community have really helped us this year,”
Cartwright said. “We just want to say how
grateful we are.”
The league has a reserve fund, just in
case of catastrophe, but the community has
donated so much that it hasn’t had to touch
that money, Mogenson said. Part of that has
to do with a recent estate donation from a
longtime friend who passed away, she said.
It’s even been able to start some new
programs and a scholarship, though fund-
raisers like the chef night are still key to
making things continue.
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 // 5