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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2018)
FROM A1 A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAy, DECEMbER 12, 2018 Donate Continued from Page A1 Helpers Continued from Page A1 donate, not the number of items. “There’s two sides of the house,” Gosney said. “The retail side, and the mis- sion side. Our fundraising is really through donations and stores.” He said because the store has the same expenses and challenges as a busi- ness like Walmart or Safe- way, the retail side has to be profitable. “But we take those prof- its, and if we’re doing a good job managing stores, we have more money to fund the mission side,” he said. “Those services are cross-funded,” said opera- tions director Jeff Maddison. “Sales from the Tri-Cities may fund work in Hermis- ton, and vice versa.” The Hermiston store employs 23 people, which Gosney said translates to about $900,000 annually in salaries and benefits. Utili- ties and upkeep for the store are funded through donation sales. Other community events are also funded by store sales. The company pro- vides job training and hiring events for community busi- nesses like Lamb Weston and Mid-Columbia Bus Company. “We have an employee connections center in Pasco,” said Joey Edminster, a community connection and marketing specialist for Goodwill. “That’s through money from donations.” The job search center is free, and offers help with everything from job searches to writing a resume. In 2019, Goodwill plans to expand the service with a mobile Employment Con- nection Center that will go to one of the eight stores in the region every day. Dave Hughes, executive director of Agape House, said the organization takes in about $700 a month from yard sales. Most fur- niture and electronic items are “you-name-the-price,” while clothing is priced at 5 items for $1. The nonprofit has a con- tract with a Seattle-based company, to whom they send surplus clothes. Hughes said they get about $1,200 a year from that contract. she either has to return to the post office and reload or have another employee help with deliveries. To accommodate the holi- day rush, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s USPS hires extra employees, sched- ules its full-time employees for longer hours and offers Sunday deliveries in most major cities. The internet has greatly changed the holiday delivery experience in the 18 years Barton has been delivering mail, she said. People do send fewer Christmas cards through the mail, but packages have increase dramatically. “Ten years ago I had 10 to 15 (a day) and now there are hundreds,” she said. According to information on the USPS website, Dec. 17-23 is usually their busi- est delivery week. They recommend ship- ping USPS Ground Delivery packages by Dec. 14 for the best chance of having them arrive by Christmas, and sending priority and first-class mail by Dec. 20 at the latest. One thing people can do to help, Bar- ton said, is to make sure the area in front of their roadside mail box is clear of snow, garbage cans, cars and other obstructions so that carriers can pull up and reach their arm through the window instead of parking and getting out. “That’s huge for us,” she said. “That lit- tle thing can cost me an hour or more a day sometimes.” Barton said the salary and benefits pack- age she gets through the U.S. Postal Ser- vice was “life-changing” for her family Staff photo by Jayati Ramakrishnan/East Oregonian Jessica Araiza sorts donated items at Goodwill in Hermiston. Putnam said the shelter has three employees — he is full-time, there are two part- time workers, and about 10 volunteers. Though the thrift store has brought in some addi- tional funds, the shelter has other revenue streams: they contract with the city of Hermiston and Mor- row County for animal con- trol services. Their largest source of revenue this year was from dog adoptions, a change Putnam attributed in part to the opening of the thrift store. “We get a lot more foot traffic in here because of that,” he said. Putnam said he didn’t have exact numbers with him, but he estimated that the thrift store had brought in about $20,000 in the past year. Desert Rose Ministries, a Hermiston church that pro- vides meals and helps peo- ple with homelessness and drug rehabilitation, has had a thrift store for a year. Divine Blessings Thrift Shop is entirely volunteer-run, and all the funds from the shop go back into Desert Rose’s services. “Our costs are some- where around $70,000 for rent for all our buildings,” he said. Sandy Valette, man- ager of the thrift store, said money also goes into help- ing people who need drug rehabilitation treatment. Desert Rose volunteers will drive patients to treatment in Portland, Seattle or Yakima. “It pays for gas to get them there, or giving out clothes to the homeless,” she said. Desert Rose also donates clothing items to Domestic Violence Services, as well as people who need clothes for job interviews. Senior Living Senior Living Hughes said he has no idea of the value of the donations that come in, but about 93 cents of every dol- lar they earn goes back into one of their programs. The Agape House offers sev- eral services, including col- lecting and delivering food donations, and the back- pack program, which sends school children home with a full backpack of food for the weekend. If someone is truly in need, Hughes said, they will give away clothing at no charge. Agape House has four paid employees, all of whom work less than full-time. Hughes estimated that they have about 120 volunteers. The Humane Society of Eastern Oregon Pet Rescue opened a thrift store about a year ago. Executive direc- tor Beau Putnam said the store’s revenue goes directly back into the shelter, fund- ing utilities, cleaning sup- plies, blankets, and supplies for the animals. Some goes into spay and neuter refunds, and the shelter recently pur- chased a new washing machine and dryer. Like Agape House, cus- tomers at the Pet Rescue thrift store are asked to pay what they can for items, including clothing, electron- ics and furniture. Putnam said a common misunderstanding about nonprofits is that people think they don’t make any revenue, or don’t have to charge for anything. “A nonprofit means all the money you make goes back into your business,” he said. Occasionally, he said, the funds will be used outside the shelter. Last year they funded Thanksgiving dinner for two families that couldn’t pay for it themselves. BTW Continued from Page A1 face a year without health insurance. Visit www.oregon- healthcare.gov to browse plans and see how much financial assistance you qualify to receive, or call 1-855-268-3767 for assistance. • • • Local Special Olym- pic athletes recently cel- ebrated the conclusion of the 2018 bowling sea- son. More than 70 ath- letes, along with family members, supporters and coaches celebrated during a Nov. 26 event at The Arc Building in Hermiston. It featured pulled pork sandwiches donated by Eastern Oregon Mobile Slaughter, which were prepared by Gigi’s BBQ after she switched from working two mini- mum-wage jobs. She said she loves getting out and meet- ing people, and over a decade on the same route has become very familiar with her customers and their preferences. In some cases, she said, she is the only person an elderly homeowner will talk to all day. She even follows up when customers who are usually waiting eagerly for her don’t show up at the mailbox. “It’s my watch. I feel it’s part of my duty to take care of people,” she said. A changing organization Changes will likely be coming to the U.S. Postal Service. The organization has been losing money for the past decade, and on Tuesday the Treasury Department released a report with recommendations to make it more sustainable. The report states that online shopping has increased package volume but email has decreased letter volume, making the agency’s business model and rate structure outdated. “Although the USPS must still serve all citizens and businesses in the country, its goal with respect to commercial mail- ers and shippers must be to optimize long- term revenue based on market principles, rather than to ensure access to a rate-reg- ulated, uniform government service,” the report read. Recommendations include exploring new sources of revenue, increasing the agency’s flexibility in pricing and look- ing for ways to reduce operating costs. The Treasury Department did not recommend privatizing the postal service. Top bowlers included Jil- lian Smalley in first place, David Andrews, second, and Angie Koester, third. The winter sports season begins in Janu- ary. For more informa- tion, call Schneider at 541-314-0166. • • • Members of Altrusa International of Hermis- ton gathered Dec. 6 at The Arc Building to help serve as Santa‘s elves. The ser- vice club provides gifts each year for the Herm- iston Police Christmas Express. More than two dozen Altrusans gathered around a table with the bounty that will surely bring smiles to the faces of local chil- dren. Gifts included every- thing from stuffed animals and games to dolls and toy trucks. and served by Gems and Gents members. A flag ceremony was pre- sented by a pair of Vet- erans of Foreign Wars Post #4750 members, who were accompanied by two members of Our Lady of Angels Knights of Columbus Coun- cil #3999. The national anthem was sung by Marti Plum. Medals and ribbons were provided in part by R & R Engraving. Angela Schneider, local program coordinator, announced the winners and members of the Hermiston Police Department presented them to athletes. Also, it was announced that a recent bowl-a-thon fundraiser brought in $5,000 for Hermiston/ Pendleton Special Olym- pics Local Program #510. Give yourself the gift of better hearing for the holidays Introducing Oticon Opn ™ Our Senior Living guide is a quarterly resource for your community’s active older citizens. In this new publication are stories about travel, mental health, giving back to the community, financial planning, returning to the workforce and more. AD DEADLINE: Dec. 14th • PUBLISH DATE: Dec. 26th East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald FREE COLOR Call on your local Ad Rep for pricing and more details about our NEW Senior Living guide Book. Jeanne • 541-564-4531 Audra • 541-564-4538 jjewett@hermistonherald.com aworkman@eastoregonian.com Angela • 541-966-0827 Kimberly • 541-278-2683 atreadwell@eastoregonian.com kmacias@eastoregonian.com Finally there’s a hearing device that lets you hear what you want to hear, even in the most complex listening environments like a large holiday event. It’s Oticon Opn. Only Opn features a revolutionary microchip that adjusts and balances all the sounds around you, not just the ones directly in front of you. It separates speech from noise and let’s you focus on what’s important. And because Opn works in harmony with your brain to process sounds exceptionally fast, you’ll enjoy 30% better speech understanding*, reduce your listening effort by 20%* and remember 20% more of your conversations*. With Oticon Opn, you can open up to a fuller, more natural hearing experience. * Le Goff et al. 2016, Opn Clinical Evidence White Paper, Oticon, Inc. Oticon Opn ™ . The fi rst hearing device proven to make it easier on the brain. Less stress. More recall. Better hearing. 2237 SW Court, Pendleton Renata Anderson, MA www.eastoregonian.com www.hermistonherald.com Pam Wagenaar, Administrative Assistant 541-276-5053 www.renataanderson.com