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A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAy, DECEMbER 12, 2018
Donate
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Helpers
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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
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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.
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