Summer 2023
Join PPR
Peninsula Poverty Response (PPR) is growing. In the first half of 2022, we served 58 clients. This year, 2023, PPR has served 277 clients, not counting the propane day event participants. The most frequent request is for help with fuel costs. PPR provides $30 of fuel once a month to each requesting client. 61 households requested assistance with basic food items, and 53 households requested camping equipment because they were living outside. Often PPR is the first place that clients contact for help. We are grateful for our Program Navigator, Ally, who assists clients with food, fuel, camping equipment, and more. She also connects them with other needed services, including healthcare, mental health care, and housing assistance.
Please consider joining us as we continue to grow. To that end, PPR is introducing Peninsula Poverty Response support memberships. In the past, joining PPR was a relaxed process. All that was required was to attend a meeting and complete a membership form. Over time, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses have changed, and that has resulted in losing contact with many of our members. We miss you!
By joining PPR as a supporting member, you will receive quarterly newsletters, an invitation to our annual meeting, opportunities to volunteer, and a mention on the supporter’s page on our website.
Please join PPR and help us grow. You can find membership details on our website membership page.
Free Propane Days
We are fortunate to be able to sponsor free propane fill-ups several times a year. Active Enterprises partners with PPR by providing a safe place and the employees for fill-up events. June 27 was our summer free propane day. 82 households brought propane tanks to be filled. The total cost of propane was $3,415, and that is about $41 per household. Propane is a critical resource for families living in RVs and trailers. It is used for cooking, hot water, heating, and cooling. We want to continue this program with another free propane event in the fall.
Junk in the Trunk, a Treasure Hunt
It’s a treasure hunt fundraiser for PPR! PPR is hosting a unique and fun sale on September 9, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at a location yet to be announced. Our board members and friends are filling their vehicle trunks with treasures they no longer need, and these items will be for sale to you and the community. Here’s the best part, there is no pricing. No hassles with price tags. This is a name your price sale. It’s easy for vendors. All you do is to bring a car full of treasures, a chair, and cold drinks, and chat with folks as they wander through the sale. All sales go through a central check-out. At 2:00 PM, close your trunk and you’re done. We still have vendor spots open. For more information, email pprinfo.wa@gmail.com. Don’t miss this fun event.
Homelessness and Housing
Homelessness and housing are huge challenges for many families on the Peninsula. Housing was a hot topic at the 2023 legislative session. A study by University of Washington graduate students revealed that we need at least 1,000 additional housing units on the Peninsula. Even though the legislature has dedicated $300 million to build a combination of low-income housing, permanent supportive housing, and shelters, it will take two to three years before anyone can move in. In the meantime, what do we do with the families and individuals that desperately need housing?
As a community, we must address the needs of our fragile neighbors who are living without shelter. Some are living in their vehicles and others are sofa surfing. Everyone needs a safe and stable place to sleep, and this is a need that is as old as the first human civilizations. PPR plans on addressing these immediate needs in two ways. First, we want to create and support a safe parking space where people living in their vehicles can park overnight without the fear of being awakened and forced to move, harassed, or vandalized. The infrastructure for a safe parking lot would be small. Porta potties, garbage services, and water would be helpful but not critically necessary. Second, people living in tents need a safe place to camp. This could be as simple as a city lot with porta potties, potable water, and garbage service.
Neither of these interim solutions is glamorous, but they are practical and would help keep our vulnerable neighbors safer. You can help make these things happen by supporting Peninsula Poverty Response by becoming a member.
Monthly Meetings
Please join PPR for our monthly meeting, the second Thursday of every month, 2:00 PM, in the large conference room, South Pacific County Annex Courthouse, across the hall from the Health Department. Watch our Facebook page for Zoom details for the meeting.
Looking Forward
August 25 PPR will provide family hygiene kits for the families of children attending Pack2School at Peninsula Baptist Church.
September 9 we are hosting a marvelous Junk in the Trunk Treasure Hunt, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
October 27 is PPR’s Annual Meet & Greet Breakfast. Please save the date. We also kick off our annual giving campaign in October.
November 28 is Giving Tuesday, a day of giving after a weekend of frenzied holiday shopping. It’s a day to give back to our communities. Please think of PPR on Giving Tuesday.
December wraps up our giving campaign. We also hope to host another Free Propane Day. Stay tuned for details.
There are volunteer opportunities open at each event. To sign up or for more information please email pprinfo.wa@gmail.com. PPR can always use financial support. Click here to make a donation.
In the words of Mohammed Ali, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth,” and Dolly Parton, “If you see someone without a smile today, give ‘em yours,” we are reminded of the power of kindness and generosity. Be kind and generous as you all enjoy this summer.