Weiser Elks makes donation to Love INC coat ministry

Published by admin on Wed, 07/10/2024 - 7:00pm

Front row, from left is Elks grant officer Matt Smith, Love INC representative Dorothy Evans and Executive Director Pam Burris, Elks members Marlene Plate and Rebecca Hale, and Love INC’s John Evans. Back row, from left, Elks members Dave Jenkins, Jim Plate, and Quincy Walla. The Elks donated $3,000 to Love INC’s winter coat drive, which is an important ministry for those who cannot afford winter gear. Photo by Philip A. Janquart
By: 
Philip A. Janquart
Love INC got a big boost last week when members of the Weiser Elks presented administrators with a $3,000 check.
 The funds will go towards the organization’s coat ministry, which is led by St. Agnes Catholic Church member Dorothy Evans, assisted by her husband John and their group of volunteers. 
 “We are so excited and grateful to the Elks for what they have done for us,” said Love INC (In the Name of Christ) Executive Director Pam Burris during a presentation held at the Weiser Elks Lodge on Tuesday, July 2. 
 The coat ministry aims to provide adults and kids with warm coats for the winter.
 Love INC, a nonprofit charitable organization based in Weiser, has several ministries serving the county and beyond. It has a board of directors and is made up of a partnership of 18 local Christian churches working together to transform lives in the community.
 “Dorothy and John head up a coat giveaway when the weather starts to get cold,” Pam explained. “Anyone in the community, Washington County or Annex (Oregon), can come and get the coats that they need.”
 The coats are stored at the Church of Christ, near St. Agnes, until the day of the giveaway.
 Also available are gloves, scarves, and hats, some of the hats knitted by hand by various members of the community.
 “They go really fast,” Dorothy noted.
 This year, the giveaway takes place at St. Agnes’ church hall on Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
 Dorothy and John volunteer for various organizations, most recently the fiddle contest, and Dorothy volunteers for the blood drive held every quarter at the Vendome Events Center.
(In fact, as a reminder, the next blood drive is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31 from 8-2 p.m.)
 Dorothy said there are hundreds of coats and when the giveaway is over, there are very few remaining, indicating a great need.
 “We collect coats from the community, from schools, and all over,” she said. “We get wonderful used coats from the community, but I’ve always had this dream that the kids would all get a new coat. So, this year, I contacted the Elks and Matt Smith. He is in charge of grants. He worked up a grant for us, three thousand dollars, and I was just ecstatic.”
 Smith is a Weiser Elks trustee and is the organization’s grant coordinator. He has served in that capacity for about three years. 
 He said there is more of a need for warm winter coats than people realize and that Love INC’s coat ministry fits in perfectly with the Elks’ overarching mission to support children.
 “The grant comes from the National Elks headquarters in Chicago,” he said. “I think it was the first grant that I didn’t have to redo the application process; it went through on the first try. Dorothy helped me out a lot. 
 “The Elks is about family and when kids suffer, that is near and dear to our hearts, so we really wanted this. When I sent in the grant, they said, ‘Heck, yeah; we are going to do that.’”
Dorothy said she has developed a plan to make the money stretch, in part by taking advantage of year-end clearances.
 “We just leave it up to her and she does a great job of finding sales and getting good deals,” Pam said.
 Pam added, “We do that a lot, for example, with backpacks and school supplies at the end of the season,” she said. “We go and buy all of the clearance backpacks that we can find everywhere.”
 Dorothy noted that a single experience was all she needed to validate her choice to lead the ministry.
 “The first year, there were two little girls and they each got a brand new coat,” she explained. “They put them on and were twirling. They were so cute, so excited, and had big smiles. I thought how wonderful it would be if every child in need got a brand new coat. The coats keep the kids warm, but their self-esteem is also important.”
 For more information on Love INC, visit www.loveincwashingtoncounty.org, email wacountyloveinc@gmail.com, or call (208) 414-LOVE.

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18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

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