By Michele Smith
the Times
Project Timothy is Dayton's local organization for people in need
Sign-ups for Christmas Baskets began in Oct. at the Project Timothy office inside the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store at 249 East Main Street.
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December 12, 2019
Courtesy photo
Project Timothy's Christmas Basket Program provides a holiday meal to local families in need. Volunteers will be at St. Joseph's Parish Hall on Sat. Dec. 14 to assemble Christmas Baskets for about one hundred families. Each box comes with a ham, canned corn, green beans, or peas, hot rolls, stuffing mix, gravy mix, a 10 lb. bag of potatoes, and pie, in either smaller or larger amounts depending on the size of the family. The boxes will be distributed on Saturday, as well.
DAYTON-For somebody traveling through Dayton whose car has broken down and who is without funds to spend the night, there is help.
For someone who needs help with rent, utilities, prescriptions, food, or needs a winter coat, there is help.
When being at home is suddenly unsafe for a woman and her children, and temporary shelter is needed, there is help.
Project Timothy is the local organization people in need can tap into for assistance.
Past President Gary Schroeder said hardships like those above were originally handled by individual local clergy, but when they realized they were each getting the same calls for help, they put their heads together to decide what to do.
In 1990, the St. Joseph and St. Mark's Evangelization and Respect Life Committee, and the parish council, under the auspices of Dayton's parish priest Rev. Paul Woods, saw a need for a Project Timothy concept.
So, Father Woods reached out to Franciscan Brother Patrick Campbell, a former co-worker in Brooklyn, NY, for help.
Brother Campbell spent a couple of years in Dayton, raising seed money, and organizing the program.
Project Timothy now serves as a sophisticated clearing house, providing financial assistance for emergency housing, rent and utilities, transportation, food, and prescriptions to families in need.
In order to provide this assistance Project Timothy relies on partnerships with the Blue Mountain Action Council in Walla Walla, and Catholic Charities, as well as a strong partnership with St. Vincent de Paul.
Funds come in a variety of ways: through the county, which has a designated fund for homelessness, and through grants from the Blue Mountain Community Foundation, the Dayton Fund, the Warren Family Fund, United Way of Walla Walla, and FEMA, as well as from local churches, and through individual donations.
Schroeder said there is a "free will" donation can at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store which provides somewhere between sixty and one hundred and fifty dollars each month.
"It helps to supplement churches' monthly offering, especially at Christmas time," he said.
Project Timothy has received non-monetary donations, including articles of clothing, meat, personal care products, and even firewood.
Schroeder said a voucher system is the method for delivery and payment of services.
People are provided with vouchers to buy food at the Dayton Mercantile, or for lodging at the Dayton Motel, or the Blue Mountain Motel.
The vouchers are then routed back to Project Timothy for payment.
Schroeder said there are guidelines as to how funds are routed through the organization, and he said misuse of charity is discouraged.
For instance, there are annual limits as to the amount of money a person can get for certain services, like help with utilities, and those limits are determined at the December Board meeting, for the next year.
He said even though there is a tracking mechanism, exceptions are sometimes allowed for services out of the ordinary.
Project Timothy is served by a thirteen-member ecumenical Board and seven volunteers in the office, which is located inside the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store at 429 East Main Street.
Volunteers spend about 50 hours each month meeting with people who apply for assistance. They also contribute 150 hours each month, working in the store.
"The volunteers are key in verifying the need. They are all compassionate but they are also diligent. They are cognizant and try not to enable people to stay on assistance," Schroeder said.
There were 512 needs assessments conducted in the office in 2019, through the end of October. 694 adults and 444 children received assistance, during that time.
"Anybody can walk in and ask for assistance," Schroeder said.
The office is open Tues. through Fri. from noon to 2 p.m. Office staff can be reached by phone at: 382-2943.
Donations for the Project Timothy General Fund, or for the Christmas Basket Program, or other needs, can be mailed or delivered to: Project Timothy, 429 East Main Street, Dayton, WA 99328.
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