Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
St. John Rural Relief's Board President Shantyl McGuire, left, collects the $10,000 matching funds donation from Community Pride Senior Living Oct. 12 from Community Pride's manager, Erin Addison. The check also included $729 in Community Pride staff donations.
ST. JOHN - After the Labor Day firestorm left many of their neighbors homeless and with only the clothes on their back, donations of needed items flooded into town.
To manage the outpouring, citizens of St. John created St. John Rural Relief.
"It's been absolutely incredible to be a part of this," said Amanda Webb, board vice president of the non-profit group.
"We are volunteers coordinating the generosity of many to help those recently affected by wildfire in Malden and Pine City," according to the group's Facebook page.
After the fires, donations poured in and space to store them was provided. But, there was still a need for people to sort the donations, organize things, and get them to the right places and people.
St. John Rural Relief created the structure to get it done. Through social media, the group was able to rally volunteers and direct them at the tasks needing to be done.
"So much generosity. So many good things have come out of such an unbelievable disaster," Webb said.
Buildings in St. John and Lamont became storage facilities for all the extra clothes. While sweaters and bed sheets could not be used by fire victims, money could.
Rural Relief organized shopping days for people to buy from the donated items the fire victims could not use. Over the weeks since the fires, Rural Relief continued to provide clothing and Visa gift cards to fire victims regularly.
Even after the shopping days, there were still items leftover. The group kept the momentum and was able to donate the surplus to charities in Spokane. Movher, a moving service from Spokane, donated trucks and manpower to move the surplus of clothing and bedding donations out of the Lamont Community Center and the St. John Community Building.
In addition to handling donations, the group's fundraising efforts were strongly supported by the community. St. John Rural Relief received a $10,000 matching funds donation from Isaac Sadera, the owner of Community Pride Senior Living in St. John.
The match was exceeded earlier this month and the group's Board President Shantyl McGuire was able to pick up the matching money plus $729 in Community Pride staff donations.
Webb noted the only drawback was some of the funds raised had to be used to buy a dumpster for unwanted items that could not be used.
The group is set to meet next week to determine the best way to distribute funds and can fill the holes in aid provided by larger organizations such as United Way and Red Cross.
The biggest thing is now to "spread the love," Webb said. All involved want to keep the generosity rolling, reaching farther beyond the initial fire victims to many people beyond.
Jana Mathia is a reporter at the Whitman County Gazette.
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