'Guardian angels' aid Columbia Basin families

Council still seeking quilts, hygiene kits

MOSES LAKE - When she spoke before the congregation of St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Mavis Barnett felt like she was floating on a cloud.

Barnett, community service coordinator at the North Columbia Community Action Council, was there to thank the church congregation for participating in the council's program to adopt homeless and low-income families.

"I spoke to them, I thanked them for everything and talked about how good God is," Barnett noted. "I thanked them for allowing God to work through them to help these people, and I felt like they were all guardian angels God had sent to take care of these people who couldn't take care of themselves."

A total of 22 families received help through the program during the holiday season.

"Before, it was only like two or three families got adopted," Barnett said. "I'm well pleased. It is just a blessing."

A lady called Barnett last week, and said her brother had died over the summer.

"She wasn't having Christmas, she just wanted to do something for a family," Barnett said. "I went to their home, and they had coats and dishes for this family, and they were going shopping."

Another woman came in asking to adopt at least 10 people, so Barnett gave her people from four families to reach the total.

"So we had a big turnout from across the board, just citizens, agencies and organizations, so it was just people from every walk of life who came in," Barnett said.

But Barnett stressed the fact the need has not disappeared.

"This is a year-round wish list, it just takes on a Christmas wish list at Christmas time," she said. "But there's always a need and always a wish families have, families that are moving into their own homes who don't have the household goods we take for granted every day - forks, spoons and knives we take for granted, they don't have, and no money to buy. So we still need a blessing from the community to help these families who are moving into their own homes."

The program established relationships during the Christmas season, Barnett noted. She made sure the donors got to deliver the gifts to the families in need in order to serve as mentors for the families in need.

One volunteer asked to mentor a little boy, who is without a male figure in his life, and a couple donated a car to a family in need as well.

"So you don't ever know what kind of blessing people are going to give," Barnett said. "Whatever a person has to give, whether it's pots and pans, sheets and towels."

Barnett said she used to receive a number of quilts, which she would hand out to people who are homeless during the winter, but she hasn't received any lately. She is also looking for hygiene kits, containing a comb, toothpaste, soap, deodorant and a razor, to be donated to the council.

"When a motel is changing their sheets and pillows, I used to get those donations," she added. "I need those kind of donations to come in, because that supplies our shelter, and then that way we don't have to take our money we can help someone with rent with to go to buy sheets, towels and pillow slips."

The North Columbia Community Action Council is located at 903 W. 3rd Ave. in Moses Lake.

For more information, call 509-765-9206.