Small sisterhood

MOSES LAKE — There may be strength in numbers, but sometimes those numbers are small ones.

“We gave 600 diapers, plus other items (to New Hope),” said Margaret Schiffner, president of the 10-member Moses Lake Woman’s Club. “We donated 30 packs of baby wipes and over $273.”

The club has had a relationship with New Hope for many years. The signature project for the nationwide General Foundation of Women’s Clubs is domestic violence, and local clubs partner with local domestic violence advocacy organizations. The diaper drive in March was part of a statewide effort by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Washington state, in which more than 12,000 diapers were collected by 24 clubs statewide with a total membership of 303.

Besides the March diaper drive, the MLWC collected toothbrushes and toothpaste in April and men’s hygiene products – body wash, shampoo, deodorant, razors and combs – in May. June’s project will be collecting Walmart gift cards before the club takes a couple of months off for the summer.

“They have been donating to us for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been here now for a long time,” said Tara Dieng, lead legal and community advocate for New Hope. “They … donate feminine hygiene products, they’ve done backpacks and school supplies and lots of things.”

The items the Woman’s Club supplies are things other donors often don’t think of, Dieng added.

“How many people think that we might need deodorant?” she said. “But we do. Their last donation, we got like 100 toothbrushes and toothpaste, things that people use on an everyday basis.”

June’s project will be to collect Walmart gift cards for New Hope, Schiffner said, and then the club will take a recess for the rest of the summer.

“In September, we plan to (donate) paper products like paper towels, toilet paper, maybe some cleaning products,” Schiffner said.

The Moses Lake Woman’s Club – the local club uses "Woman's" in its name while the larger organization uses "Women's" – has been around since before the town was called Moses Lake, having formed in 1914 in the new village of Neppel. For many years the club rented a church building at B Street and Columbia Avenue, Schiffner said, and eventually bought it for their clubhouse.

“(The church) grew so fast that they sold the building to our club members,” Schiffner said. “(The club) did not borrow the money. The ladies held all kinds of events and paid off the loan on the building when they bought it in the 1950s.”

When Schiffner joined the club in 1981, there were more than 3,000 members statewide, she said. Now the number is a tenth of that.

“The younger generations aren’t joining these types of organizations that do community service,” Schiffner said. “So, their memberships (are) aging ... and a lot of the women developed health issues, or their husbands did.”

The changing times have taken a toll on clubs like the MLWC, said member Kaye Wood.

“When we started, women didn’t work outside the home,” she said. “And now to survive, most families (need) two paychecks.”

The club sold its building in 2010, and the money went into an investment account, which paid the bills and kept the donations going. At one point, Schiffner and Wood constituted the club’s entire membership. And then things turned around.

Beth Gienger moved to Moses Lake from the west side a few years ago, she said, and when she had trouble meeting people, her mom suggested seeing if there was a women’s club.

“My mom has been a member on the west side of the Chambers Bay Women’s Club for a long time,” Gienger said. “So, I was really familiar with the club … She started asking around, called Margaret and found out there was only a handful of ladies.”

Gienger and her sister Jessica Myrick met last year with Schiffner and a couple of women from the west side, she said, to revitalize the club. They put out information on social media, and responses came in – not thick and fast, but they came in.

“I noticed it online and I’d been wanting to do more for the community,” said club member Mary Steele. “I see a need for a lot of different (things) in the community and I was like, I should do that.”

The club met at Schiffner’s house for a few months, then began using a room at Moses Lake United Methodist Church, where they meet the third Saturday of every month. The membership is up to nine local members, plus a member in Waterville who was the last woman standing when that club dissolved.

Despite the small numbers, the statewide federation is accomplishing great things.

“Eight hundred twenty-eight programs and projects, almost 32,000 volunteer hours, over $45,000 of money donated, $80,000 in in-kind donations,” Steele said.

Besides supplying New Hope with necessities, the club donates to the shelter’s Adopt-a-Family program at Christmas and offers scholarships for students attending Big Bend Community College.

“That’s how dedicated our members are,” Schiffner said.

    Members of the Moses Lake Woman’s Club collected 600 diapers and 30 packs of baby wipes in March for New Hope. The collection was part of a statewide drive by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, which collected more than 12,000 diapers.
  

    Members of the Moses Lake Woman’s Club and Elsa Borrego of New Hope stand behind the club’s April donation of hygiene products to the shelter. Also pictured is the club’s mascot Flat Mabel, who travels in her two-dimensional form from club to club. From left: Jackie Theis-Chmela, Borrego holding Flat Mabel, Margaret Schiffner, Jessica Myrick, Beth Lee, Nichol Davis, Kaye Ward and Mary Steele.