Okanogan Community Action establishes satellite office in Pateros

PATEROS – The Okanogan County Community Action Council (OCCAC) is setting up a satellite office in space allotted for that purpose at the Pateros-Brewster Community Service Center at 169 Pateros Mall, Suite A. Executive Director Gene Dowers told the regular monthly meeting of the board of directors last Wednesday, August 9, that OCCAC’s tech specialist was scheduled to do the preliminary work to establish the necessary communications.

OCCAC was founded in 1965, one of the first such agencies in the nation formed in the wake of the national war on poverty. Its stated mission is: leading a revolt on poverty through education, empowerment, and engagement. The Pateros office will make OCCAC assistance and programs more accessible to south county residents.

Okanogan Angels will hold a second two-day dog adoption event at the PBCRC during the upcoming hydro races on August 19-20.

Last month PBCRC applied for a $66,000 Outdoor Learning Grant administered by the state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to help fund the Pateros school’s sixth grade outdoor ed program. The school was awarded a smaller such grant last year. The money will pay for all the equipment for the outdoor ed program.

Dowers told the board he has received confirmation from OSPI that the application has been evaluated by its review committee and grant determinations will be made by Sept. 1.

“We’re a little quieter right now than normal,” said Dowers. “Our rental assistance program with OCCAC is over and our program of food cares boxes for Covid has ended also.”

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) was part of the U.S. Treasury Department’s $46 billion effort to support housing stability during the Covid pandemic.

Dowers said PBCRC still has about 30 food care boxes to distribute to the food bank.

“We have lots of boxes of care kits and evacuation kits,” Dowers said and PBCRC is encouraged to keep those supplies on hand in the event of an emergency. In that vein Dowers mentioned the evacuation set up in Twisp in case the Sourdough fire, burning near Diablo near the North Cross Highway at this writing, moves toward Twisp and prompts evacuations.

“If it gets to people there, I will take some of our evacuation and care kits there,” Dowers said.

The Apple Pie Jamboree 4-on-4 volleyball tournament raised $560 for the PBCRC.

The board renewed its contract with Dowers as Executive Director for another year.  The next regular meeting is at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 13.