Pateros Community Resource gains new board member

PATEROS – The Pateros-Brewster Community Resource Center (PBCRC) gained a new board member at its regular monthly meeting last Wednesday, July 12, with the unanimous approval of Bridgeport resident Maria Escobedo. She works with Room One, a non-profit community-centered organization in Twisp, and is affiliated with the Foundation for Youth Resiliency and Engagement (FYRE) in Omak.

• Salvation Army

“We’ve been using the entire funding ($775) primarily for utilities,” said Dowers. “we’ve been using the Community Action Council connection for rent.”

Dowers said he is still writing enough vouchers to use the whole budget within the first two weeks of the month and those are primarily for gas.

“As of today, I’ve written 12 so far this month,” said Dowers, “which is better than a couple months ago when it would all go away in one day.”

• Covid food kits

PBCRC Executive Director Gene Dowers reported that the excess Covid food kits his agency has on hand have found a welcome recipient at the Brewster Food Bank.

“I’ve been going over on Thursday morning right at 10:30 a.m. to deliver a carload full of boxes,” said Dowers. “They are willing to take everything we have left.”

• Inatai (Group Health Foundation)

“Through the first half of the year we’ve distributed almost $22,000 of (Inatai) funding virtually all for utilities, keeping lights on, keeping water on,” said Dowers. “That leaves us with about $13,000 left for the rest of the year; about $2,000 a month.”

• Eviction Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)

“The ERAP program ended on June 30, so we have our final invoices in with Okanogan County Community Action Council (OCCAC),” Dowers said.

Making the connection with OCCAC benefitted the Resource Center by convincing OCCAC to send a staff person to Pateros to share some office space with WorkSource and work with local needs there.

• Conference Room

“It has been going well,” said Dowers and cited two groups what want to use it in September, but both are having a problem finding motel space for the people they want to bring in for their meetings.

“Everything’s booked,” Dowers said of local lodging space.

• Outdoor Learning Grant

“The grant is bigger than when we did it last fall,” said Dowers, “The current total is right at $66,000, because there is a 10 percent indirect fee for administration for PBCRC.”

Dowers said he met with new Pateros Superintendent Scotti Wiltse about succession planning for sixth grade Outdoor Ed, so it remains viable for many years to come. The grant will pay for all the equipment for the Outdoor Ed program. The grant will be awarded on September 1, and Outdoor Ed happens on the first weekend of October.

“So, if we get the grant, we have a month to buy everything,” Dowers said.