Teri Zambon, Executive Director of the Centralia Downtown Association and Rebecca Staebler, Centraila City Councilor and owner of downtown store, Hubbub present Josh Gering with the Hub City Mission a check composed of donations for downtown businesses.
The Centralia Downtown Association and Centralia City Councilor Rebecca Staebler worked together with downtown businesses to collect $527 in donations throughout the holidays to benefit the Hub City Mission and the Severe Weather Shelter.
Downtown merchants solicited donations of spare change from customers during the holidays. Teri Zambon, executive director with the Centralia Downtown Association (CDA) took the collection boxes around to businesses during the first week of December and picked them during the first week of January.
Although a few businesses have been collecting donations for several years to benefit various different causes including the Hub City Mission and the Salvation Army, this is the second year the Centralia Downtown Association has gotten involved in collecting donations from the downtown business to go directly back into benefiting the community.
A few businesses that participated include but aren’t limited to the Shady Lady, Gracie’s and Hubbub. There is also a business that wished to remain anonymous that will continue collecting donations all year.
“Last we raised $500 dollars and it bought six beds. This year we have $527 so they could get another six beds,” said Zambon.
Josh Gering Associate Pastor and School of Ministry Director at Bethel Church, runs the Severe Weather Shelter located at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds. Gering accepted the check and said it could help pay for a number of things at shelter.
“We rent facilities down there at the fairgrounds so it could provide rent or utilities as well. We also purchase bus passes as well as light food, socks, sweatpants. We do laundry as well including the sheets for the beds and it takes money to keep that going,” sad Gering.
Staebler, owner of Hubbub, collected donations at her store and then matched what she raised.
“It’s always important to give back to your community and in particular for us as businesses downtown we face some challenges with the community of people who are unhoused. This is a way to really take some positive action to help them and provide people with places to stay,” said Staebler.
Staebler said that it is also great the the Hub City Mission is a downtown partner and it’s a way to be compassionate and exchange resources with a fellow downtown organization.
“Every business had the opportunity to take donations and contribute to the overall donation total by whatever way made sense for them which was great because everybody had their own way of doing it and we weren’t forcing it on anybody,” said Staebler.
Staebler said that she does complimentary gift wrapping and sets out cookies with a donation jar to help raise money. She recalled that last year the Severe Weather Shelter needed by buy more beds and CDA’s donation ended up being almost exactly how much they needed.
“Sometimes you think ‘oh it should’ve been more’ but no every bit helps. Even if it’s a small amount that could be a blanket for someone and that’s a huge deal,” she said.
Zambon said the Centralia Downtown Association applauds anyone who contributed as well as all of the volunteers it takes to run the Severe Weather Shelter.
“There is no easy answer to homelessness, but donating to the Severe Weather Shelter is an easy and compassionate way to help. Hats off to Josh and this vital program,” said Zambon.
