Dear Editor:

I wasn’t sure if I should say “thanks for asking!” or “ouch!” But I decided to with “thanks for asking!” and I’m happy to fill you in!

Several weeks ago three things happened all at once. WindFall experienced a decrease in revenue, took in an extreme amount of trash and went through some staff turnover. Right now we are staffed by two Community Jobs volunteers through Work First and a community volunteer.

They have been working diligently. Sorting, dumping trash, cleaning floors, painting parking curbs and creating a more organized and welcoming interior. (Thank you team!) They have been heeding my ongoing direction, “You have got to get rid of this trash!” I won’t bore you with the amount of money we spend on dump fees because we need to talk about hard times and lack of resources. We all know that there are folks in our community who are working hard for every dollar they earn or who are struggling with health issues and other of life’s woes.

When you don’t have much money, paying for waste disposal is a luxury. I get it. Believe me, I get it. We pay a dear amount to dispose of trash and sewage from all the Forks Abuse Program projects. But that’s life. Only a few things in life are free. That said, kindness and compassion are free. While we all wish folks would stop leaving their older worn and tired items outside of WindFall on a rainy day, it will continue.

Forks Abuse Program might install security cameras and make reports to the Forks Police Department. There is a significant fine for illegal dumping. But I wonder if that’s how we want our tax dollars spent? And, the FPD officers have plenty of serious crime to investigate. We will have to think about that idea.

So, I had to laugh last week. Three things happened all at once. The WindFall trash was gone! The parking curbs were painted! Then I saw the Forks Forum Community Gripe. (Ouch!) That didn’t cause my laughter, but later in the afternoon I was rushing to the clinic with some time sensitive documents for someone. Imagine my surprise when I passed WindFall and saw 13 boxes stacked outside of the building! I shook my head, chuckled and went back to move it all indoors after work.

So that’s what has been going on at WindFall. We love the West End. We love the Forum. And we love all the people who donate items and purchase items at the store. This money has been used to purchase tools to help victims of violence develop ways to rebuild their sense of emotional safety, get into safe housing and in October we will sponsor training “Trauma Informed Sexual Assault Investigations.” This training is free to all Clallam and Jefferson county advocates, SANE nurses, law enforcement officers, DOC PREA staff and officers of the courts.

So that’s my story. If you want to know more, drop in at anytime. Meet the hard-working folks who have been scrubbing and sorting for weeks. They are pretty neat. If you need, all of our numbers are posted in the window. We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 365 days a week.

374-CARE.

Thanks for Asking!

Ann Simpson

Forks Abuse Program