PULLMAN CHILD WELFARE was started in 1946 as a volunteer group of concerned Pullman citizens (a teacher, school nurse, farmer, and housewife) who took as their mission, "to solicit private monitory donations, as well as donations of food and new and used clothing to meet the emergency needs of the low-income and indigent families in the Pullman School District.

According to early records, the first few years the committee concentrated on school children and their needs for shoes, boots, and warm clothing. Over the years the numbers have grown and so have the needs. The PCW committee now provides the items mentioned, and in addition, household items, special diet needs, interview clothing, warm blankets and bedding, emergency medicine, and holiday baskets.

Although the title of the organization is Pullman CHILD Welfare, our concentration is on the entire family unit, including our Senior Citizens who are on fixed low-incomes.

In 1992 PCW served over 900 families with one or more requests (over 1200 service calls). The Food Bank has an average of 65 families per month. At Thanksgiving 80 gift sacks containing items for the dinner were distributed; this was discontinued in 1994, the $3,000 spent has been used to keep the food bank shelves stocked, however, we still distribute Thanksgiving turkeys. For the Christmas season 177 families received food, clothing, toys and dinner supplies as well as personal care products and paper products.

Many, many people, churches, businesses, doctors, civic groups, members of the Greek system and offices at Washington State University, provide what we distribute, plus money collected in December is what sustains the committee for the continuing year. Over 300 volunteers work on different projects during the year. These projects include food drives, stocking and keeping the Food Bank open 2 days each week, collecting and sorting clothing, passing out vouchers for clothing and shoes, picking up donations and passing out the items, taking families shopping for clothing and household items, providing transportation to doctors, DSHS, shopping and other emergency requests.

PCW has always provided that helping hand to assist and encourage people to have self-esteem and move toward self sufficiency.

As we stated in our Christmas letter in 1993, our goal is to offer survival, safety, dignity, opportunity, joy and hope.

SURVIVAL, because the costs, utilities, food and clothing are more than our low income families can bear. SAFETY, because our team efforts with the Community Action Center offer safe housing and counseling, along with food and clothing. DIGNITY, because Pullman Child Welfare has as our policy, to treat everyone with respect and as much confidentiality as possible. OPPORTUNITY, because providing new interview clothing and suggestions for a successful job interview help builds self-esteem and encourages moral values to last a lifetime. JOY, because Christmas time can be a time of despair without the makings for a traditional holiday meal and toys for each child; and, most of all, our goal is to provide HOPE for a better life.

For us to accomplish our goals we must rely on our dedicated volunteers to help "pass out our message" as well as the food, clothing, etc. This is where communication is so important. Many, many times when given the history, or more information, or brainstorming a problem, a solution can quickly be found. Anyone who gives of their time to help Pullman Child Welfare accomplish the mission must feel free to offer impute to make what we do be offered in the most efficient and pleasant way possible.

The officers of the Private Non-Profit Pullman Child Welfare (a 501-C 3 Corporation) are: Director Nora Mae Keifer - 334-3007 Suzie Hardy-Gormsen - 334-7888 Julie Hawley - 334-5701