Two-hundred and five thousand dollars.
That's how much money the Humboldt Good Neighbour Store gave away on December 5 to 31 area organizations and groups.
"What can I say about the past year but 'Wow'," said Maureen Doetzel, chair of the Humboldt Good Neighbour Store during the disbursement ceremony, held at the Bella Vista Inn. "We have had an extremely busy year and a lot of changes. We had a couple new directors come on board... hired a new manager, and we have just recently added a part-time person to the payroll."
The $205,000 given away by the charity store on Monday is above last year's total of $150,000.
"It's going up every year," Doetzel noted, adding that she thinks it will continue to go up in the years to come.
This year's disbursements brings the Good Neighbour Store's grand total, over 19 years, to $1,313,611.36, Doetzel announced at the ceremony.
"To think that this is possible from items donated, cleaned, priced and sold that otherwise would probably end up in the landfill is mind-boggling," Doetzel stated. "Next year will mark the 20th year that the Good Neighbour Store has been in business, which was started as a place where needy families could come to get the essentials, to the place it has evolved today, as one of the busiest stores in Humboldt, with something for everyone."
The one thing the Good Neighbour Store is lacking right now, however, is volunteers.
"We need up to 20 people a day to run the store," Doetzel noted, and it became apparent to them this fall that they need more people to fill all the shifts.
"Although it looks like we have a huge contingent of people to draw from... with holidays and other personal commitments, some people were working up to four days a week. As a volunteer position, this soon becomes too much," Doetzel said.
The store did approach the town of Watson and asked them to send volunteers, and five couples from that community have started coming in to help.
But more are needed.
"It's critical that we get more volunteers involved as a lot of the people we have are getting older and can't work as much as they would like to.... We would like to see some volunteers from each of the communities that we give funds to every year," Doetzel said. "We currently give to about a dozen communities and have volunteers from about half of them."
Doetzel encouraged those who know of anyone who would like to volunteer to contact the store.
As for the 31 different organizations who received funding from the store this year, they announced they would spend their funds on everything from a new bus to new shelving to new roofs.
The Humboldt District Hospital Foundation plans to put their funding toward two new colonoscopes for the operating room, a bariatric wheelchair and another infant warming bed.
The St. Mary's Villa Foundation from Humboldt will put theirs toward the purchase of a new bus.
The Watson Health Centre/Quill Plains Lodge Health Centre will put their funds toward a hematology analyzer for the Watson Health Centre.
The Safety Patrol programs at St. Dominic and St. Augustine Schools in Humboldt will use their money to purchase equipment and for incentives for the patrollers.
The Pilger Regional Library plans to use their money for programming, which includes a craft club and a book discussion group.
The Muenster Library will use their funds for a movable shelving unit.
The Bruno Wheatland Regional Library plans to use their funds for programming, as does the Bruno Seniors group.
The Humboldt Senior Citizens will use their funding to buy a new stove, and the Muenster Seniors Club will use theirs to repair their kitchen island and card tables.
Birch and Aspen Manors at Bethany Pioneer Village in Middle Lake both received cheques for new televisions and for a new satellite for the entire facility.
LeRoy Assisted Living and Evergreen Country Home will put their funds toward window replacements, and St. Michael's Haven in Cudworth plans to put theirs toward the roof replacement their facility received last year.
The Watson Care-A-Van program uses their funding every year to maintain their garage and keep their van on the road.
Lake Lenore School received funding this year to put toward the new score clock the school purchased last year, and Annaheim School will be using their funds to help purchase more Smart Boards for their school.
The Humboldt Guardian Angels, who knit and crochet items for hospitals, shelters and long-term care facilities, received funding for their continued operation.
The Humboldt and District Food Bank will use the funds to buy food, it was reported. They fed 77 households in the region in November.
The new Lake Lenore Daycare, which was opened this summer in Lake Lenore School, will put their money toward new equipment for their playground, which is still under construction.
Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Humboldt will use their grant from the Good Neighbour Store to run their current programs, and expand their in-school mentoring program to more rural schools.
Family Services - Partners Building Hope will use their fund to run their programs, which includes a soup kitchen, a youth musicians collective, and a new program to provide transition housing for at-risk families.
The First Westminster Scout Troop plans to use their funds to offset the increased costs for programming incurred since the group lost their campground at Waldsea Lake last year, and to help some families struggling with the additional costs of the Scouts program.
Habitat for Humanity, a new organization in Humboldt planning to build a duplex for two low-income families in the coming year, will put their funds toward that project.
Humboldt and District Community Services said they will put their funds toward their summer recreation program for children with disabilities, and the St. Benedict Quilters will use the money to purchase flannelette and fill for quilts which they give to three nursing homes in Cudworth, Wakaw and Middle Lake.
The Humboldt Music Festival received funds for scholarships for participants, the Royal Canadian Legion Museum in Humboldt will use their funds to maintain the museum, and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 28 will use their money to repair some water damage their building received last year.
The Reid-Thompson Public Library in Humboldt and Harmonic Visions children's choir in Muenster also received funds.
