Help Them to Hope brightens holidays for hundreds of families in the area

The many volunteer drivers who assisted Help Them to Hope deliver food boxes and toys to families from Weiser to Payette to Nyssa, Ore.,  put in lots of miles and hours on Dec. 17 in the spirit of helping others.
 The nonprofit charity assisted 630 families in Washington, Payette and Malheur counties with food boxes and toys, said Steve Dominguez, the owner of the Hometown Motors dealerships and co-chairman of Help Them to Hope.
 Dominguez said the one-day delivery effort receives “tremendous” support from the community every year, with drivers and other volunteers who load up the food boxes arriving at the Help Them to Hope warehouse south of Fruitland as early as 7 a.m. on Dec. 17.
 The food boxes were assembled at the warehouse for area residents who could use some help this holiday. Individuals and families qualified for assistance based on an application they filled out. The deadline to apply this year was Dec. 11.
 All the food box and toy deliveries were made on one day. Food baskets and toys that could not be delivered in to families in Washington County because the recipients were not home at the time were dropped off at the WICAP office in Weiser. A note was left on the door and families were instructed to pick up the food at the WICAP office.
 WICAP official Steve Morningstar said he was given a list of families that qualified for the food baskets. Depending on the number of people in the household, families received two to four boxes of food, including a turkey, along with toys for the children.
 “The bigger the family, the more food they got,” Morningstar said.
 Help Them to Hope also gave away hundreds of bikes to kids this month as part of the annual holiday bike drive. Many were new and others were refurbished by inmates at the Snake River Correctional Institution near Ontario, Ore.
 The Hometown Motors Toyota dealership in Ontario, Ore., received a matching $7,500 grant from Toyota and purchased 115 new bikes for area kids. Dutch Bros. donated another 30 bikes, along with others. In total, officials said over 350 bikes were given away.
 Hometown Motors contributed nearly $40,000 in toys and bicycles this year for the Help Them to Hope charity drive. The cash bought tons of toys for local children whose families could use a little help during the holidays. Much of the food that was boxed up and delivered on Dec. 17 in the region was donated.
 Hometown Motors hosts a fundraiser every year to benefit local nonprofits. More than $60,000 was raised in September and funds were donated to a number of charities and organizations in Payette, Washington and Malheur counties, where Hometown Motors dealerships are located.
 The two-day fundraiser started with the Taste of the Treasure Valley and Hometown Dealerships 30th Annual Charity Auction at the Malheur County Fairgrounds. Local restaurants offered food selections, wine and beer tasting, as well as soft drinks, dessert and entertainment.
 Day two of the annual fundraiser, which celebrated 30 years in 2019, took place at Scotch Pines Golf Course, where golfers signed up to participate in the 30th Annual Hometown Dealerships Community Golf Scramble.
 In the 30 years that the benefit has been held, more than $700,000 has been raised and donated to local charities and organizations, including Help Them to Hope, Santa Joe’s Ho Ho Express, Next Chapter Food Pantry, Weiser Elks holiday food boxes and more.
 Hometown Motors presented a check for $10,000 to Santa Joe Malay for this year’s Ho Ho Express. Santa Joe took 255 local kids shopping at Wal-Mart, and each youngster got to spend $50. In all, the Ho Ho Express spent nearly $20,000 to brighten the holidays for 400 local children.