Hometown Community Benefit aims to give back

Imagine not having the means to buy your kids a Christmas present, put food on the table, or provide them with clothes.
 Yet, it’s a reality that many in our country live everyday. It’s a fact not lost on those locally who work hard to give back.
 Steve’s Hometown Dealerships plays an integral role in the community’s effort to make life a little easier for those with less means.
 It’s the reason owner Steve Dominguez started the Hometown Community Benefit over three decades ago.
 “I think it’s important to get involved and to give back,” said Dominguez who is also the vice president of Help Them to Hope, an Ontario-based charitable organization that provides food boxes, clothing, and other necessities to people who might otherwise go without. It services some 650 families in the area.
 Dominguez said that although the Hometown Community Benefit had already been going strong, it wasn’t until he witnessed poverty first hand that he began to understand on a more personal level.
 “There are so many families in our tri-county area that need help,” he said. “When I started with Help Them to Hope 25 years ago, I had no idea of the need, especially around the holidays.”
 The experience underpins his philosophy of giving back.
The Benefit
 The annual Hometown Community Benefit, now in its 32nd year, takes place Sept. 11-12.
 The event kicks off with the Taste of the Treasure Valley and Charity Auction on Saturday, Sept. 11. Start time is 6 p.m. at the Red Barn within the Malheur County Fairgrounds in Ontario.
 There will be wine and beer tasting complete with food from local restaurants at tasting stations. Participants, entertained with live piano music, are encouraged to take part in the silent and live auctions.
 “This year we have sold 33 VIP tables,” Dominguez said. “They spend anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 for those tables.”
 There is also limited public seating with a requested $20 donation.
 Many of the VIP tables were purchased by vendors who provide a variety of support services to Dominguez’ dealerships in Weiser, Ontario and Fruitland.
 “It’s a partnership that I believe, when we support people throughout the year, we hope they will support us with our community causes,” said Dominguez.
 The Charity Golf Scramble is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 12 at Scotch Pines Golf Course in Payette. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with tee off at 10 a.m.
 “This year we are completely sold out,” Dominguez told the Weiser Signal American. “We have 36 teams. This is the first year we have sold out this early.”
 There will also be a barbecue, run by the Weiser Knights of Columbus, on the golf course where people can eat throughout the day.
 Funds raised benefit organizations like Help Them to Hope and many others, including Joe Malay’s Ho-Ho Express, Next Chapter Food Pantry, Ontario Food Bank, Elks Food Basket Programs, and local families in need.
 “A lot of times there are families that reach out to us throughout the year and especially during the holiday season that need some help, or some of the family members or neighbors will call us and say they know a family that needs help,” Dominquez explained. We try not to turn anyone away, so that’s what this golf tournament is all about. To me, it’s helping the families in our area that are much less fortunate.”
Ho-Ho Express
 Malays’ Ho-Ho Express is a grand affair.
 Hundreds of kids selected by Weiser School District administrators and teachers board school buses and, with a police escort, are taken to the Walmart in Ontario where they are allowed to do some Christmas shopping.
 “We usually give about $50 to each kid and try to get about 250 kids, with about that many helpers, so we’ll have about 500 people there. We spend between $12,500 and $15,000 over there in about 56 minutes,” said Malay, who has teamed up with Hometown Dealerships for 32 years.
 “It’s pretty special,” he said. “The buses take us over and we usually get a police escort and they go over with us, and the ISP (Idaho State Patrol) is out front with their lights flashing. We bring up the rear with Santa Claus. It’s controlled chaos, and it’s pretty cool.”
 Upon returning to Weiser, kids have the option of getting their presents wrapped by volunteers cutting paper and curling ribbon in Weiser High School’s cafeteria.
 With the support of local real estate company, Select Properties, Joe takes the entire student body at the Annex Charter School, as well as select Weiser Middle School kids, to Bi-Mart in Weiser.
 Select high school kids receive a gift certificate for Walmart in Ontario.
 “Some of these kids just need a pat on the back,” Joe said. “And I do have to give Hometown Dealerships and their employees a pat on the back, too.”
 The event usually takes place the Saturday before Christmas Day.
Giving Back
 “It’s something we feel compelled to do, to get involved,” Dominguez said. “It’s important to us and it gives Hometown and all of our employees a lot of pride to service the community.”
 Hometown’s golf tournament isn’t the only time the company gives back, providing help to families and other local groups and organizations throughout the year, including the Washington County Fair, the Weiser Memorial Hospital Foundation and many more.
 “We get asked for donations almost daily,” Dominquez said. “There are a lot of good causes to support. Hometown was named ‘Hometown’ for a reason: We believe in our hometowns. We take it seriously because it’s important to us.”