Community Church makes donations to local organizations

 Members of the Weiser Community Church on Friday presented $1,500 checks to the Weiser Activity Center for Seniors and the future Weiser Boys and Girls Club.

 The funds come from revenue generated through the church’s 70th annual Groundhog Day Dinner, which was held Thursday, Feb. 2.

 “It went off really well; we served over 400 people and had about 60 take-out meals,” said Weiser Community Church’s Ron Robbins on Friday. “The profits were a little over $2,000 this year and they had about $1,200 left from last year, so we decided to put $3,000 back into the community.”

 Church members presented the Weiser Activity Center for Seniors with a $1,500 check on Friday, March 17. The center served up corned beef and cabbage in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

 Senior center President Karen Hoffer said every penny counts in light of the ever-increasing cost of groceries.

 “Our suggested donation is $5 a meal for seniors,” she said. “I’m trying to keep the cost down for seniors here in town. It’s a blessing that they (Weiser Community Church) picked us and we are very grateful to get this money because it helps us keep these doors open.”

 Treasurer Linda Smith echoed Hoffer’s sentiments.

 “We really do appreciate this,” she said, addressing lunch guests on Friday. “The community has been so good to the Weiser senior center because without these kinds of donations, we wouldn’t be here right now. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for thinking of us.”

 Church members later met with Boys and Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley CEO Dana Castellani and some of her administrators in front of the Weiser Community Church located off Main Street.

 For Castellani, who is leading the effort to open a local club in Weiser, the $1,500 check serves as a starting point.

 “This is our first official Weiser donation; this is our kickoff donation,” she said. “We will have a savings account at Umpqua Bank (formerly Columbia Bank) and all funds will be kept there and used to serve kids.”

 The Boys and Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley recently purchased one of the historic buildings in northwest Weiser commonly referred to as “the Institute.” It was once a boarding high school called the “Intermountain Institute.” Each building was named after one of the major funding donators to the facility’s construction in the early 1900s. Castellani’s organization purchased the “Billings Gymnasium,” the first in a series of five associated buildings.

 It is currently undergoing renovation, but Castellani said the Boys and Girls Club wants to start serving kids by the start of next school year, in fall 2023.

 She said the money received from Weiser Community Church will help meet that goal.

 “This is a significant donation,” she said. “This is really exciting, and we are very thankful to Weiser Community Church for choosing us as a recipient.”