Peninsula Poverty Response works year-round to help those in need. Its website at peninsulapovertyresponse.org offers details.

Daily, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ally Rose, program navigator, operates a mobile response service to help callers. Contact Rose at 360-214-6241 or email at ally.ppr.wa@gmail.com. This service is designed to try to meet immediate needs, like food or gas cards, camping equipment and Washington State Parks Discover Passes.

Weekly, Laundry Love is a service that offers participants two loads of washing and drying with free soap and dryer sheets at the Long Beach Laundromat, 1607 Pacific Ave. N in Long Beach. The service is available Wednesdays between 1-3 p.m.

Monthly, the board of PPR meets in person on the second Thursday of every month at 2 p.m. in the large conference room of the South Pacific County Annex, at 7013 Sandridge Road, Long Beach. The next meetings are Nov. 14 and Dec. 12. The board is looking to fill two vacant positions.

Annually, the group coordinates several participating agencies at Project Community Connect. The next day-long event will be Jan. 30, 2025, at the Long Beach Elks Lodge No. 1937 at 110 Pacific Ave., in the center of downtown Long Beach. The event runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and help includes medical, dental, vision, veterans, social services, vet care for pets, haircuts, and practical aid, including signing up for food stamps and housing assistance. Vendors and volunteers are being recruited. It is held in conjunction with Washington state’s annual Point in Time count, which helps communities secure funding, inform policy, and allocate resources.

To support these programs, checks may be mailed to Peninsula Poverty Response, P.O. Box 655, Ocean Park, WA 98640. To contact leaders, email pprinfo.wa@gmail.com.

The group encourages other groups, including:

• Free meals, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at His Supper Table, 911 Pacific Way N. The thrift store at that location and donations support this program;
• Meals on Wheels. For details, call 360-642-3990;
• Food banks;
• The Ocean Park Food Bank at 1601 Bay Ave., is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday;
• The St. Vincent de Paul food bank at 1161 First Ave S, in Ilwaco is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second and fourth Fridays;
• The Chinook School at 810 State Route 101, operates a food bank in the rear office 1-3 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays;
• Veterans help, call the County Veterans Service Officer at 360-214-6011;
• Crisis Support Network, for housing and other help, at 360-642-0095 or hotline 1-800-435-7276;
• Coastal Community Action, for help fleeing domestic violence or looming homelessness, at 360-533-5100.