February is the month during which the Oneida Crisis Center hosts its annual Gala, which will be held this year at 6:30 p.m. on February 16.  The event will be a Valentine’s Day themed “elevated dining” experience.  The doors will open at 6:00 p.m., and music will be provided by local musician Ernie.  Reservations are required for the event. 

For those unable to attend the event in person, a virtual auction in conjunction with the event will open on February 14 at 5:00 p.m. and close at 5:00 p.m. Friday the 17th.  Use the QR Code on the page https://app.galabid.com/occ2024 to enter the auction site and bid on the items.  The items have been donated by local and regional businesses, organizations, and individuals.

Items from the live auction will be available for view up until the auction starts.  The auction will follow the presentation of the 2024 Dove Award recognizing contributions to the community, and will raise funds to be used for ongoing projects benefitting the valley’s residents in a variety of ways.  Hosted by auctioneer Lynn Livingston, the live auction is always a fun and entertaining time, with a reliable history of friendly
bidding wars.

The setup, preparation, serving, and clean-up will be provided by board members and volunteers, who are thrilled to celebrate another year of successful and growing operation as the only facility of its type in Oneida County.  

Dinner will be served at 6:30 and will consist of salad, beef or chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, and rolls with cheesecake being served for dessert. 

The evening will begin with music provided by local musician Ernie. Guests will be invited to purchase $5 mystery grab bags, enter to win a variety of door prizes, and satisfy their sweet-tooth at the candy station.

The Gala fundraiser is the largest single fundraising event for the Crisis Center.  While the Crisis Center receives funds through grants and various programs, those funds are conditioned on very specific allocations, which leaves some services the Center provides less reliably funded.  Funds raised through efforts such as the Gala where the community directly supports the organization offer more flexibility with their use.  

As Crisis Center representative Malena Jimenez said, “we would really like to focus on where the money obtained through fundraising (such as the gala) is used to give back to our community. Although the majority of grant funds are used to support individuals impacted by domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault, money that is donated to the Crisis Center is used for the purpose of creating a healthier/safer community. All the donated funds remain in our community and are not used for administrative purposes.”  

 The Crisis Center is tasked with providing a wide range of services to those in need.  Many of the things that the Crisis Center does to aid families in need are things that you would predict, but there are a lot of basic services you might not even consider.  

Previously donated funds have been utilized for things such as:

Providing basic physiological needs such as food, hygiene supplies, clothing, and shoes.

Assisting individuals in obtaining energy assistance through SEICAA.

Picking up and distributing donated basic household items such as sheets, pillows, blankets, kitchenware, vacuums.
Facilitating holiday food baskets in collaboration with Interfaith Council.

Helping transient individuals continue from our community by purchasing gas, repairing vehicles, providing shuttle tickets, or transportation.

Providing healthy relationship activities in Oneida County schools and supporting school administration with individual student needs.

Supporting growth in our community: Mental Health Committee, Mayor’s Youth Council, senior projects, youth groups, and faith-based organizations.

Suppling one-time emergency financial support to struggling community members in crisis. 

 An examination of the services supported by the Crisis Center makes it clear that the center is on the front lines of providing needed assistance to the homeless and indigent, school-age students in distress, those facing food insecurity, and senior citizens.  Carol’s Pantry is a life-saving source of food for many people in the community, and is now operating without the assistance of the state food bank.  During last year’s “Day of Service” in commemoration of the events of September 11, local volunteers including the Boy Scouts gathered over 120 bags of food specifically for use in the pantry.  The Pantry will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays during business hours for the rest of the month.  The Crisis Center and Pantry can be contacted at 208-766-4412.

Another item on the list that stands out is attention to mental health.  In addition to the services provided within and with the assistance of the office, the Crisis Center also maintains a Crisis Line,  which is available in the case of emergencies at 208-766-3119.       

As the Crisis Center looks forward to 2024, Malena Jimenez explains some of the issues that it sees coming up.  “Carol’s Pantry is now operating independently without assistance from the Idaho Food Bank. This may require additional food purchases to stock shelves.”  The Crisis Center is also working with Malad City to procure funds for the improvement of the animal shelter, an issue which has been in need of attention for some time now.

The virtual auction can be accessed until February 17 at https://app.galabid.com/occ2024.