Auto part thefts slow nonprofit's holiday efforts

As Sultan Volunteers of America Western Washington Director Calei Vaughn recently discovered, not even local nonprofits are exempt from crimes like vandalism and petty theft.

Two VOA vans, one a multipurpose vehicle and the other a food bank van, were targeted during a recent theft at the Sultan VOA.-á The damage was discovered by Vaughn on Wednesday, Nov. 11, after Sultan's Veterans Day ceremony. Thieves cut wires and stole the battery out of the food bank van, and removed the catalytic converter from the multipurpose van.

According to a local mechanic, replacing the catalytic converter will cost around $1,200.-á

The timing is poor, Vaughn, as the holidays are extremely busy for the VOA, which operates Sultan's food bank and provides numerous other services to low-income individuals in the Sky Valley area. In addition to recent efforts to bolster its food bank programming to reach more kids, the VOA is working on Sultan Harvest, a community Thanksgiving dinner event jointly organized by the VOA and a group of community volunteers.-á -á

The 12-person multipurpose VOA van was to be used for transporting Sky Valley residents to the free Thanksgiving feast that lacked the ability to get there on their own. Vaughn hopes the van can be repaired in time, but finances are a significant issue.

"We're focused on so much other stuff right now,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "We don't have $1,200 sitting aside waiting for someone to come and cut our catalytic converter off.GÇ¥

Vaughn isn't sure exactly when the thefts occurred, but encourages anyone who may have noticed or heard anything unusual at the VOA property to contact the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office and report the incident.

"It's disheartening to me that someone had enough time to lay on the ground underneath that van and saw that thing off there,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "It was probably pretty loud.GÇ¥

Catalytic converters control vehicle emissions and are targeted by thieves because they are outside the vehicle and often contain valuable metals like palladium and platinum.

"The mechanic told me, "You want to put the one back on that doesn't have the platinum inside, but a thief isn't going to know that, so they're going to take it anyway,' GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "What the thieves went and sold for probably $125 is costing us at least $1,200 to fix.GÇ¥

The VOA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving people in need throughout Snohomish County. Sultan's VOA Sky Valley Service Center operates the Sky Valley Senior Center, the Sultan Food Bank, Safe Stop, Dave Wood's Giving Tree and various other outreach programs. Donations for the cost of the van repairs can be made in person at 701 First St. in Sultan or online at www.voaww.org/donate.

Online donors should indicate they are funding "Sultan Van RepairsGÇ¥ in the comments section of the donation form.

There are many ways to help support the VOA, including becoming a volunteer. Below are several opportunities for service that currently exist through the Sultan VOA.-á

VOA's Sultan Food Bank Snack Packs

The VOA Sultan Food Bank serves low-income Sky Valley residents within Sultan School District boundaries, including Sultan, Startup and Gold Bar. Currently, the food bank is working to bolster the school "Snack PackGÇ¥ program, which provides weekend and holiday food to kids during times when free and reduced lunch programs are not available.

"We have been working closely with school district staff to meet this basic need for the students who need it most,GÇ¥ Vaughn said.

To help enhance the Snack Pack program, the VOA is seeking donations that include individual packages of instant oatmeal, peanut butter and canned tuna, chicken and soup. The Sultan food bank accepts donations of nonperishable food items from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Sultan VOA. Monetary contributions are also welcome and encouraged, but there are other ways to help as well, Vaughn said.

"If money is tight, we are always looking for volunteers to help with food bank operations or those who could organize a monthly food drive at school, work, church or with a group of friends,GÇ¥ Vaughn said.

Vaughn said there has been some confusion in the community regarding the Sky Valley Food Bank's service area, which is within the boundaries of the Monroe School District. The Sky Valley Food Bank recently expanded to include Index and Skykomish, but it is still up to the VOA to serve the Sultan, Startup and Gold Bar communities. Since local resources are limited, they have to travel extensively to obtain enough supplies.

"Only about one-third of our weekly inventory is picked up in Monroe, and for the other two-thirds of pickups we travel to Woodinville, Snohomish or beyond,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "We really need some community support in feeding hungry kids.GÇ¥

Sultan Harvest

Sultan Harvest, a free community Thanksgiving dinner, takes place noon to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26, at the Sultan High School Commons. Last year's meal included turkey with all the trimmings, fresh pumpkin pie baked by Galaxy Chocolates owner Katherine Paz, photos with Santa Claus and free coats, blankets and scarves for families in need.

Entering its 14th year, Sultan Harvest is made possible by a group of volunteers in partnership with the Sultan VOA. This will be the event's second year in the Sultan High School Commons, the venue needed to accommodate the increasing number of attendees.

The goal of Sultan Harvest is that "nobody eats alone.GÇ¥ Last year, nearly 400 people were served at Sultan Harvest.

There are numerous volunteer opportunities available during Sultan Harvest, including kitchen duty, food service, decorators, table bussers, cleanup crewmembers, a Santa photographer, a candid photographer and game organizers. Donations to support the event have come from Monroe's Grocery Outlet, Docufeed Technologies, Gold Bar Girl Scout Troop No. 41835 and the Sultan Dental Center.

Food and monetary donations are still being accepted for Sultan HarvestSultan High School is located at 13715 310th Ave. S.E. in Sultan. For more information about Sultan Harvest, visit the Facebook page.

Block Watch

The Sultan & Sky Valley Community Block Watch Network has partnered with the Sultan VOA, which has agreed to host the Block Watch community meetings going forward. Block Watch has undergone a recent transition in leadership, with local father-of-two Shaun Carr taking the helm.-á

The next Block Watch meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, at the VOA A-frame. All Sultan Block Watch captains are encouraged to attend the meeting, which will include information about accessing mental health services in Snohomish County, local law enforcement agencies partnering with social workers and using "flex fundsGÇ¥ to resolve emergency needs.

The guest presenter will be VOA Senior Director of Behavioral Health Services Pat Morris. Morris has experience in crisis and suicide intervention and chemical dependency treatment.

For more information about the Sultan VOA, visit the Facebook page.