Altrusa of Yaquina Bay, Oregon

Literacy is a central part of Altrusa’s efforts. We partner with the local libraries and with other organizations to promote and celebrate literacy, diversity, and health. We participated in 14 events or programs in our area in the past year, giving away 1,893 high quality new books. Some of the events include: PRIDE Festival, the Fisherman’s Appreciation BBQ, and El dia de los Ninos/ dia de los Libros as well as summer reading programs at the Waldport, Toledo and Siletz public libraries. At some of these events, we offered a craft or writing project that engaged the youth in literacy-centered activities. We also donated over 100 gently used books and 36 new puzzle/word search books to the Lincoln County Homeless Shelter for their clients. Our signature event is Halloween, where we dress in costume and celebrate by giving out “Booooooks” in a very popular trick or treating neighborhood. In 2025 we gave away 590 books as treats!

In 1989 Altrusa International adopted a resolution to promote environmental concerns. Our club honored that in 2025 by donating nature-themed books for students attending a field trip to a local nature preserve and to children participating in a community microplastics beach clean-up. These books were made possible by a grant from the Marie Lamfrom Foundation and a private donor.

Furnishing Families was created to help families graduating from Samaritan House, a homeless shelter that builds skills for young parents. When they leave the shelter, families move into an apartment of their own, assisted by Altrusans delivering lightly used furniture and household supplies. We collect items from garage sales and donations and store them in the basement of a local church. Often a family will receive well over $1,000 worth of supplies and furniture to help them start their new life. We are proud of being able to help young families move into a comfortable furnished apartment, without having to spend thousands on buying the essential furnishings. We are also glad to be re-using items that might otherwise have gone into the landfill.

Healthy Moms Support grew from the realization that no programs exist in our county to train young parents on childbirth, breastfeeding, and infant care. One of our members, a certified childbirth educator, stepped in to partner with the Lincoln County Health Department and created a series of 6-week classes in both Spanish and English. The class is offered approximately three times per year. As support, our club provides snacks for the classes and gift bags to the parents who complete the course. The gifts include hand-knit caps, hand-made receiving blankets, quilts, bilingual board books, and infant toys. In 2025, at the request of the Health Department, we created infant care baskets which will include the above items plus basic infant medical supplies, to be given to first-time moms served by the Health Department nurses.

Immigrant Care Closet works closely with Arcoiris, an organization devoted to helping the immigrants in our community. Partnering with the Siletz Tribe, we purchase hygiene supplies (diapers, shampoos, detergent, feminine hygiene supplies, etc.) to stock a supply closet on a monthly basis. Approximately 35 families per month have access to this support. In addition, we sponsor annual drives to purchase backpacks filled with school supplies and Christmas gifts for immigrant children in our community. In 2025 we donated over 100 gifts for the holiday party!

TLC for Homeless Youths and Isolated Seniors is a project in partnership with a local organization called Safe Families for Children (SFFC). Each month, we help young people and isolated seniors who are being supported by SFFC celebrate their birthdays. For the youth, we provide a luxurious cupcake, a Walmart gift card, a balloon, and a birthday card signed by our club members. The seniors receive a signed card, a balloon, a puzzle book and a slice of pie. We have heard many times that the gifts were much appreciated and really helped fill a need to be celebrated on one’s special day.

Scholarships were a big part of our club’s focus during the 1990’s and 2000’s. In 2025 we brought them back into the fold, thanks to a new grant from the Marie Lamfrom Foundation. We created scholarships for graduating seniors at the three high schools in our area, designating them for students who might not fit the typical scholarship recipient model. The awards went to three deserving students planning to enroll in an Oregon trade school or a community college trade certification program.