Doc rallies businesses to help flood victims

By PAUL BALCERAK

Staff writer

Fallout continues from the severe floods earlier this month and one doctor is going to great lengths to help out victims.

Dr. Glen Gordon, a former Silverdale physician, has been busy rustling up support from local businesses to help hoard donations of large appliances and furniture for flood victims in Lewis County. His efforts, dubbed “Let’s keep Christmas in Chehalis,” have hit a couple of recent snags, however.

Gordon is having difficulty finding trucks that can transport items from a drop-off station in Poulsbo to United Way in Lewis County. Though he’s found a few qualified drivers, Gordon said he’s looking for a company willing to donate a covered delivery van.

The United Way also is in a bit of a pinch in terms of what kinds of donated items they can accept. They’re faced with liability for items they dole out and will only accept “like new” items.

“I would love to accept all of it, but United Way is saying, ‘We cannot, we will not,’ and I’m going to honor that,” Gordon said. “We’re gonna be looking for stuff that you know is really good.”

Whatever gets donated — mattresses, refrigerators, etc. — has to look like it just rolled off a showroom floor.

Gordon’s involvement in the collections is purely voluntary. He’s been involved in fund-raising of some sort since his days in Silverdale, when he was the only doctor here, he said.

Gordon lost about 1,300 pounds of stored beef during the recent floods and said that put everything in perspective for him.

“I thought, this is nothing compared to what these people (with flood-damaged homes) have lost,” he said.

He’s had assistance from Hill Worldwide Moving Services in Poulsbo, which has helped transport donated items to Lewis County, and by Central Market, also in Poulsbo.

A donation station has been set up at the North Kitsap Little League Field, just off the Poulsbo/Bainbridge Island exit on Highway 3. Anyone who wants to donate can call (360) 297-6858 and have someone meet them at the field.

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