By PAUL BALCERAK

Staff writer

After some sputtering and a health scare last month for its creator, a local charity program aimed at helping flood victims in Lewis County has gotten on the right track.

Abraham’s House, a clothing and housewares-based charity operated out of Chico Alliance Church, has taken over Dr. Glen Gordon’s formerly titled “Let’s Keep Christmas in Chehalis” program. The program, which sought to collect large appliances and furniture items, was in limbo recently, after Gordon had a heart attack, but is now being run by a comparatively well-oiled machine.

“At this point I need to step back and let these people take over and support them any way I can,” he said.

Tyna Munger, the president and co-founder of Abraham’s House with her husband, Jeff, first heard about Gordon and his program’s plight through a friend. Because Abraham’s House was already running donations to Chehalis, it was only natural to her that the charity could pick up where Gordon’s efforts left off.

“Why would we do that? Because God would,” Munger said.

Hill Worldwide Moving Services pitched in a semi truck — in addition to the one it usually provides Abraham’s House with — to move the items to Chehalis.

Gordon had been seeking volunteers to help move the large items — couches, refrigerators, etc. — but was unsuccessful and was forced to work on his own last month.

He was moving several large pieces of furniture when he had “some type of a heart attack.”

Following the attack, Gordon said he was “placed home on my own cognizance, which was probably not a good idea. Because 70-year-old men who think they can move furniture don’t have much cognizance, if that’s what it is.”

Despite Gordon’s struggles before, the program fell into place with Abraham’s House pretty quickly.

“Literally within a period of about two-and-a-half hours there was a truck, a place and a way to get the items to those flood-ravaged victims,” Munger said.

The program has been a hit in Chehalis thus far.

The first load of donations Gordon took to United Way was gone in about 30 minutes.

“I do know the need is very great and the generosity of the people in both Central Kitsap and North Kitsap is absolutely immeasurable,” Gordon said. “I could not believe the response I got and the quality of furniture and appliances that people volunteered to give.”

Munger and crew have had about the same response from flood victims and have tried to start taking requests so that unneeded furniture doesn’t get hauled all the way to Chehalis.

“What people ask for is what we try to drum up,” she said.

Abraham’s House is keeping up its usual donation and charity efforts as well. They accept clothing and houseware donations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and do a weekly “giveaway” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

• Abraham’s House will be taking donations for flood victims in Lewis County until Feb. 20. Donations can be dropped from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at Abraham’s House, located in the Chico Alliance Church gym at 3670 Chico Way NW. People also can call (360) 405-0488 to have items picked up if they’re unable to transport them. Items must be in like-new condition to be accepted.