Help needed spreading holiday cheer

The Salvation Army of Yamhill County is asking local individuals, groups and businesses to help it meet the needs of the less fortunate this Christmas season.

Individuals needing assistance for the holidays are encouraged to complete applications by 4 p.m. Friday at McMinnville Covenant Church.

Individuals not able to come in between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. are asked to call the Salvation Army for an after-hours appointment.

Applicants will need to provide identification for each person needing assistance, along with verification of household income and expenses. Spanish translation services are available.

Volunteers and/or donations are being sought for several Salvation Army programs:

n Adopt A Family: Families, groups or businesses may adopt a needy family or set of families. They are asked to provide a Christmas food box sufficient to see a family through for a week, along with new toys and clothing items for each child member.

n Angel Tree: Agencies, offices and businesses are asked to host Angel Trees. Each tree is adorned with tags and each tag lists a child in need of a new toy or clothing item. The aim is to match each tag with someone willing to secure an item suitable for the child it identifies.

Already committed to the program are Bank of America, Columbia River Bank, U.S. Bank and Washington Mutual Bank; St. James Catholic Church, Adventure Church, the Nazarene Church On The Hill, Coast Hills Church and the Seventh-day Adventist Church; and Linfield College, Hillside Manor, Cascade Steel, Rite-Aid, Roth's and Chuck Colvin Auto. But more are needed.

n Food and Toy Drive: Businesses, churches, schools and clubs are needed to collect food or toys for needy local children.

n Kettle Drive: Volunteers are needed to ring bells to attract donations to Salvation Army kettles at shopping outlets throughout the region.

In addition, volunteers are needed to help sort and pack toys, clothing and food items, and to make financial contributions if they are able. Checks may be mailed to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 765, McMinnville, OR 97128.

The deadline for food, toys and clothing donations is Saturday, Dec. 17. Financial donations are welcome any time.

For more information, call Majs. Dennis and Diana Trimmer at 503-472-1009 or drop by their offices at 1950 S.W. Second St. in McMinnville.

"The program helped more than 1,200 children last year," Dennis Trimmer said. "We try to provide two toys per child, along with an article of clothing. At this point, we have placed less than 550 angels."

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.