Organization depends upon donations

PORT ANGELES — Founder Joe DeScala said he has registered as a Washington state charitable organization and begun collecting donations.

He suggests at 4PA.org that people commit to contributions of $10 a month.

Donations are not tax-deductible. DeScala said 4PA will apply for 501(c)(30 nonprofit designation by the end of the year.

Contributions pay for equipment purchases and to pay cleanup crew, including himself, which began in November. He said he hopes to hire a crew chief as well.

“This is going to be a full-time gig for me,” he said.

DeScala said he began getting paid in November, declining to disclose the amount.

He said it is below the $52,000 median income in Clallam County for a family of four.

DeScala and his wife, Makayla, have a daughter, 14, and a son, 17.

Sixty-six donors have committed to contributing monthly amounts to 4PA, mostly in $10 increments, as suggested at the 4PA website, he said last week. He has raised more than $7,000.

Raising $100,000 annually would get a few work crews up and running, he said.

“We’re already operating, no matter what the monetary level we get to,” he said.