GRANITE FALLS — With black ink on orange paper, volunteers began sketching ideas for how to transform the simple beige-and-green sitting room in the Granite Falls Family Support Center into a creepily creative haunted house.
They’d never done this before. But with the support center settled into its home at 9424 Portage Ave., the group wanted to reach out to the community while offering families a fun, free scare on the evening of Oct. 31.
The Granite Falls Family Support Center opened two years ago. It’s a branch of Lutheran Community Services Northwest and the Lake Stevens Family Center. Like its more-established counterpart in Lake Stevens, the center offers help with WIC and pregnancy resources, Salvation Army vouchers for housing, food, baby supplies and clothing. They also host support groups and classes on basic skills like budgeting or cooking.
The center relies on two part-time paid staff and a fluctuating number of volunteers. The haunted house is meant to give people a chance to learn more about the center and get involved, resource coordinator Tiffany Wyatt said.
The Halloween project also kicks off a new program at the support center, she said. The organization is starting a Youth Advisory Council aimed at getting children and teens interested in volunteering and to improve outreach efforts for young people who may need some of the resources the center provides.
Daniel Matalomani, a senior at Granite Falls High School, is heading up a crew of teen volunteers who plan to decorate and act in the haunted house.
“It’s a pretty cool project,” Matalomani said. “They do a lot more than just a haunted house here, and this is a good opening to get people involved.”
The haunted house runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on Halloween at the support center, behind the McDonald’s on Portage Avenue. Volunteers are scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. to help set up and act in the haunted house, Wyatt said. They’ll accept new volunteers the day of the event, and more people are needed to clean up the haunted house from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Gabriella Chavez, a senior at Granite Falls High School, plans to fit in the haunted house around school, sports and homecoming. It’s a nice change to the community’s usual Halloween routine, she said.
“I hope people have a good time and maybe have something to do different than what they do every year,” she said. “Maybe they’ll actually get a scare and really enjoy it.”
Volunteers plan to let some groups go through the haunted house without too many spooks to keep it kid-friendly, but they’re working on some serious scare tactics for die-hard Halloween fans. The fear level can be adjusted based on the group going through the house. Plans include punch and candy for those who make it through the haunted house or for those who would rather wait outside.
“We really just want to provide a free event where everyone’s welcome,” Wyatt said. “Granite Falls doesn’t have much. What we do have is great, but there’s not a lot of entertainment.”
She hopes the haunted house inspires potential youth council members to stay involved with the center, which needs help year-round from volunteers and donors.
With the weather turning, the support center is focused on food, shelter and warm clothing. They try to help people get the things they need most rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, Wyatt said.
“We’ve gotten someone a pair of shoes, someone else a battery for a camper they were living in at the time,” she said. “We can also help with things like eye exams and glasses, or school supplies. We’re definitely willing to help any way we can. We get very creative.”
The support center is busy. It’s open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., serving a town of about 3,500. It sees the same number of visitors as the Lake Stevens center, which is open four days a week and serves a city of nearly 30,000 people, Wyatt said.
“It just shows that there’s such a great need in Granite Falls,” she said.
People can call the support center at 360-386-9282 to learn more about volunteering or donating. Some of the most-needed items are nonperishable food, baby supplies, hygiene products and warm clothing, Wyatt said. People can drop off things like new socks, hats, coats, flashlights, diapers, shampoo or canned food at the center during its open hours.
Teenagers also can call the center to get involved with the Youth Advisory Council. They can help with the Halloween haunted house or with year-round maintenance projects like yard work, cleaning and organizing donated items.
“I think when people of all ages really take ownership of us here, that’s just a really great relationship,” Wyatt said. “It all supports the work we do here on a regular basis.”
Kari Bray: kbray@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3439.
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