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The Santas of Sumner

Nearly 100 Sunset Chev employees, led by owner Jerry Yoder,

By Avani Nadkarni/of The Herald

If the 91 employees at Sumner’s Sunset Chevrolet seem to always be in a giving mood, it’s probably rubbed off from the dealership’s owner.

In the past year, Assistant Administrator Terry Dinklage said, employees have had to face hard times. They’ve taken pay cuts and watched the national auto industry wither.

Still, when time for the company’s annual monthlong holiday toy and food drive came this week, the employees and their boss, Jerry Yoder were raring to go.

“We’ve had some tough times,” said Dinklage, who organizes the drive. “But they all still seem to come through. Maybe they’re not going to bring in the bicycles this year, but they’ll bring in something so someone else can have something.”

So, for the fourth year in a row, a full-size pickup truck will be on display in Sunset Chevrolet’s showroom until Dec. 16, waiting to be filled with toys and food from employees, customers and residents. Once it is full, Yoder will drive the toys — slowly — to Puyallup’s St. Francis House and the food to the Sumner Food Bank.

Although everyone is encouraged to donate, Dinklage said nine out of 10 donations come from Sunset employees.

That sense of giving and friendship is something Yoder stresses by example: Born and raised in Sumner, he sponsors local sports teams, hosts company parties at his lakefront home and, every two weeks, he personally hands each employee their paycheck and thanks them for doing a good job. Yoder also makes sure to greet each department when he comes into the office.

“I’m not better than anyone else and nobody’s better than me,” said Yoder, who’s been working at Sunset Chevrolet for 50 years. “I treat everybody the same (and) I just thrive on making people smile.”

Yoder started working at Sunset Chevrolet in 1959, washing cars for 75 cents an hour. Half a century later, he’s the owner and gives away $3,000 a year to high school students interested in mechanical trade schools. Giving back to the community is what he loves.

“He’s the reason I push (the toy and food drive) so much,” Dinklage said. “He believes if you give to the community, you get back from the community. He cares about helping people.”

Yoder agreed.

“I love helping people who need help,” he said. “You want to help them all and you can’t. But you can help some.”

“It’s wonderful for us,” St. Francis House director Sister Pat Michalek said of the annual drive. “They tend to arrive just when our Christmas corner is low on toys. They just seem to know when to show up, right when we need it.”

The toy and food drive isn’t the company’s only donation drive — Dinklage said they host a coat drive in January, donate to Helping Hand House thought the year and have donated Halloween costumes in early fall — but the holiday drive is their biggest.

“We help everybody that asks for it, it seems like and we do this all year round,” she said. “But this is our largest. I’ll start going to auctions and sales and buy toys throughout the year and save them for our toy drive.”

Although this is the first year donating food from the holiday drive to Sumner Food Bank, Sunset Chevrolet has donated to St. Francis House since the drive began. The partnership began, Dinklage explained, after Sunset employee and longtime St. Francis volunteer Jeff Kirsch suggested donating to the non-profit.

“We were looking for a way to help when we first started this with Jeff,” Dinklage said.

She encourages those who don’t normally stop in to Sunset Chevrolet to donate toys and food and even other items those in need will use.

“You buy a package of socks on sale, you throw them in your cart, somebody can use them,” Dinklage said. “And all kids want a toy. (St. Francis House) has always been appreciative of everything we’ve ever brought over.”

Indeed, said Michalek, and those items have saved St. Francis House on several occasions.

“(Sunset Chevrolet’s donations) give our families a good selection and gives them a good opportunity to get at least one toy for each child,” she said. “Sunset Chev has been wonderful to us over the years. There have been years where I’m not sure where we’d be without them.”

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Which toys and food are most needed in East Pierce The most in-demand food items are any canned goods, such as canned tuna and peanut butter. “They say they need anything that doesn’t take a lot to cook,” Sunset Chev’s toy and food drive chair Terry Dinklage said. “They can give a homeless person a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter and they can survive for weeks and at least have some good food.” As far as toys, St. Francis House director Sister Pat Michalek said they are always in need of gifts for young boys and teenagers, since most of the gifts that are donated seem to be targeted at young girls. “Batteries are also good because a lot of toys need batteries,” Dinklage added. Other items St. Francis House always needs in the winter include warm clothing, especially for children and men. To donate to Sunset Chevrolet’s holiday drive, which lasts through Dec. 16, bring food or new toys to 910 Traffic Ave, Sumner or call 800-201-4444 for more information.