Dear Editor:
The collection of gifts for our new holiday gift assistance program, the Blaine/Birch Bay Community Toy Store, is now underway.
In addition to toys, clothing and store gift cards, the toy store is also in need of holiday gift wrap that is appealing to children, along with bows and gift tags. We are happy to accept partial rolls of gift wrap if people have some around the house that they would like to clear out. Gift wrap supplies can be dropped off in any of the donation boxes around the community, including the Blaine Library, Blaine Senior Center, Edaleen Dairy, Pacific Building Center and Northwest Parks and Rec Office. A complete list of collection locations and additional information is available at blainecap.org.
We also want to thank Pacific Building Center for their generous offer to donate one toy to the Community Toy Store for each toy that is purchased for this program at their store. We encourage community members to take advantage of this offer to allow your donation dollars to bless even more children.
Thank you for your support of the Community Toy Store and families in our community.
Laura Vogee
Community Toy Store director
The Editor;
I want to give a big shout out to all of the people who helped make this year’s Thanksgiving Day baskets a success. Between our donors, volunteers, and this very publication who helped bring attention to our cause – thank you!
I am so thankful to all of the volunteer team members who took time out of their lives to take the reservations, bag the groceries, set up the baskets, manage the distribution and help the whole operation run smoothly.
This year we were able to provide baskets for Thanksgiving dinner to 270 families in the Blaine, Birch Bay and Custer area. Through the commitment of passionate volunteers and the generosity of this great community, roughly 1,400 individuals enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner.
This year the Girl Scouts take the honors of the most pies donated (132), followed closely by Grace Lutheran Church (114) and Christ Episcopal Church (109).
We are grateful to the many individuals, social clubs and businesses that provided generous financial support and product donations to ensure the success of this annual tradition.
A big thank you to our fearless leader Shirley Tobian for all of her help. She is instrumental to the success of this program.
And a special thank you to our firefighters of North Whatcom Fire and Rescue who were essential to making this program happen. Without their heavy lifting, product pickup and coordination, this program would not have taken place.
Rhyan Lopez, director
Thanksgiving Basket Program
The Editor:
I applaud Peter Werner’s response to Mr. Agnello’s letter. I sent a reply to his letter the week before but this newspaper refused to publish it for some unknown and unexplained reason (Ed. note: We have no record of previously receiving this letter from Mr. Masdeo).
It is said [sic] to see letters such as his and Donna Starr published as their letters were not in good taste and both persons failed to provide any source for their comments particularly Ms. Starr seems to write about immigrants rather than illegal immigrants so her point is not worthy of comments [sic] from that point of view as most of us know many legal immigrants have made huge contributions to the U.S.
My father and his parents and the rest of his brothers and sisters all emigrated from Italy speaking no English but through hard work and effort became solid citizens learning to speak fluent English and pay taxes unlike the illegal immigrants who for the most part do neither.
But in publishing Mr. Agnello’s letter makes it seem that this newspaper is [sic] managing editor appears to be another Jane Fonda in disguise.
Mickey Masdeo
Birch Bay
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