The Editor:
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the Blaine Food Bank serving our community. During that time, we have had 10 presidents, engaged in five wars, entered a new age of “e-everything,” welcomed a new millennium, endured terrorist attacks both foreign and domestic, had our world shut down as we fought to survive the global pandemic and now face the most raging inflation in 40 years. Through it all, because of you, we have been here, working to end hunger in our community. At no time since opening in 1972 has the need been greater, or the resources more limited.
The beginning of this year we were serving around 400 families each week. Today we are serving just over 600 families each week, and that number increases at each distribution as new families seek our help. Skyrocketing prices for food and fuel have affected everyone, including us, as we face the same price increases as each of you. In addition, donations have decreased dramatically as folks struggle with higher costs. We are in a perfect storm of increased need and decreased resources.
We depend on our community for the resources to do the job that we do. You are the heart and soul of the Blaine Food Bank. Without you we simply could not exist. Every year at this time we run our only fundraiser, the Matching Funds Campaign. The funds from this campaign are vital. They are used to purchase milk and eggs for the upcoming year. This year, our generous anonymous donor and benefactor has offered us $40,000 if our community matches that amount by December 23. We need you to meet that goal. Our neighbors count on us, and we count on you.
Please help us if you can. We can’t do it without you. Donations can be made in person at 500 C Street, by mail at PO Box 472, Blaine, WA 98231 or on our website blainefoodbank.org using a debit or credit card or through PayPal.
I thank you for caring and wish you all a blessed holiday season.
Sally Church, Blaine Food Bank
Blaine
The Editor:
We applaud the Bellingham and Whatcom County Council for budgeting to create a Racial Equity Commission (WREC). Additional thanks for the hard work done by Kristine Martens and Shu-Ling Zhao, with support from the Chuckanut Health Foundation, along with 32 residents who met over the last year to make recommendations.
A positive step in the right direction, this commission will include 31 voting members including 12 representatives from tribes and other people of color, and 19 appointed by the county executive and mayor.
With so much division and discord, it is refreshing to see a commission whose purpose is to gather, evaluate data and make recommendations to eliminate racial inequities. We believe this will be a place for all voices to be heard. We encourage people to roll up their sleeves and apply once that process gets started.
In the meantime, there is still much work that can be done through organizations such as our justice system committee, Whatcom CARE and Community to Community. Make it a point to attend some of the county’s many cultural events, or reach out and help people through tutoring or volunteering at the Food Bank.
Imagine how enriched our community will be if we all help to achieve WREC’s vision: “People of all races in Whatcom county live, thrive and belong for who they are, without fear. Every day.”
Lola Hudson, Riveters Collective
Bellingham
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