CONTENTS 12/23/2020
City Hall Encampment
Soup Brigade
Big Impact!
Individual Containers Again
Dates On Lids
Meal Train
Ingredients
Supplies Needed
Need Phone Tech
Good Vaccine Info
Children’s Books To Gift
Defunct Tents & Broken Dog Collars
Roaming Cat?
Found Dog Is Home
Radio Free Fl!p: We Are The Miracle
CITY HALL ENCAMPMENT
Please keep writing to our Mayor and County Executive. It is helpful to let them know we have their backs to spend the money necessary to save the lives of our neighbors who have lost their homes. So far they are proposing only 50 tiny homes for hundreds of unhoused citizens, and some of those homes won’t arrive for weeks yet. Please do not be grumpy! Seth & Satpal have way too much on their plates in this pandemic. If you’ve gotten their letter back, you may need to write again, saying you got that letter but what about everyone else with no home? If dozens of us are writing every day, asking what progress has been made and what is happening next, it may help. Or we may need hundreds of us asking. Invite your friends to write too. No petitions. Everyone in their own words. Be nice, but please do ask. Lives depend on us.
mayorsoffice@cob.org
ssidhu@co.whatcom.wa.us
SOUP BRIGADE
BIG IMPACT!
The food tent volunteers say we are making a huge difference! People are bringing homemade cookies, muffins and such as well. I have little bakery bags for those. We’ve used about 1/2 of a 2,000 bag box. We’ll get more when we get low. One mama had her children decorate the outsides of their bags before they made their cookies. Talk about love…
INDIVIDUAL CONTAINERS AGAIN
I was just asked by the food tent for us to go back to individual containers. So come and get ‘em. We have two cases here of 16 oz cups with lids. And larger, flatter, rectangular dinner boxes. I warned the food tent folks it may take us a couple days to get switched back over. Please ask to see if there are any pots to bring back to me each time you do a delivery. My address & phone/text is at the end of every post.
I could use a few(!) grocery sacks stuffed with more folded grocery sacks. I’m going through 4 – 10 a day. But I don’t have room for dozens of bags full of bags. Actually, if anyone could use some egg cartons, let me know. (Got chickens?) I am now absolutely certain that I can get more egg cartons from you all any time I need them, and I could use the storage space for other things at the moment. Like grocery sacks. Full size.
DATES ON LIDS
Please write the date on every container lid. And the ingredients on the inside of a carton flap.
MEAL TRAIN
No one is signed up yet for dinner the day after Christmas. Or for breakfast on New Years Day. Look for empty slots, and also for slots that only have maybe half the meals accounted for. For those, click on the cook’s name and write them to coordinate, and to make sure someone else hasn’t already covered that gap. Thank you so much!!!! Here’s that link again.
https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/nnmwke
INGREDIENTS
We have been offered a 30 pound frozen turkey to donate toward food for the tent folks, if there is someone willing to pick it up in Everson and cook it. It doesn’t have to be the same person. Someone else contacted me to offer a #10 ham. I have stacks of 50 folding dinner boxes that will hold full meals. I have rice, lentils, and big bags of pasta. I have cans of tuna, LOTS of grated and block cheese. Canned beans. Canned fruit for dessert baking.
SUPPLIES NEEDED
First Aid Kits. Fire extinguishers. Big insulated chests to keep soup warm. Hand and toe warmers.
NEED PHONE TECH
The encampment has requested a volunteer to unlock phones if needed, and if desired they can add 1-3 months phone call and text coverage. After we find someone, we’ll ask for phones to be donated. First we need someone who can wipe phones and set them up for re-use. Especially for vulnerable older women with health issues, phones can be critical.
GOOD VACCINE INFO
From a beloved blog which I read every night:
Update From An Epidemic, by BetsyBrownMD, Seattle. This particular post is full of accurate, detailed, hopeful information. Click on the link to see her whole post.
“Vaccines are on most people’s minds right now. Lots of questions are rolling around with not many answers. Rumors abound, so finding reliable sites for info is a good idea. I find this University of Washington article reliable, easy to understand, and helpful. It explains about the two vaccine choices that are available now. It explains what we do know, as well as what we don’t know. We know that vaccines are effective and we know the groups that have priority now to receive the vaccine- health care workers and people living in long term care facilities, like nursing homes. Most of us have seen photos of people across the country receiving their vaccine. I am hoping for mine soon.”
https://betsybrownmd.substack.com/
CHILDREN’S BOOKS TO GIFT
I have four beautiful brand new children’s picture books written and illustrated by Jodie Bergsma that I had planned to donate to the Toys for Tots but I missed them and the box was gone when I took them last Saturday. Do you know anyone through the Homeless project or otherwise who might like for some kids for Christmas? I or my son could drop them off somewhere. ~ Cheryl Crooks, cacrooks@comcast.net
DEFUNCT TENTS & BROKEN DOG COLLARS
I am outfitting a mini van for travel and I am looking for tent material to use – specifically the mesh that is used on windows and doors. If you have an old, defunct tent lying around that you don’t know what to do with, I would love to take it off or your hands. I’m also looking for broken dog collars. Thanks, Molly Westring, Walnut Street, mollywestring@gmail.com
ROAMING CAT?
This morning at 6:30am I saw a striped cat with a bell on the corner of Victor and Monroe streets. The cat was very friendly to me. It seemed to be going in the street a lot and I was worried about it and wondered if it was the cat from the catio house on Victor between Monroe and Washington, and didn’t have outdoor skills. If someone is missing this cat, I’m happy to talk to them. Amanda Blaine, Victor Street 617-694-3503.
FOUND DOG IS HOME
Black lab, maybe 70+ lbs, older with mass on his low back. No name tg, just humane society tag. Seems a little chilly! Friendly. Found on Utter St, near Monroe. Taken home by Luke and Ali, Henry Street
[And they already found his humans! Yay!!!]
RADIO FREE FL!P: WE ARE THE MIRACLE
Rob Lopresti, retired government documents librarian and professor up at WWU. Writes mystery stories. Solved a real-life crime that got written up in the Smithsonian magazine! And writes some very cool songs. I want to learn this one but haven’t had time yet. But I keep thinking about it these days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiMbXlrt8z4
Love/Fl!p 360-671-4511 2518 Cherry Street flip@columbianeighborhood.org
If you want to ask me to post something, just email me. If it’s urgent, phone. If it’s a real emergency, call 911.