CONTENTS 12/31/2020
Soup Brigade
Write
Donation Form To Spreadsheet?
TVs Wanted
Christmas Tree Pickup
Water In Wall
Florist Shout-Out
The Bellingham Folk Festival
Radio Free Fl!p: Auld Lang Syne
SOUP BRIGADE
Today a neighbor organized her friends to deliver 50 full turkey dinners with all the fixings for dinner to the neighbors who’ve lost their homes and are camping out at City Hall. She did it in honor of her teenage son who died during these days of the year, 6 years ago. What an amazing gift on his behalf! Keeping hot food in cold bellies day after day makes a world of difference. And more tents are arriving daily. What a relief. Maybe we can keep a few more campers dry. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart!
Please sign up to take hot food, and come get ingredients from me. We’ve got almost a dozen great big soup pots here for you to fill. We’ve got big bags of grated cheese. Gotta get that used up! So if you’re signed up to make something with cheese, please come get ours. We still have two jars of Costco Pesto. That could make something nice! We have potatoes again, and spaghetti noodles, ziti noodles (like macaroni), rice, several kinds of lentils, yellow and red onions (always), bacon, soup bases (ham, chicken & beef), two cases of canned chopped tomatoes, canned tuna, canned chicken, some canned coconut milk and some curry paste (add to lentils & onions?), and more. And we have containers with lids, dinner boxes, and bakery sacks for delivery. You can sign up to take meals for 50 (round up some friends to help) or snacks for 20. Check the MealTrain to sign up for a time slot:
https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/nnmwke
WRITE
Please keep writing our local government to support them to do all they can. If you have suggestions, please include them. It’s better if we’re all thinking together. If you feel like you have no ideas to offer, get a friend to listen to you while you think out loud for a few minutes. You might be surprised at what your mind comes up with when you’re well listened to! And then offer to listen back. Take turns. And remember to be warm and respectful of the folks you’re writing to. I can’t imagine trying to sort out the big picture and weigh options for our whole community. They need our sympathy. And also our support to make our vulnerable neighbors who have lost their homes a top priority. Thank you!
City Hall’s street address is 210 Lottie Street, 98225.
mayorsoffice@cob.org
ccmail@cob.org
The Whatcom County Courthouse address is 311 Grand Avenue, 98225
ssidhu@co.whatcom.wa.us
council@co.whatcom.wa.us
DONATION FORM TO SPREADSHEET?
From what I’ve learned today, it sounds like I need a publicly accessible Google Form (or two) for volunteers and donors to fill in, that would automagically dump into a Google Spreadsheet that just a few authorized outreach workers could access.
This would let outreach workers look to see what’s available, and then ask donors for just the things they have an immediate use for. I may be able to arrange pick-up and delivery, or might be able to get out of the way and let the workers request directly of the donors. It’s going to be a long few months ahead, and I don’t want to have myself as a choke point in the flow of help. Also, our front hall is full!
We could fairly promptly let donors know which items offered are wanted for homeless outreach, and which should go to Goodwill. Householders have far more room to store a few things for a few weeks than neighbors without homes, or outreach workers. More tiny home encampments are being negotiated and will also need our help.
Can you hold onto your donations for a bit while I dig out and get help? If you know how to make Google forms-to-sheets I think that will be the magic of the week! Mind you, I’m just making all this up as I go along, but it seems like it might do the trick.
TVs WANTED
For SwiftHaven, to use for internet hookup. Flat Screen TVs no bigger than 32″ no CRT. Must be a flat panel and working. Contact me, Fl!p to let me know you’ve got one. Do NOT come drop off! I’m out of space and the tiny homes haven’t arrived yet.. Thanks!
CHRISTMAS TREE PICKUP
Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 7 AM PST
Scouts will be collecting Christmas trees for recycling in the community. Donations help fund the Scouting program in the community. Sign up to have your tree picked up at the website list. http://www.bsatreepickup.com
WATER IN WALL
I am in great need of an experienced handyman that can check out a leak problem in my wall. I see the wet spot and it’s coming from (I think) a clogged downspout or one that needs to be caulked. My wall is wet on the inside now so I’m getting pretty desperate to identify the problem and fix it temporarily until I can replace the drywall when the weather is better. I’d like to find someone in the neighborhood who’s hourly isn’t too expensive. I’m elderly and on a fixed income. Please email me at Elizabeth@bcwriting.com if you know of someone I can trust to help me get this taken care of right away. Thank you. ~ Elizabeth Harris, 2212 Jaeger Street, 360-676-9901
FLORIST SHOUT-OUT
Hello neighbors! I recently purchased a custom bouquet to cheer up a friend, and wanted to give a shoutout to Natalie Ransom of Pozie by Natalie for her wonderful floral work! She operates from the Columbia neighborhood and is the sweetest person. My bouquet was beautiful and full of local blooms, and it even came in its own vase. Her prices reflect the quality of materials used, and the care she so obviously puts into her designs. You can pick up at her shop, or have flowers delivered anywhere in Bellingham! My bouquet was packaged snugly in a padded box for safe transport, and included a custom note ~ she really thinks of everything! Natalie’s website is poziebynatalie.com, and she also takes orders through her Instagram, @poziebynatalie! ~ Jessie Pemble, Kulshan St
THE BELLINGHAM FOLK FESTIVAL
Virtually! January 22, 23, 24th
http://www.thebellinghamfolkfestival.com/
Let’s take this regularly scheduled weekend to celebrate some of the wonderful elements of our community, play a few tunes, learn some things and hear some new ideas, connect with friends, laugh, and embrace the online musical oddness of it all! You can attend as much or as little as you want to during the weekend. You can participate by leading tunes, asking questions, clapping, introducing us to your pet hamster, etc. Or you can turn off your camera and have the ultimate voyeuristic introvert’s folk music experience. All levels of engagements are acceptable 🙂
Cayley made this little promo video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlBLEbK2KEo
RADIO FREE FL!P: AULD LANG SYNE
Another song I was asked to record for PSGW (Guitar Camp). Vortex The Cat was interested in assisting and I was happy to have a live audience! The song itself is often truncated to be just the first verse and chorus. But in fact, it has an amazing set of verses about emigration, leaving behind home and loved ones. Remembering running about the the fields, gathering flowers with a buddy. “We’ve wandered many a weary foot” since long ago times. Remembering swimming and playing in the stream near home, but “Seas between us broad have roared!” Mostly people never went home again. And those people were our own ancestors. Their pain echoes down the generations and sometimes can interfere with us truly connecting with the land we live on, or the people around us. I love this song’s deep, healing dive into those feelings. This is one of the most sung songs in the world. I’ve heard that in Japan, people end every gathering with Auld Lang Syne.
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.