CONTENTS 1/8/2021
Report From City Hall Encampment
Tent Set-Up Help
Letter Writing
Egg Cartons & Soup Pots
No Storage
Today’s Ingredients
New Stanzas For Amazing Grace
Jam-A-Thon
Boy Scouts Tree Pick-Up
Radio Free Fl!p: Do Something Even If It’s Wrong
REPORT FROM CITY HALL ENCAMPMENT
A long-time volunteer outreach worker shared this with me tonight:
🌿Last night I witnessed the generosity of a new younger camper giving away his own blanket from his tent to an older camper curled up cold on the ground under a folded piece of cardboard.
🌿Earlier local Columbia neighbors brought by pizza at night, plus two big pieces of cardboard. The cardboard was used immediately. One piece to insulate a new person resting on the cold marble stone next to city hall doors, and the other cardboard used as a paper tent cover over the blanket another had gifted him.
🌿It can be rough and fierce on the streets, but eventually the humans huddle together and rest as mammals caring for each other.
TENT SET-UP HELP
Not one but two pairs of knowledgeable wilderness campers have volunteered to help set up tents, closely following the lead of long-time volunteers who are known and trusted by campers. I am deeply touched! I’m really hoping the long-timers can figure a way to use the new help soon. Thanks all of you who donated tents. Now we work on getting them up. That takes skill and strength, and now we’ve got that!
LETTER WRITING
I’ve been asked for talking points for writing our elected officials. I’m afraid I don’t have Answers, I just know that we need to try many things, even brand-new things, and keep trying till we figure out what works. And to get this to happen, I hope you will keep writing our elected officials about the importance of this issue. Any of us could be next in line. We need long-term, permanent solutions, but we also need immediate action to save the lives in front of us. Please remember to be kind! They have so much on their plates.
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
EGG CARTONS & SOUP POTS
Darn! Does anyone know where my egg cartons wound up? I really can’t find them. I scared you all off a couple days ago. And now I really do need more cartons but would love it if you would check with me first before delivering yours so I don’t get drowned again. I’m flat out, empty… I can cook 3 dozen tomorrow; I have just that many cartons. I got the last carton by emptying our personal eggs into the refrigerator door holder.
Most of our soup pots & restaurant pans are out in the community right now, helping make soup. Please bring them back as soon as you can after you’re done. (I completely understand if you need to put your feet up first, though.) I’m down to 4 pots right now. Yesterday I think there were a dozen!
NO STORAGE
Please hold items you’d like to donate for a bit longer yet. I’m trying to educate myself about the distribution channels in our area. If you are knowledgeable, I would love to talk with you.
Except the following items, which should come here to our house. My address is always at the end of every post, along with my phone humber.
* 6×8’ tarps
* aa and aaa batteries
* small green propane fuel cans.
* 50’ long heavy extension cord with multiple outlets, to toss from library for phone charging
* firewood (this should go straight to city hall. Flash headlights at food tent for help unloading. You can contact me first to see if I can set up help and directions for unloading.)
TODAY’S INGREDIENTS
Come and get it! I’ve got #2 left of lentils, 6# of rice, two 4# bags of pasta: ziti & rigatoni. Got two more 5# bags of shredded cheddar. I’ve got a big tub of curry paste that would go great with lentils or potatoes. Half a 50# sack of onions. Ten dozen eggs or so. Jars of chicken soup base. One jar of Pesto. 1# of real Butter. Does any of that sound inspiring? We have soup pots, restaurant pans, paper soup cups and lids, two kinds of paper dinner boxes, and bakery bags. We were gifted today with 100 molded-paper clamshell 3 compartment dinner boxes! Let’s fill them up!
We’re getting a little low on a several ingredients, so I’ll find a volunteer to go pick up more, probably tomorrow. I’m trying to keep plenty of big bulk packages of shelf-stable ingredients here to hand out. Campers particularly like meaty-cheesy-starchy food to warm them up but I don’t have fridge space for the meat.
Sign up on the MealTrain and come pick up some goodies. Double up with a buddy to sign up if you each want to cook for fewer than 50. Or sign up for a 20 person snack. Write the date on each portion lid and all the ingredients on the cardboard box flap you deliver your meals in. Flash your headlights at the food tent at city hall when you arrive with your meal so someone will come collect your food. If you’re signing up for the first time I’d love to talk with you and help guide you through the process.
The MealTrain is basically full till January 11, and then there are lots of spaces. Jump on board!
https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/nnmwke
NEW STANZAS FOR AMAZING GRACE
By Allen Ginsberg
I dreamed I dwelled in a homeless place
Where I was lost alone
Folk looked right through me into space
And passed with eyes of stone
O homeless hand on many a street
Accept this change from me
A friendly smile or word is sweet
As fearless charity
Woe workingman who hears the cry
And cannot spare a dime
Nor look into a homeless eye
Afraid to give the time
So rich or poor no gold to talk
A smile on your face
The homeless ones where you may walk
Receive amazing grace
I dreamed I dwelled in a homeless place
Where I was lost alone
Folk looked right through me into space
And passed with eyes of stone
JAM-A-THON
This Friday, January 8 at 5:00 pm PST to Sunday, January 10, 2021, at 5:00 pm PST
The California Bluegrass Association invites you to join Abigail Washburn, Bela Fleck, Laurie Lewis, and Kathy Kallick in the first-ever Free Bluegrass 48-Hour Livestream Jam-a-Thon! This historic worldwide Bluegrass livestream kicks off Friday, Jan. 8 at 5:00 pm PST and doesn’t stop until 5:00 pm Sunday, January 10. Jam-a-thon.com
BOY SCOUTS TREE PICK-UP
Saturday Jan 9. 7:30 AM – Contact in advance. www.bsatreepickup.com
RADIO FREE FL!P: DO SOMETHING EVEN IF IT’S WRONG
Gordon Bok sings. I looked and I did post this before, but it seems so timely right now. I would offer it to our elected officials struggling with homelessness on behalf of us all. Try stuff! All of us need permission to try new things even though it is inevitable that we will make some mistakes. We hope the mistakes won’t be too expensive, but I would rather waste money than lives. I hope we can offer support to try new things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbL5KyP1jpA&list=PLDtw2SsV4Kvge1sY21_Vccz6wp-RbsBaC&index=292
Love/Fl!p 360-671-4511 2518 Cherry Street flip@columbianeighborhood.org
If you’re willing to share your phone and address with me, personally, I would love that, and would not share it further without your express permission.
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.