Submitted by: Whatcom County Executive’s Office
Whatcom County, we are so proud of you for taking Governor Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order seriously. Because it is serious. Every time you choose to stay home, you are doing your part to protect your neighbors, friends, and family. Staying home is proof that you care about your community.
We also know staying home is challenging. But we are asking that you keep it up. We know it’s hard. But as Governor Inslee said in his recent press conference, we must keep it up for the health of our communities. So we’re urging you to continue to do the right thing for your fellow community members—stay home. Unless you are going to the grocery store, work, or a medical visit, skip the trip.
Many people continue to work to ensure our county has food in our stores, we have medical care when we need it, and water continues to flow from our taps. Stay home for them. Stay home for the people in your life that you love; your grandparents, parents, neighbors, and friends.
Staying home isn’t easy for everyone in Whatcom County. Staying home may mean we don’t get paid, we can’t go to school, or we can’t pay rent. Not all of us have the same access to resources like medical care, sick leave, jobs, food, or housing that keep us going and cushion us in these tough times. This puts some of us at greater risk of getting sick, going without basic necessities, losing our income, or even our home. It means some kids can easily access online learning to keep up their education while others can’t. And it means some of us will get COVID-19, and some of us won’t.
That’s why it’s so important we stay in this together. Because we can all take action every day to care for our neighbors, our friends, our families, and even the strangers we’ll never see. Consider ways that you can give back to your community:
- Check on neighbors. Some of your neighbors may be having a hard time at home. They may feel isolated, or home may be unsafe.
- Consider dropping off a care package to a neighbor, using safe social distancing, or help with getting groceries.
- If you or someone you know feels unsafe at home, the following resources are here to help.
- Brigid Collins Family Support Center offers individualized support and resources to families in Whatcom and Skagit counties. To speak to staff in the Whatcom County office call 360-734-4616.
- Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services offers support to adults experiencing domestic violence and has a 24-hour phone hotline at 360-715-1563.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline offers support through the chat feature on the website or over the phone at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).
- API Chaya specializes in supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking with people from or affiliated with Asian, Pacific Islander, and Middle Eastern communities.
- If at any time you are questioning the safety of adults or children, Adult Protective Services and Child Protective Services may be the appropriate and necessary option.
- If you can contribute financially, these local organizations are accepting funds and other types of donations to help Whatcom county residents meet their needs.
- Local Food Banks: Ferndale Food Bank, Foothills Food Bank, Bellingham Food Bank are some options.
- Chuckanut Health Foundation: COVID-19 Relief and Response Fund.
- Lhaq’temish Foundation and Whatcom Community Foundation: Resilience Fund.
- United Way of Whatcom County: Emergency Recovery Fund: COVID-19.
- Support a local business
- Buy a gift card, shop online, call-in orders, or get delivery if it is offered.
- Strengthen local farms by signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Box.
The more we can all stay home, the sooner we can get back to business as usual. It may take a while. Reducing our in-person contact with one another is our best tool to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. We are grateful that most of us are doing our part to keep our community healthy. We see you staying home, Whatcom County, and we’re proud of you for it! We know it’s tough, and we know it’s inconvenient. We also know that it will make a difference.
Thank you, Whatcom County. We are in this together.
