How are you doing? In these strange and very uncertain times, I want to make sure that we are connecting even more than usual with you. I know that my family, my staff, and myself are in the thick of the rapid changes, uncertainty, and anxiety from the daily COVID-19 updates and the economic recession that is so suddenly upon us.
While we look for ways to help our community in the short term and connect folks to resources, RE Sources staff are going to do what we’ve done for 36 years: Stay alert to protect the water, climate, and outdoor places we need for a livable future. Because polluting industries won’t peel their attention away, we must work to get through the COVID-19 pandemic together and also continue protecting the places we love.
I invite you to reach out to me and let me know how you’re faring, or if you know of any needs in the community.
If you’re seeking ways to help our community, here are a few things you can do:
- Last week, we made the difficult decision to temporarily close The RE Store. We’re now offering over the phone and online sales. Here’s how you can shop with us and show your support:
1) Shop with us online
2) Email us with special requests
3) Purchase gift cards
4) Donate! - Support communities of color with Front & Centered’s Frontline Response Fund – COVID-19.
- Helping make approved, DIY medical gowns medical workers fighting the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more how you can volunteer for the effort with Bellingham Makerspace here.
- Give to the Washington State Labor Council’s Foundation for Working Families, a nonprofit formed by the WSLC and its affiliated unions to assist union families in times of hardship or disaster.
As we work to keep people safe from physical, emotional, and economic hardship, I invite you to hold fast to this truth: When we work together, we can root change. We’re already seeing the effects of collective action to flatten the curve of the virus, which shows us what we’re capable of when we unite as a global community with one focus, and elevate the common good above corporate profit. In this way, how we navigate this outbreak can give us a surge of hope for our future, and a road map for how to get there.
You and I are truly in this together. Let’s stay connected so we can maintain our resilience and not lose sight of the long game.
In gratitude for you, my community,
Shannon Wright
RE Sources Executive Director
shannonw@re-sources.org