Show your support for Coates' Cabinet Hygiene Bank!
OICF’s GiveOrcas catalog runs from May 3-17, 2021
Donate at the link below to show your support for Orcas Community Resource Center’s Coates’ Cabinet Hygiene Bank.
https://oicf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create?grant_id=16362
Orcas Community Resource Center established Coates’ Cabinet in 2019 to combat hygiene poverty and promote wellness. Each month, clients may choose an allotment of essential household and personal hygiene products from current inventory. For instance, we provide shampoo, conditioner and body wash so our clients don’t resort to using harsh dish soap for their bathing needs. We provide toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss as oral hygiene is a critical part of maintaining one’s health, particularly for children. We provide TP, tampons and pads, baby wipes and diapers as no one should have to suffer the humiliation of being soiled because they don’t have proper sanitary supplies. In short, we provide dignity for Islanders.
At its inception, 70 households were enrolled. We provided 1480 Coates’ Cabinet services last year. Let’s work together to keep our community healthy and safe. Thank you for your support, Orcas!
Learn More
If you are a current Orcas Community Resource Center or Orcas Island Food Bank client, you are eligible for a free monthly allocation of household and personal hygiene items such as laundry detergent, dish soap, shampoo, toothpaste, diapers and many other items. Click on the link below for more information on how to access this service.
Our Mission
Helping Orcas Islanders in need by accessing services and support for their well-being.
The Giving Season
Masking up, social distancing, sticking to your pod, Zoom weddings, virtual Thanksgiving feasts – who would have foreseen our new normal back in March when the CDC declared COVID-19 a pandemic? And yet, here we are in the midst of the holiday season, greeting our loved ones on laptop screens, and waving to neighbors from the safety and comfort of our living rooms and front stoops. These are strange days. We’re grateful to be negotiating the chaos of 2020 on our quieter island. We’re sure many of you can relate.
Orcas is unique. Our quirky island community welcomes all living things, no matter how great or small. From orcas to owls, ferns to firs, right-wing or leftist-leaning, young to old – on Orcas Island, and at the Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC), you’re welcomed with open (albeit socially-distanced or virtual) arms. An attitude of gratitude and a willingness to adapt will keep our community sane and centered amidst the changing tides.
Adaptation. That’s something we at the Orcas Community Resource Center know about. We’ve been helping islanders adapt to their challenging circumstances for well over a decade now. And, while we’ve had years to learn the ropes, adopt programs, and implement services for islanders in need, 2020 has given us a run for our money. And we mean that literally! Our budget increased 102%, from $329,612 in 2019 to $667,445 in 2020.As of November, we had already doubled the total services provided in 2019 – 1,265 clients and 699 households were served with 12,860 services. Think about that for a minute. 1 out of every 4 Orcas Islanders has received our help!
As with every challenge, opportunities abound if you’re willing to step back, observe the chaos compassionately, then commit to doing what needs to be done. Earlier this year, our community came together to identify our emergent and long-term island needs via the Economic Recovery and Resiliency community forums. An overwhelming need for an ‘Island Hub where folks can go to get some help’ was voiced by many. You might be surprised to know that an island hub already exists – your very own Orcas Community Resource Center! We’ve been quietly helping your neighbors for some time now, but our vision and scope has expanded due to COVID. We’ve helped islanders secure housing, aided folks in receiving unemployment and medical benefits, filled pantries and bellies with food cards and food bank deliveries, provided personal hygiene and household supplies, kept a watchful eye on our seniors and vulnerable populations, matched clients with mental health resources and counseling, and ensured that requests were granted to keep Orcas Island safe.
We’ve been busy, but we’ve had company. We’ve witnessed friends helping friends, neighbors assisting neighbors, and strangers looking out for one another. We’ve heard countless tales of stress and strife, but we’ve also been inspired by the gifts of love, time and financial support that have been offered by islanders and our sister organizations to salve those wounds. When the need was great, Orcas stepped up by giving to the Orcas Island Community Foundation’s Community Emergency Response Fund (CERF). CERF has been instrumental in allowing the Resource Center to put in the extra time to do this good work. If we were given additional funding, we could do so much more! And make no mistake, there is much more to do. More neighbors to help. More programs to invest in. More services to provide. More love to spread around. We’re in this together. We can’t do it alone. Please consider donating to the Orcas Community Resource Center using our online donation form (www.orcascrc.org/donate) We’re asking for your help as we continue to adapt to changing and challenging times. We’re here for all of it. The good AND hard times. The smiles and the tears. The heartache and the heartwarming moments of 2020. We hope you’ll join us in shaping a safer, stronger, and more unified Orcas for all to thrive.
Happy Holidays Orcas, from all of us, to all of you!
OCRC's Support Really Works!
Donating to the Orcas Community Resource Center helps not only your neighbors in need but the island as a whole. There are numerous ways you can contribute to help ensure the security of our community, such as annual pledges, legacy gifts, and via our Orcas Community Resource Center Designated Fund (OCRC) hosted by the Orcas Island Community Foundation. Every little bit helps! For more information, please email info@orcascrc.org or call us at 360-376-3184.
Learn More About Our New Sponsorship Program!
OCRC is developing a new donor program where community businesses may contribute any amount they wish on a monthly basis. Learn more.
