Financial relief for people who don’t need that influx of cash presents a perfect opportunity for our community to donate to existing COVID relief funds. While many of us have our basic needs met, there are also many in our community who do not. As funds will be deposited directly into bank accounts, please consider whether your funds, or a portion thereof, could be donated to address local unmet needs.

Consider this sort of donation if you do not need the government funding. Pay it forward.

Information about the various local organizations to consider that assist people in addressing essential unmet needs, such as housing security, food and business financial support can be found at: l2020.org/covid-19/. Local 20/20 updates this page frequently.

Also consider those who won’t be receiving the government support: undocumented immigrants, homeless individuals with no addresses or Social Security numbers, or young people who may not be in the work force. These folks are some of the hardest hit in this time of pandemic contraction.

Some direct ways to aid community members include: temporary rent reductions, gifting (more than lending) money, buying and giving gift cards from the Food Co-op, purchasing CSA memberships to local farms, etc. Get creative. Give more than lend. Let’s hang on to our community identity as the place we want to sustain into our collective, albeit uncertain, future. Thanks in advance for our collective generosity.

Judith Alexander
Port Townsend