With a little help from your friends

Circle of Care has funds available to help people through life’s little emergencies, from broken eyeglasses to keeping the heat on.

The “Our Finest Hour” fund was started with impetus from Crystal Water Beach homeowner Gary Morrison who reached out to his neighbors and collected $500 for the local food bank and Circle of Care to help people during the Covid-19 pandemic and associated restrictions. “They seeded it and the fund has grown,” said Annelle Norman with Circle of Care. Other donations including $1,000 from Whidbey Telecom have grown the fund to $3,000, she said.

Norman said the fund was intended to help people where other government assistance was not available or sufficient. “If someone is struggling and what they’re getting isn’t going far enough and they need something essential, that’s what the fund is for,” she said. This could include a needed repair, gas to get to an appointment, or even covering a propane bill. Requests will be evaluated to see if they are appropriate for the program or if another funding source might fit the bill. “We want there to be enough to go around,” Norman said. “We can’t pay people’s rent and there is other help available for that.”

Requests for funds are confidential and can be made to 360/945-5222 or prcircleofcare@gmail.com. Donations to the fund can be made at Banner Bank or online at prcircleofcare.com.

The Circle of Care van has been mostly inactive with many Point Roberts residents cancelling appointments in Bellingham, but Norman said they have continued to arrange rides for people who needed to get to Bellingham and the Thursday van program would start back up as need increased. “This is getting longer and people will be needing to reschedule appointments,” Norman predicted. The van can accommodate four passengers and a driver while maintaining recommended physical distances.

Circle of Care also continues to offer free home delivery of groceries ordered from the Point Roberts Marketplace, and has face masks available for free sewn by volunteers with donated fabric. They can be reached at 360/945-5222 or prcircleofcare@gmail.com