The Lopez Island Family Resource (LIFRC) continues to work hard to serve our community! We have been putting together a variety of new programs to address needs on Lopez, including:
1. Creating a food specialist position to launch a gleaning program focused on harvesting extra fruit, then processing and preserving it for food banks through the winter.
2. Tackling the crucial housing shortage. The one-night count in January identified 59 households (101 individuals including 30 children) that were homeless on Lopez. We are partnering with others to develop more low-income rentals including supportive housing.
3. Providing additional support to households in crisis by offering intensive expanded case management, which empowers individuals to use their talents and strengths to make positive changes in their lives.
4. Offering over 100 summer workshops since there is no parks and recreation department on Lopez. A partnership with the library creates six weeks of half day childcare (that can often be paired with afternoon workshops) to meet the needs of working parents. Scholarships are granted so that all children can participate.
5. Strengthening the Lopez community through our first Compassion Lopez week. Random acts of kindness witnessed by community members were collected and posted on Lopez Rocks, and the week’s finale, a community sing-a-long, can be viewed at http://lifrc.org/compassion-lopez-sing-with-your-heart/.
Generous support from LIFRC donors is what makes this work possible. On Wednesday, May 10, you have the opportunity to make an important positive difference by donating to GiveBig. Mike Halperin and Jodi Green have pledged $5,000 and Jamie and Lauren Stephens have pledged $2,500 as an incentive challenge. Our goal is to raise at least an additional $7,500 so we can continue to address community needs on Lopez!
You may schedule your GiveBIG donation now at https://www.givebigseattle.org/lopez-island-family-resource-center.
The resource center would like to express our gratitude for the incredible generosity and compassion of the Lopez community.
