Letters to the Editor

Banking on charity
The Editor:
The Blaine food bank has been a member of our community for over 30 years. The holiday season is an especially busy and exciting time for our volunteers.
Every Thanksgiving and Christmas we provide a $10 gift certificate to our families as well as bags full of all the trimmings for their traditional turkey dinner. These bags of groceries include sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, cans of vegetables, potatoes, onions, stuffing, cans of fruit and a cake mix. All this is made possible through grants and the kind donations of our community.
The Blaine food bank provides for over 600 local families and I have to admit, the volunteers that provide the weekly bags of food are a dedicated and tireless group of people. Their spirit for service and community is overwhelming.
Washington state ranks second in the nation for hunger. On average, five percent of Washington households went hungry between 1998 and 2000. This means that at any given time, five of every 100 Washingtonians are hungry because they cannot afford food. In Washington state, from 1997 to 2002 people needing emergency food assistance in rural areas had an increase of 26 percent. Food has become an optional item for some of our working families. With rent, utilities and other expenses, poor families rely on food banks or merely go without.
Although these facts are sobering, the great news is that ordinary people can help to end hunger by donating time and/or money. If you are interested in helping, please contact the Blaine food bank at 332-6350.
Sheila Connors
Blaine food bank, President
Blaine

Giving tree gives thanks
The Editor:
We’d like to thank everyone who attended the Giving Tree dinner/dance on Friday night to help the children of Blaine and Birch Bay have a brighter Christmas. A special heartfelt thank you goes out to the guys in Crystal Tricycle and their guest performers. Also to John and Matt and their crew at Dakota Creek Roadhouse. Thanks, you’re wonderful!
We still have families in need of sponsors. Anyone interested in sponsoring a child for Christmas please contact Stafholt at 332-8733. Thanks again to everyone.
Laurie, Debbie and Wendy,
Blaine

They dare you...
The Editor:
Bank NorthWest’s Birch Bay branch would like to extend a friendly challenge to other businesses in the area to support the Thanksgiving dinner project.
We have donated $500, enough to feed 11 families, but more help is needed. Volunteer project coordinator Annie Magner estimates dinners will cost about $45 per family this year. The goal is to be able to provide dinners to 100 families. That adds up to a whole lot of turkeys, potatoes, pies, yams, green beans and more.
We encourage other businesses to support one, two or even 10 families just as we have. By working together, we can make a small difference in the lives of 100 families in our community.
Making a donation is simple. Just stop by Cost Cutter in Blaine and tell them you’d like your donation to go toward the Thanksgiving dinner project.
We also hope you’ll join the fun on Wednesday, November 27, from noon-2 p.m. at Pizza Factory to put together the baskets then head out to deliver them to the families.
As we give thanks at this time of year for all the good things in our lives, we believe it‚s important to take a little time to help those who haven’t been as fortunate. We hope you will consider helping, too.
Glenn Powell
Bank NorthWest, Birch Bay

We are proud
The Editor:
I am writing to express our pride of the girls soccer season. They have entertained us all year and have fought hard for their love of the game and for the Borderite name.
Little fan support and numerous bumps and bruises have not slowed them down from going to state and making our town proud. If you missed the games this year, I can tell you it was your loss, not theirs. Kudos to the young ladies and their supporters.
Leo and Tina Baldwin
Blaine

Work crews deserve news
The Editor:
You ran a nice article recognizing public safety organizations recently. I’m writing to let you know you missed one significant organization: the City of Blaine Public Works. These people, especially the front line crews, are out every day in all weather working to make Blaine a safer and more beautiful city for everyone.
The work they do is usually more preventive so they don’t get the same exposure to the public as the fire department, police department, and Coast Guard but they deserve the same recognition and respect.
Scott McBride
Blaine

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Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10 names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to:
225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 or fax 360/332-2777.
E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com

Letters Policy

The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com