Thanksgiving basket registration begins Friday

The Community Assistance Program (CAP) is once again putting turkey on local residents’ plates by providing Thanksgiving meal baskets for families needing financial assistance. Registration for baskets begins Friday, October 1.

This year’s baskets will contain turkeys, potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, stuffing, gravy, chicken broth, rolls, butter and milk, among other traditional ingredients, said Shirley Tobian, CAP’s Thanksgiving basket director.

Families can register online at blainecap.org and those unable to register online can call 360/935-1539. Registration ends Friday, November 12.

Unlike previous years, residents will not pick up their Thanksgiving baskets by Cost Cutter. Instead, they will be handed out in Birch Bay at the Camp Horizon Dining Hall, 7506 Gemini Street. Local firefighters will hand out the baskets during a drive-through pick-up at the dining hall from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23. Pre-registration and masks are required.

CAP is a nonprofit made up of local churches and serves Blaine, Birch Bay, Custer and Point Roberts residents with services that range from the annual Thanksgiving baskets to crisis financial assistance.

In 2020, the program served 270 families and anticipates an even higher volume of need as Covid-19 moratoriums end. The total cost baskets will be about $15,000 to $20,000, Tobian said.

The program, which runs solely on donations, is looking for community support. People can make a credit card payment on blainecap.org, or mail checks to P.O. Box 1067, Blaine, WA 98231 with the subject line “CAP Thanksgiving Basket Fund.” Donations are tax-deductible because of CAP’s nonprofit status.