Recipe for an Empowered Community

Nonprofits, Community Foundations, volunteerism and generosity nourish one another

By Kim West Actkinson for Orcas Island Community Foundation

We all have a story about what connects us most to the uniqueness of our island communities: the natural beauty, the community warmth, the celebration of creative expression, the significance of indigenous culture, the active healing arts network, the commitment to environmental preservation, the importance of local agriculture and food systems, etc.

Although the stories vary, they all contribute to our collective meaning and serve as the main ingredients in the recipe that nourishes our thriving communities.

While the availability of these unique ingredients is essential to the quality of life here, the very attributes that make the San Juan Islands such a special place to live make for a recipe that requires some special equipment, techniques, and extra hands in the kitchen. For example, although the geography and remoteness of the islands create such natural beauty and fertile growing environments, access to things like year-round employment, affordable housing and other critical resources that are readily available on the mainland is more limited.

In the San Juans, it’s not possible to simply drive to the next town over to access all the resources we need, find a less expensive place to live, or look for a new job. Instead, we have to get creative with the resources we have on hand in our own “kitchens”.

That’s why neighbors helping neighbors hits different here. It’s not only the friend bringing gluten-free lasagna when illness strikes. It is a complex ecosystem of generosity that’s embedded in our island culture that ensures the needs of islanders are being met. This potluck of support is prepared by generous donors, local businesses and community foundations then served up family style by nonprofits with the help of their board members and volunteers.

With this network, the community is able to provide basic needs through social services while nurturing the things we love most about our island communities.

In our daily lives this looks like:

Community resource centers, food banks, and land trusts ensuring access to basic needs like healthcare, food security, and affordable housing is always on the menu,

Environmental and agricultural organizations stewarding the land and water ways, and supporting local agriculture to sustainably grow and produce quality local ingredients,

Community volunteers preparing, serving, (and cleaning up after) a weekly free lunch to the entire community,

Museums, community theaters and dance collectives feeding the souls of the community through music, dance, or art,

Nourishing the minds and hearts and bodies of the community’s youngest members through early education programs, well-funded schools, and booster clubs, and

Collaborative partnerships educating the community on the traditional foodways and culture of local indigenous people.

To effectively nourish our communities in this way, everyone plays a crucial role in the kitchen. For community foundations like the Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF), that role includes centralizing support with the help of donor contributions, identifying needs in the community, building capacity for nonprofits to address those needs, and inspiring generosity to mobilize resources so the community is able to invest in itself.

In order to keep nonprofits well stocked with the proper tools and equipment, community foundations help organizations build the capacity to meet the needs of islanders through efforts like board training, grantmaking, and connecting volunteers – to ensure there are enough cooks in the kitchen.

Foundations like OICF are central to the community, so they are acutely attuned to its needs. With the help of community support, foundations are in a unique position to meet the community’s changing needs through the development of new initiatives and community programs. For example, OICF provides fiscal sponsorship to incubate young projects like the Orcas Island Community Dental Clinics, Orcas Island Sexual Health Alliance (OISHA), Local Immigrant Family Treasury (LIFT), and the Early Childhood Education Initiative (ECEI).

When additional help is needed, foundations engage the support of community members and local businesses to inspire generosity. OICF’s GiveOrcas and other collective community giving campaigns like GiveLopez and SJI Cares promote the generous spirit of the islands and allow donors at all levels to invest in the community regardless of contribution level. By hosting funds, community foundations also enable fund holders to contribute to a larger pool, generating greater returns that are further invested in the community.

The impacts of investing in the community doesn’t stop at the nonprofits and the people to whom they provide services. As employers, nonprofits, community foundations, and local businesses also contribute directly to the recipe for economic vitality – to further address economic barriers at the core of the challenges we face.

Like any good recipe, ours is one we should be proud to share with others who face similar barriers in uncertain times of social service funding and resource access. Together, we can not only help San Juan County; we can also contribute to the nourishment of the wider community.