Letter from Vashon Island: Community Service in Troubled Times

On Sunday, February 1, more than 50 Vashon Islanders convened at the Vashon Presbyterian Church for a Stone Soup discussion of meeting the needs of our neighbors during these difficult economic times.  The gathering was organized by Vision for Vashon  as part of their continuing efforts to organize and create resources for the community.

Inspired by the story of Stone Soup, Vashon Islanders each brought a contribution to the evening’s meal.  The organizers then created two delicious pots of soup to enjoy while we discussed the ways in which the “Deep Recession” has affected us, what our fears for the future might be, and what we might do as a community to buffer the ill winds that blow over the Island.

As the organizers emphasized, the economic crisis is like a wildfire on a windy day . . . there is no way to know which way the wind will carry the fire.  Therefore, those impacted by the economic crisis should avoid feelings of guilt about their situation.  In view of the non-responsiveness of the economy to the Federal Bailout up to this point, the wildfire analogy is particularly apt.

The community forum was extremely successful in creating a venue that allowed neighbors to overcome traditional cultural inhibitions about discussing their financial situations. Perhaps this is the most important step in creating an opportunity for the community to pull together to find local solutions to the global problem. Neighbors related their experiences with humor, honesty and integrity.  There appeared to be a commonly shared deep appreciation for the opportunity to tell individual stories. 

This writer found the discussion among neighbors fascinating.  There appears to be a consciousness that a fundamental change is afoot in our consumer-based economy. One member at our table, who lost his home to a medical crisis several years ago, offered that he had learned “just how little” he needs to get by.  Others in our discussion group shared their real fears that they may lose their homes to missed mortgage payments, or the lack of health insurance, or increasing difficulties finding work in the area due to a more stringent ferry schedule.

Despite the vivid description of shared hardships, there was a strong sense of optismism arising from the shared commitment to community solutions to the problems people were facing. Perhaps the most important contribution made Sunday was the willingness of people to offer information to their neighbors on resources that are available.  Vision for Vashon is working to publicize those resources.

While we at Go Vashon have established links on this site to several of the resources that exist to provide food and shelter, we have decided to take another step and use the power of this website to link people with specific needs to people who have the resources or knowledge to contribute.  For example, if a person needs to have some work done on their car, we will publish that need under our Living Green category and search for a contributor on that topic.  Think of it as a Good Samaritan’s Craig’s List.  Eventually we hope to develop a deep reservoir of resources for our community which will sustain our lives independently of the faltering economy.

As always, remember that subscriptions to Go Vashon are free.  We encourage our readers to write in with skills, knowledge or other resources they might offer or to describe specific needs  they may have.  And tell your friends about this service!

Chip Lamason, February 2, 2009

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February 5, 2009 at 7:00 am Leave a comment