Whatcom Faith Community Immigrant Support (WFCIS) Newsletter

Written By Douglas Branson

Whatcom Faith Community Immigrant Support (WFCIS)

April 28, 2026

 We are people of faith seeking to support immigrants in Whatcom County. Though our traditions are diverse, we share the value of celebrating and defending our immigrant neighbors.

Making Mother’s Day Special

We will be delivering small Mother’s Day gift bags on Tuesday, May 5th with personal care items and candy. Please consider donating additional small items that can be included in the bags. We will be including a special Mother’s Day card from all of us.

Food Donations for Tuesday, May 5, 2026

First Congregational Church

North Entrance Social Hall 10:45 – 11:45

Donations that Work Every Week:

We would love to have more fruit – apples, cutie oranges, bananas, limes.

  • Rice in small packages

  • Pinto beans in small packages

  • Eggs

  • Yogurt, queso, and mozzarella cheese

  • Cilantro, Any kind of peppers, Roma tomatoes

Special items requested this week:

  • Dish soap 

Community-wide Food Donations – You Can Help!

Two members of our leadership team coordinate donations from stores and use financial donations to purchase additional food to make sure we can support all families. If you know of businesses or organizations that would donate food items or other family need items like soap/toothpaste, please let us know by emailing WhatcomFCIS@gmail.com with that information. One of the leadership team members will get back to you asap.

Do you still need volunteers? YES!

We have an amazing abundance of volunteers each week and we appreciate each person. Maybe it is because we find the time together so valuable, but people frequently ask – do you still need volunteers?

The answer is yes to all types of volunteer opportunities – donating food, transporting food boxes to the church, organizing donations, and delivering food boxes. We know with the summer months coming soon people will be traveling and it will be immensely helpful to have additional donations, extra people helping, and substitute drivers each week. Our strength is that this is a network of people drawn from across the community!

If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to WhatcomFCIS@gmail.com.

NEW MAY Sign-Up Genius – Please Sign-up 

We now have a new Sign-up genius account that we hope will be easier to use. It really is a help to the coordinators if you sign up so we know how many people will be available to help on any Tuesday. Please email us at WhatcomFCIS@gmail if you continue to have problems signing up and want to be a part of the fun on any Tuesday.

Tuesdays 10:45 – 1:00 – Receive and organize food donations, fill boxes, and help load delivery vehicles.

May Sign-up for Food Boxes

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0548ADAC2FA4FFC25-63542303-may2026

Tuesdays 12:00 – 12:45 – Transport food boxes from Food Bank to First Congregational church. We use three vehicles that can hold approximately 20 food boxes at one time.

May-Sign-Up for Transporting Boxes

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0548ADAC2FA4FFC25-63542168-may2026

Supporting our immigrant neighbors

is a community effort!

Whatcom County residents have created a petition calling on the County Council to amend Whatcom County's zoning code to make civil immigration detention centers, processing facilities, and related enforcement infrastructure a prohibited land use throughout all of unincorporated Whatcom County. Each city in the county will need to enact their own ordinance.

Beyond banning the facilities themselves, the ordinance would bar county employees from issuing any permits that enable ICE infrastructure, and prohibit the county from entering contracts, leases, or agreements that provide land or resources to support civil detention operations. Similar ordinances have been passed or are being considered in King & Pierce Counties, and the cities of Seattle, Kent, SeaTac, and Tukwila.

Action 1: Sign this petition to let our county officials know what you want.

Action 2: Contact your County Council member or use the county email to send a message to all of them.

or you can email all of the County Council members with one email.

Douglas Branson
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Mother’s Day Craft Fundraiser for BUF