Whatcom Faith Community Immigrant Support (WFCIS) Newsletter - May 5
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.
Thank You for Making Mother’s Day Special
Thanks to your generosity all of the mothers we serve received personal care bags with a card from all of us!
Tamale Thank You for Volunteers
We had a surprise tamale lunch on Tuesday when one of our families brought tamales for all of the volunteers. It was so great to connect with this mom and her children that have been through so much and wanted us to know how much they appreciated our support!! The tamales were delicious and we wish we could have shared with all of you!!
Food Donations for Tuesday, May 12, 2026
First Congregational Church
North Entrance Social Hall 10:45 – 11:45
Donations that Work Every Week:
Thank you for the additional fruit. Please keep it coming – cutie oranges, apples, bananas, limes
This week it would be helpful to have additional packages of rice and pinto beans,
We continue to need and appreciate your donations of:
Eggs
Yogurt, queso, and mozzarella cheese
Cilantro, Any kind of peppers, Roma tomatoes
Community-wide Food Donations – You Can Help!
Do you have gift cards from Winco or Fred Meyer you are not using? Do you know a business that might donate a food item we deliver? 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. Please let us know by emailing WhatcomFCIS@gmail.com with that information. One of the leadership team members will get back to you asap.
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.com 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.
Kaylee Galloway (Dist. 1): kgallowa@co.whatcom.wa.us, (360) 303-1644
Elizabeth Boyle (Dist. 2): eboyle@co.whatcom.wa.us, 360-319-2310
Jessica Rienstra (Dist. 3) jrienstra@co.whatcom.wa.us, 360-319-2535
Mark Stremler (Dist. 4): mstremle@co.whatcom.wa.us, (360) 935-1266
Ben Elenbaas (Dist. 5): belenbaa@co.whatcom.wa.us, (425) 395-4833
Barry Buchanan (At-large A): bbuchana@co.whatcom.wa.us, (360) 224-4330
John Scanlon (At-large B): jscanlon@co.whatcom.wa.us, (360) 935-1523
or you can email all of the County Council members with one email: council@co.whatcom.wa.us