We Have to Help Our Neighbors
Mr. Rogers was famously quoted recalling something his mother told him as a young boy, “Look for the helpers.” He would become distressed as a child seeing reports and images of scary things in the news and this was his mother’s comfort, that there were also people helping during scary times.
But at some point, to the best we can, we have to be the helpers.
Care For and Connect With Your Neighbors
“Neighbors” and “friends” are words I tend to use when greeting someone in my shop or when I’m out in the community. Maybe it’s because I’m getting old. Nevertheless, I enjoy using these words because I want to push the boat out on what it means to identify someone as a neighbor. They might not be someone who lives right next to me, but they are an individual I care about and would want to connect with if they, or I, are ever in need or distress.
Things that impact a neighbor have some likelihood of impacting me as well, so at the very least, caring for and connecting with neighbors is enlightened self-interest.
It can also be somewhat performative; maybe others will see me trying to help a neighbor and be inspired to help their own neighbor.
But, in most cases that I experience personally, if I don’t offer material help at a time when I could, it gnaws at me and I carry that burden for quite some time. I may not be able to offer much to many, but I can offer something to someone.
And, sometimes, the only thing I can offer is my platform and voice.
The West Coast Is Devastated
I am a Midwesterner, through and through. I’ve been to California twice as an adult. I’ve never been on the West Coast north of Los Angeles, California. But the whole coast is engulfed in historic wildfires that are a nightmarish reality to hundreds of thousands of people.
We have to care for our neighbors, even those who you’ve never met, even if they live in parts of the country you’ve never visited.
I have friends that I care deeply for who live in this part of the country and I have a best friend who lives near me in Muncie who is from Oregon. I get a glimpse of how much they are emotionally wrecked by the layering of catastrophes, first a pandemic and now the very land they reside on is reducing to ash. All during social upheaval and disruptions to normalcy of daily living.
How quickly things progressed in the Portland area regarding the smoke and ash from the wildfires.
Photos taken of the community 15 miles away from where Erin M. lives.
I cannot imagine or fathom what it must be like.
But, I want to connect people to the best of my abilities for others to help as much as they can.
I would hope someone would try to care for me and my wife if something like this happened to us in the Midwest. And, the longer we continue down the path we are on as a society that is not showing a collective will to tackle climate change, this will happen to all of us at some point or another in some way or another.
It’s time for some collective enlightened self-interest.
Running List of Opportunities to Help
I will be collecting and posting links to various nonprofits, GoFundMe efforts, Venmo and PayPal type accounts, and more as I am made aware of them so that readers of this blog post can find some way they feel comfortable to give.
I have not personally vetted all these links, I would ask that you make sure you feel comfortable to give before giving, but please find somewhere you feel comfortable to help. I’ll make a note as to where I found the links so that you can have some sense of how I became aware of them if it helps you make decisions in your offering of help.
I will post updates to the list as more are sent to me and move them to the top of the list so that they are viewed.
If you live in Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, or any other state that has been impacted by the wildfires, please reach out and we will do what we can to help.
Links As Of Sunday 9/13/2-2020:
GoFundMe for Rob & Sharon Boehm (as provided to me by my dear friend Emily W.)
American Red Cross updates and donation pages (as recommended to me by Anna P.)
Saving Grace Pet Adoption Center to help care for the animals and pet-owners in Oregon (as provided by Erin M.)
Thriving Waters: Umpqua Valley Farm to School (as provided by Erin M.)
GoFundMe for Dan & Sue Myers (as provided by Erin M.)
GoFundMe for the Miller family (as provided by Erin M.)
GoFundMe for the Quimby family (as provided by Erin M.)
GoFundMe for Simon Talcott, who was fighting fires while his home was damaged by wildfire (as provided by Erin M.)
A Venmo request via Facebook for the folks at 138 Grill who have been helping feed and care for those in need (as provided by Erin M.)
Provided by Erin M. “This mama has a newborn baby and had about 20 minutes to leave their home before it burned to the ground. She has 3 kids total and her husband. They found an apartment and are furnishing it and had a trailer full today.”
GoFundMe for Tashina Najmar (as provided by Erin M.)
United Way of Greater Douglas Fire Relief Fund (as provided by Erin M.)
A donation compilation for Jackson County (as provided by Erin M.)
GoFundMe for the community of Glide (as provided by Erin M.)