We all know that Bellingham is chock full of do-right people and organizations.

At the Volunteer Center, we’re lucky enough to get to know many of them and how they benefit the community.

Over the next few months, we'll be blogging on this site about some of the great non profits that you may or may not have heard of. They range from charities in the traditional sense that cover the basics of food, shelter and clothing (and do it well). And then there are others that handle uniquely modern-day issues like e-waste and environmental restoration from past generation's mistakes. We hope this blog will inform and entertain you. Please feel free to comment or contact us if you know of an organization that we can highlight.

Assistance League of Bellingham

Born in the rubble and ashes of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Assistance League is the oldest tried and true west coast non profit. Since then, chapters have sprung up across the country, and 102 years later, the beat goes on.

While Almodovar films play across the street at the Pickford, The Assistance League Thrift Store on Cornwall sells clothing and household items in support of some pretty cool and important programs.

Every year, 850 kids get a full set of clothes from the AL. Everything from socks on up is provided – new – to kids whose families would otherwise be unable to afford clothing. Operation School Bell costs about $100 per kid. Your purchase of items from the thrift store supports that program.

I hadn't thought of this, but when a victim of crime arrives at the hospital and the clothes are taken away to be looked at for evidence, how is the patient then clothed? Assistance League provides clothing to them at no cost. Same for women and kids arriving at Womencare Shelter with possibly only the clothes they are wearing.

Perhaps a relic of their beginnings as a group of older society mavens in the early 1900’s, Assistance League faces a challenging problem: “aging out”. With the average age of a volunteer at 67 years old, Bellingham’s AL really needs younger community members to volunteer.

And they recognize it. Dawn, who runs the store, is working with a Western student on putting together a plan on getting WWU kids down the hill and volunteering with the store or one of the programs.

But the program needs volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. We’re asking Bellingham readers of this blog to head down to the store and help this awesome non profit help others in times of need.

Benefits of volunteering with Assistance League:

You directly help kids living in poverty and domestic violence survivors when they need it the most.

Dawn and Donna, who I also met, are two of the nicest people in Bellingham. I theorize that nice people attract other nice people, therefore I speculate the rest of the staff are a bunch of sweethearts as well.

It’s a block from the Bus Depot. With gas at $4 a gallon, a 75 cent bus ride is looking pretty good these days. (It’s totally bike-able, too)

It’s downtown, so lots of good places to eat/drink/socialize before or after you volunteer. Well maybe not the "drink" part before you volunteer. Unless it's a nice lemonade or something.

It’s a pretty easy gig that you can do any time of the year.

It's a THRIFT STORE! Hello!