What began a year ago as an answer to a request over Facebook to help with groceries has morphed into a resource center for community members who are seeking clothing, foodstuffs and the connections needed to survive.
Longtime South Whidbey resident Cindy Buchanan has owned several businesses on Main Street in Freeland over the past few decades, including a flower shop and a video store.
Her newest venture in downtown Freeland isn’t exactly what some might consider to be the most profitable, she acknowledged with a laugh, but it makes up for it in the rewards of helping others.
Buchanan started volunteering her time last March to shop for and deliver groceries to individuals and families in need, from the Clinton ferry terminal to the Deception Pass bridge. Monetary and food donations started pouring in from the community, and Whidbey Island Angels was born.
The network of donors and community members have worked together over Facebook to provide resources for the most vulnerable residents of Whidbey. Buchanan said the group helps about 150 people per week, mostly with food boxes.
The Whidbey Island Angels Resource Center officially had its grand opening on Monday. Buchanan is joined in the new space by two other like-minded organizations, Oasis for Animals and WI Drive.
Working together has tripled the productivity of all three Good Samaritans behind the organizations. Jean Favini, owner of Oasis for Animals, a no-kill animal rescue, said joining forces has allowed her to get help for people who have more than just needs for their pets.
She recalled going out to a residence to pick up a cat that needed to be fixed. The owner, she discovered, didn’t have the proper size in shoes or enough food. Favini called on Heather Mayhugh, the founder of WI Drive, a driving service for the elderly and disabled. Mayhugh was able to drive over food and clothing from Island Angels for the woman.
“If you can just put it all together, it just makes a huge difference,” Favini said.
She will have a meet-and-greet room in the new resource center for people interested in fostering or adopting cats or kittens.
Favini’s nonprofit focuses on finding homes for kitties and getting them spayed or neutered, often booking appointments on the mainland where the cost is low.
“This under-served community, they’re not afraid to call me,” Favini said. “They know I’ll just help them.”
She is expecting “a bumper crop of kittens” this year on the island because of COVID-19 limiting spay and neuter appointments last year. Besides helping housecats, Oasis for Animals also traps feral cats, fixes them and then either returns them or relocates them to barns.
Mayhugh’s transportation services as WI Drive have evolved over the past year, with the most recent addition of a fully accessible wheelchair van. Her office at the resource center is meant to be a “home base” for drivers.
She has hauled donations for Island Angels before, including food boxes.
Mayhugh said Favini helped fix her cats years ago. She said Buchanan has helped her find new clients for WI Drive.
“The amount of people she’s been able to help by doing this is mind-blowing,” Mayhugh said of Buchanan.
Buchanan said Whidbey Island Angels has been able to help the homeless, survivors of domestic abuse and undocumented immigrants by providing food, clothing, housing and other resources. The group has also been able to help with other expenses, such as gas, bills and laundry. For one person, they were able to find a car.
Any item in the resource center is free of charge, although donations are accepted if possible. Buchanan said people have been shocked to hear how the resource center works.
“You’re the one who has to live with it if you’re not doing the right thing, not us,” Buchanan said.
“I don’t feel bad because most likely they need it and we know that we’re doing the right thing. It’s not on our conscience.”
For the food boxes, Buchanan spends $2,000 per month on meat. Each food box is catered to a family’s tastes.
The resource center is run by a dedicated group of volunteers, including Buchanan, Favini and Mayhugh. Buchanan keeps Island Angels running, on top of working full-time at her own cleaning and concierge business.
Having the resource center has helped ease the burden a little for Buchanan, who was previously operating Island Angels out of her own home.
Now, donations of clothing proliferate, neatly organized, on shelves and racks. A large closet has been turned into a pantry for foodstuffs. Another smaller closet is home to paper products, baby formula and laundry detergent.
Buchanan is in the process of purchasing a piece of property. A year from now, she’d like to have her own resource center built for the group, accompanied by a farm where fruits and veggies can be grown.
The Whidbey Island Angels Resource Center is currently only accepting donations by appointment. Buchanan and her volunteers can be contacted through the Facebook page, or by emailing whidbeyislandangels@gmail.com or islandangelsresoucecenter@gmail.com.
The center is located at 1689 Main Street and is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday and Monday by appointment.
So far, Buchanan said she has been hearing that the center is a much-needed hub of resources within the community. Even North Whidbey residents have wandered down the island to check it out.
“It’s a lot of hours and volunteer time and good peoplem and it’s just bringing the community together,” Buchanan said. “And I think that’s what it’s all about, working together.”