The organizers and residents of Tent City 4, the homeless persons encampment currently located at the Community Church of Issaquah on Mountain Park Blvd SW, reported this week they were overwhelmed and overjoyed by the remarkable support received from the people of Issaquah and Sammamish.
Since the residents set up in Issaquah three weeks ago, the donations of food, clothing and assistance have been pouring in. The schedule for cooking dinner for the residents over the next two and half months is full, such is the eagerness of families and community groups in the area to give what they can to men and women having a hard time of things at the moment.
“We hear everyday from so many people who are just wanting to be a part of this, loving being a part of this,” said Tent City 4 Meals Coordinator Steve Burk.
As part of the encampment’s organizing committee, The Reporter met with the remarkable volunteers at the core of Tent City 4 at the church on Saturday morning, to talk about what was needed to ensure its continued operation.
The top five items needed this week are: laundry soap, Q-tips, thermal underwear, creamer and sugar.
Further down the list: all kinds of underclothing, belts, fabric soften/dryer sheets, picnic supplies (paper towels, napkins, paper plates, and especially paper bowls), and Clorox wipes.
Tent City 4 greatly appreciates the generous locals who have been cooking meals and bringing in food for the pantry. It is a great relief for these men and women not to be dealing with hunger in addition to other physical stresses of being homeless.
To make sure contributors bring the most appropriate food, a good rule is to go easy on the deserts, and heavy on the protein.
(The residents have had plenty of chili of late, so no need for more.) Meat, cheese and eggs are good sources of protein, as is fish, and some types of grains.
Jobs board
Of course, the goal of almost everyone at Tent City is to get back into meaningful employment, so they can move into their own accommodation and have a greater deal of self-sufficiency. Tent City organizers are hoping to utilize the variety of skills among the residents by connecting them with both paid and volunteer opportunities in the local community.
Currently in camp is a plumber, an electrician, a number of handymen, and residents with financial management experience and computer expertise.
If you think you could use some Tent City skills or labor for a paid or volunteer project, you can post a notice of what you need done in the Executive Committee tent at the Tent City site. No job is too big or small.
Dental van
A generous group of local dentists has offered their services to Tent City residents, and will bring a dental van to the church in coming weeks to do examinations and other work.
There is a slight cost for this service — about $400 — and the Community Church of Issaquah will be paying for it. Donations to help defray this cost will be greatly appreciated. Anyone wanting to donate can e-mail Earle Jones ehjonz@yahoo.com.
Kelly Kemp from Sports Clips in Bellevue has once again offered her haircutting services free of charge to Tent City residents. A neat hair style and trim of the beard has been shown to be enormously beneficial to men and women seeking work, and is one of luxuries that residents are forced to do without as they struggle to make their pennies stretch to the bare necessities.
Want to get involved with helping the men and women at Tent City find work, stay warm, or just stay positive? Get in touch with Elizabeth Maupin of the Issaquah/Sammamish Interfaith Coalition at elipeter@juno.com., or contact me, Jake Lynch, at jlynch@issaquah-reporter.com.
