Our featured Local Resource for this edition of Get to Know a Resource is Ferndale Community Resource Center. Lucy Morse, Coordinator for the Resource Center, took the time to fill out our questionnaire so you could get a chance to learn their story.

For those new to Whatcom County, give us a thirty second elevator speech about your organization.

The Ferndale Community Resource Center is a project of the Ferndale Community Service Cooperative, a registered non-profit group dedicated to linking, supporting and strengthening organizations that serve families and build community. The Resource Center is a place where people can get together with their neighbors, solve problems, learn from each other and find out about the myriad resources available in the greater Ferndale area. The Resource Center staff supports anyone who approaches us to develop the skills they need to be self-sufficient, productive, and participating in the life of the community.

We also house a number of social services, including Catholic Community Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Services, a (National Alliance o­n Mental Illness) NAMI support group and The Other Bank.

As you can tell from our website, we love data. Share with us three interesting data points that highlight your work.

• Each week twenty-five families with children in the Ferndale schools who receive free and reduced lunch are served by the Other Bank which provides basic hygiene supplies o­nce a month to those families.
• The Whatcom Dream conducted a 12-week session this fall (2009) o­n personal finance, getting out of debt and other issues. Several families participated in the class.
• Ten families are taking a seven-week Strengthening Families class that began in January that the Resource Center is coordinating with WSU Extension Service and the Ferndale Boys and Girls Club.

Though we love data, we still have heart. Tell us about an experience that has made your work worthwhile.

A family with two young children came in to the Center, homeless and without any funds. They had sold everything and had planned to move to a job in Alaska, but the job fell through. They were carrying everything they owned including a dog and a cat in their pick-up truck. The parents spent several hours each day over the course of a number of days at the Resource Center, getting dry and warm while we worked to find whatever resources might be available to them.  

They were resourceful themselves and together we pieced together some options. They used the Worksource computer to look for work, applied for housing, received gas, food and shower vouchers and learned where they could park their vehicle in a safe place where they would be allowed to stay overnight. They learned about dental options for an emergency situation that o­ne of them was experiencing.

Most importantly, they felt welcome and comfortable at the Resource Center. We gave them the time to pull themselves together in their own fashion and timing. They returned a number of times over a two week period and seemed to experience relief simply from the caring connections we offered them.

Community health issues cross a number of sectors and agencies. Tell us about your organization's role in the complex web of community health.

We serve individuals seeking assistance.  We help the variety of organizations functioning in the area to communicate with each other and to learn how they can better serve the community. By offering support and connecting these organizations, they collaborate o­n programs that would not be possible individually.  We bring people together to meet the challenges we face individually and as a community. We serve primarily the people living within the Ferndale School District, including Lummi Reservation and Lummi Island. 

Dream big here, if your organization received a sizable grant, what would you do with it?

We would develop permanent positions, which are currently supported by volunteers and temporary workers, to coordinate the Resource Center and develop programs. We would be able to pay staff for their work. This would support continuity in the work which would in turn lead to development of programs and supports that address the community’s needs and desires for connection. We would expand our programs, possibly including o­n-going classes in gaining control over personal finances, women’s health, trauma support, mental health support and any other community-generated ideas.

Give us your pitch! What are ways for a person to get involved with your organization?

As a program of the Ferndale Community Service Cooperative, the FCRC is supported structurally by that organization. The Coop needs board members who are interested in the broad issues they deal with such as fiduciary agency for smaller organizations and technical support for those and other agencies.

We welcome new Advisory Committee members interested in creating direction and focus for the coming years. We are in the process of creating a strategic plan to guide our development.  We encourage and welcome participation from anyone in the community.

We are completely dependent o­n the community for our well-being and growth. Any monetary or in-kind donations are deeply appreciated and well-used.

Any final words for our readers?

We welcome all visitors at 5694 Second Ave., Ferndale from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. o­n Fridays. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 1709, Ferndale, WA 98248 and our website is ferndalecrc.org.  Contact us by email at reception@ferndalecrc.org. 

The Ferndale Community Network, a program of the Ferndale Community Resource Center, is open to anyone in the community and we meet o­n the first Monday of the month at noon at the Resource Center.

Please get in touch with us! We like to talk with newcomers, people who need help, and people who want to offer something to the community but are not sure where their gifts and talents could best be used. In short, we'll talk with everybody. Our goals include creating a strong, vibrant, inclusive community.




Now that you've learned a little about the Ferndale Community Resource Center head o­n over to their Local Resource Listing for information o­n how you can get involved.

If you would like to have your organization featured o­n in a Get to Know a Resource article, fill out our short Questionnaire!

Get to Know a Resource Questionnaire