Today, we continue our series of interviews with volunteers who make up the strong right arm of Wallingford service organizations.  Volunteers are a vital part of any non-profit organization’s operations, but this has never been more true than over the past two years. As COVID’s impact has left many in our community struggling, local non-profits have had to adapt and adjust their programming to meet the ever changing need.

Patrick Long – Historic Wallingford

Patrick has always found a way to work for his community. Out of college he became involved with Schumacher’s Small is Beautiful and appropriate technology movement. …

Meridian Playground was once the orchard for the Good Sisters of the Home of the Good Shepherd. Some of the original fruit trees remain. The Friends of Meridian Playground (FOMP) propose to replant fruit trees to fill in for some that are now missing. The Seattle Dept of Parks and Recreation has agreed, so now the question is how many and where.  FOMP is asking for your opinion through an online survey.

We have lost 28 of the trees that were accounted for in the 1982 Park Master Plan. The question to you is just how many should be replanted, …

The Wallingford Community Senior Center will hold a free Covid vaccine clinic on March 24 from 10 am to 3 pm. This clinic is for any of the first three doses if you have not yet received all of them — either children or adults. It is also for the 4th dose booster for all folks older than 65 years and folks of all ages who have a compromised immune system, either natural or medically induced, such as by chemotherapy, treatment for chronic kidney disease, or genetic deficiencies.

The Covid vaccine works by training the B cells of your immune …

This year, in response to the 2020 Census, new boundaries are being drawn in Seattle for our State legislative districts, our King County Council districts and our City Council districts. The new lines divide Wallingford quite differently for each of these three levels of government.

State Legislature Districts  Redistricting has already been completed for the State Legislature and the County Council. The new district boundary for the State Legislature now divides Wallingford along the east-west line of N/NE 45th St. Folks who live to the south of N/NE 45th will stay in the 43rd Legislative District while folks north of …

There are several bills with proposed amendments to land use law working their way though the legislature. In Washington, state law requires each city and county to prepare land use plans, sets minimum standards and establishes an Urban Growth Boundary to prevent major new housing development projects outside that boundary. It was adopted to avoid cities having to pay to extend sewer and water lines all the way out into the wilderness. The strong population growth in many cities in Washington has prompted the legislature to amend the law to require cities to create more opportunities to build housing inside …

Today we continue our series of interviews with volunteers who make up the strong right arm of Wallingford service organizations.  Volunteers are a vital part of any non-profit organization’s operations. Never has this been more true than over the last two years. As COVID’s impact has left many in our community struggling to stay afloat, local non-profits have had to adapt and scale up their programming to meet the ever changing and increased need. Throughout the pandemic, volunteers have been on the front lines, helping ensure families and individuals can access food, essential resources, and so much more.

Alison Parsons …

The simple truth is that when it comes to non-profit service organizations in Wallingford, it is the volunteers who make it happen. None of these organizations collect enough money to let them just hire staff to provide the services that are so badly needed in our community. Today’s post starts a series of interviews with volunteers who make up the strong right arm of Wallingford service organizations.

Barb Burrill – Friends of Meridian Playground

Barb is a “serial volunteer” – she always finds a new community need she can help with. She got started volunteering at John Stanford Elementary School …