On Oct. 19, the Skagit Habitat for Humanity Store truck made what is probably its final visit to Orcas Island. With the Exchange due to open after the first of the year, Orcas Islanders will have a local spot to recycle and reuse serviceable items. In the interim, the SHFH Store has been glad to provide an alternative.

We want to thank all the donors whom we’ve met over the past 18 months, especially those we met on more than one occasion. This would not have happened without the coordination and cooperation of Pete Moe of Orcas Recycling Services, and employees Rinda and Cindy. Jason Linnes of Island Market gets a tip of the hat for his continued willingness to let us park our truck in the Market’s parking lot so that we were easy for donors to spot. We even had volunteers walk up to the truck and offer to help unload items so that we could pack them in the truck–thanks for your spontaneous gesture.

Our very special thanks go to Colleen Armstrong and the Islands Sounder, and to Margie Doyle and OrcasIssues.com for their support for each trip we made. Without your help getting the word out to the community, the response would have be more limited. Bulletin boards are OK, but these two sources were outstanding.

We want to wish the new Exchange all the best for its reopening, and we’ll stay in touch to see if we can help again in the future. Until the Exchange is open, remember you can take items to the Habitat Store at 1022 Riverside Drive in Mount Vernon. That’s just five minutes south of Costco. If you have questions about what the Store can take, go to www.skagithabitat.com and click on the “Store” button for a complete list of items to donate.

Jim Duffield

Orcas Island