One of the many reasons we have to be thankful at Assistance League of Bellingham is for our amazing Community Volunteers! These are non-members who help us out with their valuable time and expertise. One such volunteer is Lisa Schessler, of Bea Hamster Sews, who is a licensed and certified sewing machine repair specialist. Lisa […]

Assistance League of Bellingham’s annual Yule Boutique held on Saturday, November 2th, 2024 was a fabulous success! Assistance League member volunteers were absolutely thrilled with the huge turnout at our annual fundraiser. A huge thank you to all of our friends, family and customers. All proceeds from this fun-filled event support our six community programs in […]

   It’s that time of year again! Over thirty Assistance League of Bellingham member volunteers recently met at Grace Center to do their magic and make 300 packages of our popular Country soup mix and Mexican Lentil soup mix. The soup mixes can be purchased at our upcoming fundraiser, YULE BOUTIQUE, on November 2nd from […]

Join us at our popular Yule Boutique! You won’t want to miss our famous 15-foot-long table loaded with cookies, candies and cakes. Also featured are handcrafted gifts, soup mixes, holiday decoration and vintage collectibles. Free admission. Come early…bring a friend! This annual fundraiser supports our six community programs in Whatcom County.  

Congratulations to the Whatcom County students who won Enrichment Scholarship Awards from Assistance League of Bellingham! Ninety-one scholarships were awarded to middle school and high school students for a total of $70,256. The funds were raised through our Thrift & Gift Shop sales and other fundraising efforts. Click on the link below for the list […]

Operation School Bell (OSB) is thrilled to announce the successful launch of our 2024-2025 program, bringing warmth and dignity to students across Whatcom County. Thanks to a generous budget increase and overwhelming community support, we’ve expanded our reach and impact this year.  Program Highlights Increased Support:  We’ve purchased 2,044 JCPenney gift cards, each valued at […]

Assistance League of Bellingham Offers a Path to Literacy

We just earned our 2024 Platinum Seal with @CandidDotOrg! We are excited to share the work our nonprofit does though our #NonprofitProfile. Learn how you can support us and make a difference. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/91-1039776

Our CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY 50% off Storewide Sale was a huge success! Thank you to our loyal customers and friends for supporting us. Funds raised at this event help support our five community programs in Whatcom County.

Celebrate Volunteers

We are so proud of our new banner representing all five of our philanthropies! Every time you shop or donate to our Thrift & Gift you help support these community programs!  

Each red and white JCPenney’s gift card represents one student clothed in our Operation School Bell program. Last year we clothed 2,123 kids in total! Assistance League of Bellingham is best known for its signature program, Operation School Bell, which provides new school clothing to students in need in grades K through 12 in all eight Whatcom […]

Assistance League of Bellingham’s  Care Center Support program recently gave six care centers in Bellingham and Whatcom County $300 each so that they could select Spring gifts for their residents. Activity directors chose items that were ordered online. Pictured in the photo is Arlene Cano, Care Center Support Chair and Wendy Smith, CCS Committee member […]

The “Busy Bee” Award was given this year to a fairly new member, who took on some big responsibilities and did a fantastic Job. Jo Anne Lowe, her mentor, made the presentation at our last meeting. “Roxy Parise is a retired Bellingham School District employee who, in that capacity, became familiar with  Assistance League of […]

At our last Assistance League of Bellingham meeting, our President, Cathy O’Brien, shared the following in presenting the 2024 President’s Award. “This year’s award goes to a member who seems to never see a problem or situation that she can’t handle!  She always seems to be UPBEAT, ENTHUSIASTIC, and COMPETENT! I am thankful that she […]

Assistance League of Bellingham recently received a $2000 grant from Bellingham Bay Rotary Club for our Operation School Bell program. Working with the school district, new school clothing is provided to students in need in grades K – 12 in all eight Whatcom County schools through this program. Thank you for your support, Bellingham Bay […]

A huge thank you to Whatcom Community Foundation for their $5000 grant for our Teen Team program.  Thank you for your support! Our Teen Team program is a voucher program for homeless high school students identified by the homeless high school coordinators.  The students are given a $125 voucher to purchase clothing and shoes at […]

Next time you make a donation at the alley entrance to our Thrift & Gift Shop, don’t miss our beautifully painted BLUE back door.  Assistance League members Kay, Laurie and Joani pose proudly beside the cheerful door on Saturday, April 13th. A huge thank you to non-member volunteer, Cody, for his time and effort to […]

Sue Oram, Joani Carrington and Nanci Zander (above photo) present Judy Mork with the ABCD Award In presenting this award at our April membership meeting, Joani Carrington, ALB member stated, ” I am honored to have been asked to present the Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award.  It won’t take you long to […]

The Ada Edwards Laughlin Award is named after the cofounder of Assistance League. It honors and recognizes an outstanding chapter member who has contributed significantly while remaining behind the scenes. Assistance League members Kay McDade and Sandy Dentinger presented this award to Kathy Sabel at our last Assistance League general meeting. In presenting the award, […]

Anne Banning was the founder of Assistance League and promoted the growth of volunteering through leadership and education. This award is given to someone who has served in major leadership roles. Assistance League members, Mary Margaret Leu and Nanci Zander presented this award.  “The person we are honoring today with this award joined Assistance League […]

The Joy of Gardening

Assistance League of Bellingham gives a huge thank you to WECU for their $500 Community Builder Grant. Thank you for supporting our Operation School Bell program!

Our Storewide Anniversary Sale was a huge success. What a day it was! Thanks tremendously for your fantastic support… In case you didn’t know, our Thrift & Gift Shop is our main fundraiser for our five community programs in Whatcom County.

“GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT THE BACK OF THE BUS!” Have you see the new Assistance League of Bellingham ad on the back of the WTA bus? Next time you are at our Thrift & Gift Shop, tell us where you saw the bus!

  Assistance League of Bellingham Helps Students Pursue Dreams  

    Assistance League of Bellingham’s Care Center Support program answers the need to bring joy this season with our members shopping for 121 residents in seven care centers in Whatcom County. Our Care Center Support chair works with each center’s activity director who provides us with a personal gift request list for each resident. Membes […]

The above photo pictures delivery day at Assistance League by some of the quilters. Assistance League of Bellingham’s Care Center Support committee members have been busily purchasing holiday gifts for residents of the Care Centers that we support this time of year. The “frosting on the cake” is 122 beautiful handmade quilts donated to us […]

This year, Assistance League of Bellingham’s Christmas tree is located in the main entry of the old museum located at 121 Prospect Street, Bellingham WA 98225. Our tree has a vintage theme with all decorations, except for the tinsel garland, donated from our Thrift & Gift Shop! Even the teddy bears come from the store. […]

  Assistance League of Bellingham Lifts Holiday Spirits

Assistance League of Bellingham SUMMER ENRICHMENT SCHOLARSHIP recipient, Jina Thompson, has incredible experience at California College of the Arts!   “I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the summer enrichment scholarship. I had an incredible experience at California College of the Arts in San Francisco for a month this summer. I was […]

Assistance League of Bellingham is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2023 Enrichment Scholarship Program: Middle School Blaine Middle School: Makina Johnson, Reagan Rosenberger, Daniel Smithan Fairhaven Middle School: Jaeden Heil, Ema Horja, Beckett Lim, Easton Lim, Alexandra Monterola, Ginger Walter Homeschooled: Lauren Knight, Lola Lathrop Horizon: Taebon Maloy Kulshan: Adham Algeddawy, Macy Algeddawy, […]

Assistance League members met at Grace Center, Trinity Lutheran Church on the afternoon of July 11 to honor former members who resigned this year. Those members honored have given hours and hours and years and years of devotion to the success of Assistance League of Bellingham. It was a most enjoyable time for all…relaxing, reminiscing […]

Assistance League of Bellingham’s 2023-2024 board members were recently installed at our regular monthly meeting at Grace Center.  

Mark Turner, Bellingham Bay Rotary Club, presents Mary Margaret Leu of Assistance League of Bellingham with a donation of $1,500 for our Enrichment Scholarship Program.

Please click on the link to view our latest Whatcom Talk Article, Thrifting is Eco-Friendly.    

We are so thankful for the generous donations by each individual and each business to our Sock Drive.Over the two weeks of our sock drive, we were excited and grateful to daily watch our large trunk fill with an abundance of socks of all colors and sizes. The final day brought happy smiles! Our goal […]

Thank you so much to the readers of Cascadia Daily News for voting us BEST THRIFT STORE in Whatcom and Skagit Counties. Assistance League of Bellingham is honored to have served our community for 41 years.

Did you know that Assistance League of Bellingham sells items on ebay for charity? Click on the ebay image on this page to view items available for sale…        

Support our Sock Drive for Whatcom County kids in need. Assistance League of Bellingham is collecting new socks in all sizes at our Thrift & Gift Shop from Wednesday, February 22nd – Saturday, March 4th. Drop NEW socks in our big “sock trunk” at the shop. Thanks so much for your support!

To our loyal customers, donors and grantors…HAPPY NEW YEAR from all the member volunteers of Assistance League of Bellingham! Your invaluable support helps us fulfill our mission of transforming the lives of children and adults through our community programs in Whatcom County.  

Assistance League of Bellingham is sad to announce that their Thrift & Gift Shop was broken into between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Thieves used a sledgehammer to break into a storage room where they stole items being held for online sale which included sterling silver, Disneyana, pewter spoons, waterford crystal, silverplate, vintage knives and […]

Get into the holiday spirit by visiting historic Old City Hall, which will be decked out for the season. View a variety of themed, decorated holiday trees in the Rotunda Room. Admission by donation. Deck the Old City Hall Wednesdays – Sundays (except holidays) Nov. 25 – Dec. 31, Noon – 5 pm I Old […]

This year’s Yule Boutique shoppers were entertained with beautiful music by last year’s Enrichment Scholarship Winners. Performing on cello and violin were Alma, Lilly and Maddie from Whatcom Middle School. The final performance was by Theo from Ferndale High School on piano. What a treat it was to listen to live music from these talented musicians!

Assistance League member volunteers, Wendy and Keven, buy supplies for the 400+ soup mixes recently made. Gretchen, also an ALB member volunteer, takes the leftovers to Maple Alley Inn volunteers who cook for the homeless. We are proud to say that “Nothing goes to waste…everything goes back into the community.”

Members of the BOOKS AND BEYOND Committee, newest program of Assistance League of Bellingham, recently joined with librarians and author, Lauren Tarshis, at an Alderwood Elementary book event. Lauren Tarshis gave a presentation to the students as part of a collaboration with Scholastic and Village Books. The “I Survived” book series is very popular with […]

Assistance League of Bellingham Invites You to Their Annual Yule Boutique Our

SAVE THE DATE! Assistance League of Bellingham’s annual Yule Boutique is Saturday, November 5th. It will once again be held at Grace Center, Trinity Lutheran Church. Member volunteers always have a good time visiting as they prepare Christmas decorations for the upcoming sale.

Operation School Bell (OSB) is an Assistance League of Bellingham Program that recently partnered with the Bellingham Public Schools to answer questions and be of assistance to the families inquiring about the OSB program. We provide school clothes for students in need once the School Districts determine who qualifies for our assistance. Each approved student […]

Assistance League of Bellingham: Expectations and Reality

A huge thank you to our customers for their fantastic support at our 40th Anniversary Storewide Sale last Saturday! We love our customers… ❤️   Our Thrift & Gift Shop is our main fundraiser for our programs in Whatcom County.

Our Books and Beyond program donated 300 books to the Lion’s Club who will hand them out on August 20th at the Back to School Block Party at Bellingham High School.

One of the best parts of volunteering at Assistance League of Bellingham is being able to bring joy into a child’s life. Under our Eating Healthy program Assistance League of Bellingham has partnered with Common Threads Farm to distribute new books with a focus on food and gardening to children participating in the summer mobile […]

Assistance League of Bellingham’s Operation School Bell Program

Assistance League of Bellingham’s President, JJ Oxford, announced  “I am honored and delighted to name Brenda Dennis as the 2022 recipient of the President’s award. She has given so much to the chapter and has a wealth of knowledge and experience that she shares selflessly. She has served on so many committees and the Board, […]

In the words of Jack Johnson, “Going far beyond that call of duty, doing more than others expect, this is what excellence is all about! And it comes from striving, maintaining the highest standards, looking after the smallest detail, and going the extra mile.” It is with gratitude we honor and thank James McLachlan for […]

Karen Griffith-Hedberg is our Ada Laughlin award recipient. The Ada Laughlin award is named after the cofounder of Assistance League. It honors and recognizes an outstanding chapter member who has contributed significantly while remaining behind the scenes. Karen provided quiet, dedicated, reliable service to our chapter. She embodied being inconspicuous as she worked behind the scenes […]

The Anne Banning award was presented to Christy Dahms by President Elect, Sarah Spinks. The Anne Banning Leadership award is named after the founder of Assistance League, who promoted the growth of effective volunteerism through leadership and education. Christy demonstrates personal commitment to the mission and values of the chapter as well as representing the […]

Assistance League of Bellingham is celebrating their 40th Anniversary as a chapter of National Assistance League. Check out the new sign at our Thrift & Gift Shop. We are so proud to have served our community for 40 years!

  In February, Assistance League of Bellingham participated in NATIONAL ACTION WEEK, which annually honors the founder of Assistance League, Ann Banning. Each chapter in the USA participates in a week of service to our communities in honor of our founding as an organization. This year’s focus was literacy and we held a Children’s New […]

Melissa Young and Lindsey McGuirk of the Learning Center are pictured with educational reading materials that were recently purchased for them through the Assistance League of Bellingham’s Books and Beyond Program. The Learning Center is a part of Interfaith Coalition that empowers Whatcom County families and children to get out of homelessness.  The nonprofit’s Learning […]

In a Facebook post, Interfaith Coalition of Whatcom County thanks Assistance League’s Books and Beyond program for their generous donation: “Thank you to Nanci and Shelley of Assistance League of Bellingham for providing brand new educational books and activities for our Learning Centers! These will be so great for tutors to use when helping children […]

    Fourth grade students at Eagleridge Elementary in Ferndale have been the recipient of books purchased by Assistance League of Bellingham through their Books and Beyond Program. Recently Ferndale schools changed their reading program to ARC Core, a high-quality curriculum designed to accelerate learning. As a result, the Eagleridge school library did not have […]

On December 23rd, Assistance League member volunteers Mary Schneider, Nanci Zander and Eileen Malloy delivered 132 new books to Whatcom Strong coordinator Ashley Butenschoen at the Lynden Fairgrounds staging center for flood victims. $500 was used from the Books and Beyond budget to bring joy to some children that have had a difficult holiday season. Whatcom […]

Assistance League of Bellingham…The Essence of Christmas

Click here to learn what’s happening with Assistance League of Bellingham’s philanthropic programs…      

Assistance League of Bellingham is thrilled to report a very successful Yule Boutique! Thank you to all of our member volunteers for the many hand-crafted items and baked goods. Of course, it wouldn’t have been a success without our faithful customers.  This is one of our main fundraisers and the money raised supports our five […]

In compliance with WA State bag requirements, beginning October 1, 2021, Assistance League’s Thrift & Gift Shop must charge a mandatory 8 cent fee for the following: 1. Large recyclable paper bags 2. Reusable think plastic film bags Help protect the environment and reduce plastic litter, use reusable bags. BRING YOUR BAG AND NEVER PAY THE BAG […]

Books and Beyond, formed in 2021, is the newest program of Assistance League of Bellingham serving preschool through 12th grade.  The purpose of this program is to coordinate with local school districts as well as other local non-profits for the promotion of literacy programs. The program is divided into two segments; some members tutor children […]

Assistance League of Bellingham Fills Another Need In Our Community

Have you visited Assistance League of Bellingham’s eBay site? Don’t miss the wonderful assortment of items that you can bid on… Here’s a direct link to alb_thriftshop: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sofindtype=0&_byseller=1…

  Assistance League of Bellingham: A Treasure in Our Community

The Anne Banning Leadership Award was presented by Diane Michel, May 5, 2021. “It is a great honor for me to be presenting the Anne Banning Leadership Award to one of our outstanding Assistance League sisters today. This is the first time ALB has presented this coveted National award to a member of ours. The Anne […]

Joy Dunne, our current Assistance League of Bellingham president, presented the President’s Award to Joanie Carrington at our regular Zoom membership meeting, May 5th. In the presentation, Joy said, “The President’s award, given for the first time this year, is to recognize a member who is excellent at what she does, even in the face […]

Assistance League of Bellingham Awards Summer Scholarships

Presented by Rosemary Selver, Assistance League of Bellingham: It is my honor and privilege to present the Ada Laughlin Award. Ada Laughlin was a co-founder of the Assistance League and was married to Homer Laughlin Jr, “whose family is known for creating the iconic Fiesta Dinnerware that is still popular today.” It’s quite often sold in […]

In recognition of our founder Anne Banning, Assistance League of Bellingham had another successful sock drive within our chapter. Member volunteers collected 853 pairs of socks in all sizes for the students in all eight Whatcom county schools and Lummi Nation. Each coordinator from the school came to our Thrift & Gift Shop to pick […]

What Happens To My Items When I Donate Them To Assistance League of Bellingham?

On March 3, 2021, Assistance League of Bellingham awarded an Above and Beyond the Call of Duty award to long time member Arlene Cano in recognition of her leadership in and dedication to the production of cloth face masks in 2020. This community outreach program of Assistance League Bellingham was created to respond to urgent requests from […]

Assistance League of Bellingham celebrated the birthday of its founder, Anne Banning by doing what it does best, giving back to the community. For National Action! Week, ALB held a Sock Drive during the month of February to benefit Operation School Bell®. The socks will be given to the Bellingham School Coordinators for distribution through the Operation School […]

Assistance League of Bellingham’s Thrift & Gift Shop: See the Wide Variety of Treasures Inside…Join Us for a Tour A

Learn the history of Assistance League and the many ways its Bellingham chapter volunteers have been making a difference in our communities since 1977. Read the latest Whatcom Talk story…how did Assistance League begin?      

Whatcom County, You’ve Been Asking: ‘How Is Assistance League of Bellingham Doing?’  

Following special Covid guidelines, Assistance League’s  Hospital Patient Support program started again this fall after being suspended from March 2019-Sept. 2020 due to the Pandemic. Delci, program chair, reports that since the program resumed in October, 100 items of clothing which include sweatshirts and sweatpants, have been delivered to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Hospital. We are […]

Learn about Assistance League of Bellingham’s  Hospital Patient Support program, which has served Peace Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center patients since 1999—and how you can assist by shopping at ALB’s Thrift & Gift Shop. Read more…  

These young kindergarten through 12th grade students are still growing. The clothes and shoes they wore last year, or even last month, most likely won’t fit anymore. Everyone knows what it is like to wear something that doesn’t fit comfortably. It’s hard to concentrate when your pants are creeping up your leg or your shoes are pinching your toes. […]

Operation School Bell® is the signature program of National Assistance League. Our chapter works with school coordinators and partners with Bellis Fair Mall and Target to clothe K-12 public school students. Teen Team partners with Fred Meyer to clothe homeless, unaccompanied and emancipated high school youth. In our 2019-2020 fiscal year, ending May 31, 2020, […]

Enrichment Scholarship Program winner Ella Thompson produced this noir-inspired comedy short film while attending an online summer camp offered by the New York Film Academy. SHORT NOIR FILM: Believing is Seeing  

You can once again visit Assistance League of Bellingham’s Thrift & Gift Shop at 2817 Meridian Street, across from Haggen, open Thursday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We gladly accept donations at the back door in the alley Thursday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept large […]

  Assistance League® of Bellingham: Join to Make a Difference in Your Community, Stay for the Friendships You’ll Forge  

Even though our Thrift & Gift Shop remains closed to the public, our volunteers are hard at work cleaning, sanitizing, and restocking so that when we can reopen, our customers will find new and interesting treasures. Watch on this website, Facebook or Instagram for further information on our plans to open our doors to the public. Meanwhile, we […]

ALB volunteer member, Sarah, collected and donated iPads and a few baby monitors to Palliative Care at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Their thank you note reads: Dear Sarah, Thank you for donating your device and collecting multiple other devices for the palliative care team. During this time of COVID, families are not permitted to visit their […]

Our Assistance League Care Center Support Committee is writing cards to Care Center residents in Whatcom County who need a little moral support during this lonely time. We are writing to tell them that they are not forgotten and we value them and all the work that they have done during their lives to build […]

Below is an article from the April 26, 2020 Bellingham Herald: According to Mary Elliott, the founder and executive director of the Bellingham Makerspace, the creation of masks happened organically. “Honestly, there were a number of women around town who just kind of organically saw a need for cloth masks,” Elliott told The Bellingham Herald. […]

In response to the letter and mask that Assistance League of Bellingham member Arlene Cano sent to GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE, Assistance League Bellingham received this note dated April 9th: “Many thanks for the wonderful masks. I know your work is giving many people both confidence and protection. Wash your hands!” Jay Inslee

What do you do when your volunteer-driven nonprofit organization has to close its Thrift & Gift Shop and shutter most of its philanthropic programs? You start making face masks for medical and social care workers! Assistance League Bellingham members are passionate about helping our community.  That’s clearly demonstrated through our Philanthropic Programs, some of which […]

On April 2, Governor Inslee made a plea to manufacturing to come up with ways to help fill the supply of items for the care and protection of the residents of Washington as well as the USA. I thought, he must not know about all the women in Washington sewing and donating face masks to […]

Driven by our strong belief that everyone in the Whatcom community should lead a healthy and secure life, the members of Assistance League of Bellingham have joined the Whatcom County effort to make face masks to help protect medical and social workers. We have pulled together all the supplies we can find from our Thrift […]

Assistance League of Bellingham recently joined Whatcom Talk, which shares stories about what it’s like to live, work, and play in Whatcom County. Click on this Whatcom Talk link to learn “Where Can You Get a Good Deal and Do a Good Deed?” Our first “Local Talk” features our Thrift & Gift Shop and a very special customer and […]

Assistance League of Bellingham is pleased to announce that students in 28 middle schools and 60 high schools in Whatcom County received summer enrichment scholarships in March. Nearly $60,000 in scholarships will go toward the tuition for qualifying summer programs in 2020. AWARDEES: Please email espchair@albham.org to make arrangements for your scholarship payments. Thank you! Awardee […]

Our SOCK DRIVE for Operation School Bell, in honor of our Assistance League founder Ann Banning, and 2020 National Action Week, was held at our Thrift & Gift Shop February 18th-29th.   Members and customers donated new socks to be put into the large trunk located in the shop. We filled the trunk!   The […]

Subscribe to receive Thrift & Gift Shop updates sent to your email and be the first to learn WHAT’S NEW! at our shop. On the Thrift Shop page on this website, sign up for “Shoppers News” and each week you will receive an email with information about the weekly sales and new displays at the […]

Assistance League of Bellingham’s philanthropic program, OPERATION SCHOOL BELL®, clothed 2276 Whatcom County students in October. Nine clothing times were offered to qualifying K-12 students in the eight school districts. Students were registered at each school district by the School Coordinators to shop at the Target Store at the Bellis Fair Mall at specific times […]

Assistance League volunteer member volunteer, Christy Dahms, was recently interviewed about our Operation School Bell program by Tony Jukich, Hello Bellingham editor. Click on this link to our Operation School Bell page to watch the video and learn more about our signature program and what positive effects it has on the students in Whatcom County.

Great work by Christy Dahms and her PR elves resulted in very positive coverage of this year’s Assistance League’s OPERATION SCHOOL BELL activities. Check out the Twitter story and photos carried by Hello Bellingham at the link below. Hello Bellingham on Twitter: “@ALNational Operation School Bell partners with two local department stores to provide clothes […]

Thank you to both Bellingham Co-Op locations for choosing Assistance League as the local nonprofit to receive 2% of their sales on October 19th. Your support helps finance our four community programs serving Whatcom County residents If you didn’t get a chance to shop at the Co-op on October 19th, it’s not too late to […]

As a participant in Assistance League’s ENRICHMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, Isabel Ferris had a memorable summer camp experience. “Thank you so much for the $900 scholarship to Japan Seattle Suzuki Institute this summer! I learned invaluable techniques to help me play violin better, and my confidence in playing rose. It was such a joy to make […]

Hooray! We have over 600 Facebook Likes! Thank you to all our followers and to those who “Like” our page. Tell your friends…

Thank you to Deanne Kanenaga for sharing this information about her son’s camp experience. “Marcus Kanenaga was a recipient of an enrichment scholarship in 2019. He is already back from 8 days of viewing the stars with the University of Arizona staff and co-campers. Please find attached a shot of Marcus with his roommates at […]

As a member of the Care Center Support Committee, Carol Robertson sends birthday cards to residents of care centers in Whatcom County. “I joined Assistance League in 1997, leaving the Everett chapter which I joined in 1975.  Arriving in Bellingham, I was a full time member, and enjoyed working at the thrift shop. I can no […]

The 6th Annual Assistance League Fashion Show “Struttin’ into Spring” was held at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club on April 13th, 2019. A delectable champagne and filet mignon lunch was served.  The event has become a springtime hit with the socially minded, well dressed set attracting a sell out crowd of over 200. Several […]

Assistance League of Bellingham offers Summer Enrichment Scholarship opportunities to Whatcom County students who are currently enrolled in grades 6-11 in a public school (or are home-schooled with a public school affiliation).  Private school students do not qualify and students who are related to an Assistance League member may not apply for a scholarship. The scholarships […]

Each Enrichment Scholarship Program application is reviewed, evaluated and scored by at least two committee members, sometimes three. The scoring rubric consists of a total of 60 points divided into three areas. The students can earn up to 20 points for the content of their essay and up to 20 points for writing skills such […]

The new Assistance League of Bellingham board of directors was installed at the regular monthly meeting at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club on May 1st, 2019. They will begin their official duties June 1, 2019 with Eileen Malloy serving as president. Congratulations to the new board!

At our regular Assistance League meeting, Operation School Bell® chair, Joani Carrington, expressed appreciation to the member volunteers for helping clothe K-12 students at Target. She happily reported, “We are proud to say that in 2018-2019 we clothed 2,225 students!” Students are selected by the school district homeless liaison coordinators, based on enrollment from all eight […]

Since it became a guild in 1977, then a chapter in 1982, Assistance League of Bellingham has served more than 40,000 residents in our community. It has done so by raising more than $3,800,000 to fund our programs in Whatcom County!

Target was presented with the National Operation School Award at our recent fashion show, “Struttin’ Into Spring”.  Target has been partnering with Assistance League of Bellingham for the past five years in helping to clothe children through our Operation School Bell® program. The event takes place each October in approximately nine clothing sessions. This year Target […]

For each annual Fashion Event, a trio of talented Assistance League members come together to create a dozen amazing gift basket presentations. These are our “Opportunity Baskets” that can range in value from $150.00 to over $300.00. A single raffle ticket can win one of these wonderful baskets. These beautifully designed baskets are one of the […]

From Assistance League Guild of Bellingham in 1977, to Assistance League of Bellingham in 1982, to present day Bellingham and Whatcom County, we have created a forty-two year history of growth and fulfilling our mission. Our chapter has served more than 40,00 residents in our community and has done so by raising more than $3,8000,000 […]

Volunteer members of Assistance League are thrilled with their new outdoor sign advertising our Thrift & Gift Shop. Check it out the next time you drive by on Meridian Street! We are open Tuesday-Saturday 10 am – 5 pm. Free parking…bring a friend! All proceeds fund our four community programs here in Whatcom County.

You can find us on Facebook, our website at assistanceleague.org/bellingham and on Craigslist. To find us on Craigslist: go to Craigslist.org, select Bellingham listings, then click the “for sale” listings.  In the search box put the words “AL Thrift” and our current ads will come up. Did you know we ALSO have an eBay presence? eBay auction items are […]

Fred Meyer is donating $2.5 million per year to non-profits in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, based on where their customers tell them to give. Do you shop at Fred Meyer stores? They have a community plan that can earn Assistance League of Bellingham donations! All you need is a Fred Meyer Rewards card! If you […]