Weatherization is the foundation of a home’s energy efficiency. It prevents the loss of warm or cool air through unseen leaks and seams. It’s an easy, cost-effective way to increase the comfort of your home while saving money and energy. Reducing energy use also helps the environment.

Puget Sound Energy has programs that support you in weatherizing your home by offering savings on insulation, air sealing and duct sealing. This support will help you keep the heat inside where you want it and stay warm all winter long.

Learn more at pse.com

This message was made possible by your electricity and natural gas provider, Puget Sound Energy.

Heigh-ho! It’s the Holidays! What a trip! What a party! What a mess! Did you know that, during the Holiday Season, Americans typically generate 25% more trash  than the rest of the year?! Do you think, maybe, we could amend that figure? Sheesh! Talk about getting wasted! We could, you know, buck this terrible trend by utilizing Vashon’s free resources devoted to reducing waste and encouraging reusables. Make your next party a no-trash bash using the Vashon Dish Library. It’s all laid out for you on the Zero Waste Vashon website homepage under Quick Links. You can score nearly anything and everything you need for a Class-A event free of single-use items: dishware, tablecloths, linens and utensils. Forget paper and plastic. It’s like you made a real investment in this event. Additionally, you can avail yourself of the Vashon Chamber of Commerce’s Reusable Cup Project, which offers a stash of stainless cups that are perfect for beer, wine and other beverages. Contact the Chamber to learn more. Thank you for helping to keep Vashon clean and green over the holiday season.

Be honest now. I know, I’m just a voice on the radio, but I have a really important question for you. Are you afraid? Afraid of someone or something out there and it’s  kind of messing up your life right now? And getting help is so painful and awkward that it’s like so hard that it’s easier just to put it off. But what if help were to meet you half way? Because we’ve got that for you, just a phone call away. Two days ago King County announced the launch of the Stop Hate Hotline. And here it is: 833-766-7481, or  833-STOP-H81. The launch of the Stop Hate Hotline represents King County’s unwavering commitment to creating a community where every resident feels safe, valued and protected from hate and bias. This hotline provides crime victims and survivors support, resources and assistance in reporting the crime to law enforcement if they choose. Now people can speak up anonymously against hate and know their privacy will be safeguarded. That number once again: 833-766-7481 or 833-STOP-H81. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement.

Indivisible Vashon is excited to announce a series of talks that have the possible potential of calming jangled nerves in a tough time. Dr. Larry Hubbell, a Professor Emeritus at Seattle University and an 11-year Vashon resident, will offer four evenings in which he will present “Finding Courage in Dark Times – Public Sector Heroes Rediscovered”, examining the lives of John Lewis, Eleanor Roosevelt, Fred Korematsu, and Eugene Debs. Each of these people will be matched with other people who stood on the opposite side of our heroes, namely Sheriff Bill Clark of Selma Alabama, Senator Joe McCcarthy, Attorney General of California, Earl Warren and President Woodrow Wilson. These talks will illustrate the kind of crises Americans faced in the 20^th Century, not unlike the crises we face today during the second term of the Trump administration. Each talk will be introduced by a notable Vashon-Maury Islander followed by a summary of the actions Indivisible is currently taking to address the current day crises. The talks are sponsored by Indivisible Vashon and will be offered at the Vashon High School theatre at 7PM on the following dates: September30, October 14, October 28 and November 11. The talks are free but a donation is requested of those who are able. The first talk of September 30 looks at the civil rights pioneer, John Lewis, and will be introduced by Islander and historian, Bruce Haulman. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement.

You want to take a day trip but there are 11 people in your family. So, take two cars? Well, maybe, but why? When you can borrow a Community van from the county that will carry that many folks? You can do that. Pick it up at the Vashon Chamber of Commerce. Cost you $2.75 per adult; $1.00 for seniors; the driver and youth under 19 pay nothing. Gas, insurance and bridge tolls are included with fare. Pay with your ORCA card, Transit GO ticket app or Human Services bus ticket. (Cash not accepted) Reserve the van at least two days in advance via web at kingcounty.gov/communityvan, or email communityvan@vashonchamber.com. All trips require an approved driver and at least two riders, boarding the van in Vashon. Drivers must be 21 years old, meet driver requirements and complete free training. Now aren’t you glad you live here? This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement, Easy Living Department.

Your donation will fill the gap left by state and federal funding gaps so that our support reaches more students. Together, let’s show our students that even in uncertain times their education is our priority. Visit our website at Vashonschoolsfoundation.com to learn more and please consider a generous donation for the next generation. And thank you!

The mission of the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank is to work in partnership with our community to increase our island’s food security and connect people to the supporting resources they need to thrive. What this means is that there is no need for anyone on Vashon or Maury Islands to ever go hungry no matter who you are or what your income level may be. The Food Bank serves over 300 households per week and distributes food at the Bank itself every Wednesday from 10AM till 2PM, and then again, later in the day, from 4 to 7PM. And this message addresses the supply side of our operation as well. Nonperishable food and clean grocery bags with handles are always welcome in our blue donations shed or in the drop-off receptacles inside Thriftway or IGA. If it’s your time or energy or, hey, even your money you want to donate visit www.Vashonfoodbank.org. If you eat, then this announcement was all about you. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement, Basic Needs Department.

After some research, a group of folks who live in Burton have become roused to the fact that they live in a VERY INTERESTING PLACE. And so they have teamed up with the Heritage Museum to work on developing a Burton History Trail, a walking trail with signs that tell the history of the Burton Community from the first Swiftwater People villages to the development of Vashon College and the Children’s Missionary Home, to the bustling gateway to Tacoma and to the present village with Harbor Mercantile and the Burton Coffee Stand at its core. So a community meeting is planned for Sunday, June 4th at 3PM at Camp Burton to give feedback on possible routes and maps and help work on designs, funding and other vital issues. And if this project interests you, you don’t have to live in Burton to take part. After all, you can’t get to Burton without going through Vashon, and any Burton attraction is an attraction for the whole Island. 3PM on Sunday, June 4th at Camp Burton. The more, as they say, the merrier. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement, Keep Vashon Cool Department.