Standing with Families in Crisis Every Day, and in Disaster Recovery: Community Action’s response in times of uncertainty

Every day families come to Community Action for help to prevent a crisis: hunger, housing our four Resource Centers and programs that provide help with food, housing, basic needs, and getting ahead.

When larger community disasters strike, neighbors who are already working hard to get by face an even greater risk of falling behind — and often find themselves most in harm’s way, based on where they live and work, and scarcity of everyday resources to recover from the unexpected.

Examples:

  • In 2014, the Oso mudslide cut off food bank customers in Darrington – as well as hundreds of households newly at risk of food insecurity due to not being able to get to jobs, grocery stores, and due to the sudden increase in the cost of transportation to get around the mudslide. Community Action’s Skagit Food Distribution Center coordinated response and helped meet those needs.
  • In 2025, a federal government shutdown cut off SNAP food benefits for more than 15,000 families in Skagit County. Before the crisis hit, Community Action published the most comprehensive list of food resources in the county, and our Resource Centers helped people navigate a scary time and provide for their families.
  • Weeks later in 2025, historic flooding added to instability. Some families came to our Resource Centers still wearing muddy waders, asking for help. With significant support from partners like the Skagit Community Foundation, we stepped in to fill urgent gaps, including deeper support to those families identified as most impacted by the flooding. Through our Resource Centers and Food Distribution Center, we provided emergency vouchers, utility and energy assistance, and flexible financial support to hundreds of local families. By reaching out, neighbors were able to meet immediate needs, stay housed, and begin the path toward stability.

Resilience: Community Action’s Infrastructure

When disaster strikes, Community Action’s established infrastructure—and the frontline staff who power it—allow our organization to respond quickly as community needs continued to evolve. Flexible funding from donors, foundations, and federal and state CSBG (Community Services Block Grant) allow us to act nimbly and redeploy people and resources where they are needed most. Through trusted resource hubs across Skagit County, staff adapted in real time to meet urgent, complex, and changing needs:

  • Resource Centers in Anacortes, Mount Vernon, and East County, along with Skagit Vets Connect in Burlington, served as critical access points for individuals and families seeking immediate support. Across these sites, Community Action provided information and referrals to hundreds of community resources; application assistance and ongoing support in English, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian; and direct access to flexible emergency vouchers for food, fuel, propane, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and other critical needs.
  • The East County Resource Center played a central role in the Upriver flood response. Staff coordinated emergency sheltering, resource distribution, and the continued operation of the Concrete Winter Shelter, while also co-locating at emergency shelters to issue vouchers on-site. As needs shifted, frontline staff delivered individualized solutions, ranging from replacing lost medical equipment to delivering emergency firewood to seniors who had lost their winter supply.
  • At the same time, the Skagit Food Distribution Center doubled deliveries through the state’s Emergency Food Assistance Program, supplying food to more than 20 food banks and meal programs across Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties.
  • Skagit Volunteer Center: To mobilize community support, Community Action responded to a request from Community Organizations Active in Disaster by launching a dedicated Flood Response Volunteer page through the Skagit Volunteer Center, connecting community members to urgent volunteer and in-kind donation needs across more than 250 nonprofits.
  • Communications & Coalitions: Within one day of rising floodwaters, Community Action also launched one of the county’s most comprehensive flood resource pages. Shared with 4,500+ partners, businesses, donors, elected officials, and clients, the page ensured consistent, accurate information during a rapidly changing emergency, reducing confusion and strengthening coordinated response.

Case Study: 2025 Winter Flooding Intensifies Vulnerability

Severe flooding across Skagit County displaced families, damaged homes, disrupted access to food and utilities, and placed immediate strain on emergency shelters and community systems.

As waters receded and temperatures dropped, Community Action’s staff saw firsthand that the needs of our community continued to evolve. Families returned home to mold, lost belongings, soaring utility bills, missing identification, and an uncertain path forward. In this context, emergency response alone was not enough; what was needed was coordinated, flexible, and sustained support grounded in trust and local infrastructure.

A Frontline, Coordinated Response
When flooding began in December 2025, Community Action mobilized immediately as a frontline provider, coordinating and delivering essential services countywide. With staff on-site at emergency shelters and decades-long partnerships across Skagit County, Community Action was among the only primary providers coordinating comprehensive services during both the emergency response and the long-term recovery.

Rather than building new systems in crisis, Community Action activated its proven, countywide emergency infrastructure, allowing staff to act quickly, bundle services, and coordinate across agencies and geographies. This same infrastructure has supported Skagit County through prior emergencies, including COVID-19, the Oso mudslide, SNAP disruptions, government shutdowns, and earlier flooding events.

At our Resource Centers and shelters, families arrived—sometimes still wearing muddy, chest-high waders—concerned about mounting utility bills as fans ran nonstop to dry their homes. Community Action met families where they were, connecting them to emergency vouchers, energy and utility assistance, and immediate supports that eased stress and restored stability.

Impact
To meet rapidly evolving needs, Community Action received flexible support from generous community members, businesses, and partners that could be deployed in real time:

  • $78,700 received from businesses, partners, and individual donors
  • $60,000 pledged from foundations and businesses for continued recovery

This support enabled a rapid, flexible response-allowing Community Action to issue emergency vouchers, purchase critical supplies, expand food distribution, and ensure residents could access what they needed, when and where they needed it. Through a partnership with the Skagit Community Foundation, flood survivors accessed motel stays after emergency shelters closed, with staff continuing to walk alongside families as they began rebuilding.