{"id":1734,"date":"2022-12-09T17:44:38","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T17:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marereport.namma.org\/?p=1734"},"modified":"2024-01-19T20:59:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T20:59:58","slug":"christmas-in-vancouver-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marereport.namma.org\/index.php\/2022\/12\/09\/christmas-in-vancouver-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas in Vancouver, Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/marereport.namma.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/THE-MARE-REPORT-Christmas-in-Vancouver-Washington.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption>Article audio (courtesy of Don Sheetz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>by Susan Huppert, NAMMA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a pair of number nine knitting\nneedles that introduced Carol McQuellen to the world of seafarers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carol lived as a child in Vancouver, WA and returned there when her husband retired in 1970. As was typical in those days, one step to settling in a new community was finding a church. During her search, Carol met a group of about seven women knitting for seafarers at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Vancouver. She joined the ladies and her journey of knitting for seafarers began. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mission, she said, began caring for seafarers many years earlier with the grassroots support of Methodist and Episcopal churches. Since then, it has grown to include support from all faiths and it cares for people from any country according to Fort Vancouver Seafarers&#8217; Center Executive Director Kent Williams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Fort Vancouver Seafarers\u2019 Center is located in the Port of Vancouver USA on the Columbia River in Washington. The goal of the outreach is to provide the best care and respite possible for the visiting seafarers of the world. Located within the port, the Vancouver center has much in its favor including a 5,000 square-foot indoor space on a one-third acre lot. The center offers resources including free warm clothing, a chapel, recreation, and most importantly, personal contact with those who care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting off their ship where the groan of\nthe engines never stops is important for the crew. The mission transports\nseafarers to shopping outlets and the center where providing pool tables and\nbasketball courts create a change of routine for those who have been onboard\nfor days, sometimes weeks. Over 20 years at the center has taught Williams that\nextending your hand to another and authentic face-to-face interaction is really\nthe best you can offer.&nbsp; Volunteers are\ncritical in this role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Vancouver center lost volunteers because\nof the pandemic. However, four new ship visitors have joined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are back to about the same regarding volunteers, as pre-pandemic,\u201d said Williams. \u201cWe realize that the pandemic left residual emotional damage that doesn\u2019t go away overnight.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Volunteers collect contents and fill ditty\nbags for year-round distribution to the 336 ships they see annually. During the\nChristmas season, special mugs and handmade hats are included. Gracious\nseafarers respond as they come and go during the holiday. Giving ditty bags is\na gateway to conversation and connection with seafarers that in a strange place\nsomeone acknowledges them and cares. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One variable that has changed is funding.\nWilliams says that the increase of homelessness in the county has caused\nfunding sources to support the more visible needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVancouver is a very giving community,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when the condition of the neighborhood goes down, the level of support from mainline churches follows. He speculates that another contributing factor may be the recession. Either way, funding is a key factor to continue outreach among the seemingly unseen population of seafarer missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even the knitters confess that a donation of yarn really helps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McQuellen recalls when her knitting group\nmade 193 hats to give away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis year we only made 120,\u201d she said.\nCombined with others the center provides a total of 600.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is a wonderful ministry,\u201d said the\n85-year-old volunteer who completes a circle of international ministry with\nevery stitch she takes. \u201cWe have a few ladies that are very dedicated and have\nstarted to knit for next year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We think it\u2019s a worthy cause. Knowing that somebody who may be from a warm place like the Philippines and heading on a cold ship for the North [Pacific] can benefit from the hats we make . . . that\u2019s why we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Susan Huppert, NAMMA It was a pair of number nine knitting needles that introduced Carol McQuellen to the world of seafarers. Carol lived as a child in Vancouver, WA and returned there when her husband retired in 1970. As [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":2481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[386],"tags":[242,571,570,39,308,538],"class_list":["post-1734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christmas","tag-christmas","tag-kent-williams","tag-knitting","tag-seafarers","tag-vancouver","tag-washington"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Christmas in Vancouver, Washington - The MARE Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the heartwarming story of Carol McQuellen and her journey with the Fort Vancouver Seafarers\u2019 Center, dedicated to providing care and respite.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marereport.namma.org\/index.php\/2022\/12\/09\/christmas-in-vancouver-washington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Christmas in Vancouver, Washington - 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