'Neighbors Helping Neighbors': Lewis County Residents Look to Offer A Hand

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Lewis County residents Chris Brewer and Colin Hamilton met up at Hamilton’s house on Saturday with the intention of finding a way to help the community in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s a task Hamilton admits is much easier said than done in a climate as dynamic as the one they find themselves in. 

The following day, Gov. Jay Inslee ordered all bars, restaurants and other entertainment facilities to close statewide. More were going to be impacted by the effects of COVID-19 and the need for those willing to help was only going to grow. 

They just don’t yet know by how much.

“We’re kind of waiting for the smoke to clear right now,” Hamilton said. “That’s where we’re at, if there aren’t any more additional measures taken by the state or any other government officials within probably the next 24 to 48 hours, we’ll sit down and really be able to figure out, ‘okay, this is what we can offer, this is what we’re legally allowed to do and not do.’”

As of Monday night, the product of Brewer and Hamilton’s meeting, a project based in Lewis County called Neighbors Helping Neighbors, had seen almost 50 people sign-up to offer volunteer services to whoever may need them. Currently, only volunteers are asked to register, in an effort to meet every need once the other side of sign-ups opens. 

Those interested in contributing sign up via a Google Sheet. Volunteers pick from four different means of assistance — grocery pick-up, child care, providing wellness checks or even just talking and praying with someone affected — in which they’d be willing to offer. They can also submit their own suggestions for ways in which they can help.

Hamilton said he expects to open the sheet up to those who need services this weekend barring anything unforeseen. 

“Right now, we’re just taking volunteers, getting people ready so that once things settle down, we can pair people up with people that need it.” Hamilton said.

Brewer called Neighbors Helping Neighbors an “on-call” situation, where the goal is to have as many people as possible across the county, ready to help when the needs arise.

“We want to have people in place, that when people start coming in saying, ‘I have this need,’ we can say, ‘okay, we have this person with this availability, we’ll link you guys up, this person will be calling you,’” Brewer said.



Brewer and Hamilton both attend Bethel Church in Centralia and have built their approach to service on faith-based roots. Brewer mentioned it’s a time of self-reflection, as well. 

“We talked about it on Saturday, the early church, in the New Testament, in the Book of Acts, the Christians were known for giving what they had,” Brewer said. “I think that’s a convicting point for me as well, too, because I have not been as giving as I know I could be. It’s a lesson for me as well, that, okay, God, I hear you speaking and I want to do something about this.”

Brewer said Bethel Church shared the spreadsheet on Facebook and there would be some “conversations” about the church’s potential involvement.

“We’re trying to see what we can do to get some more administrative help on it,” Brewer said. “Right now, it’s in the idea generation and planning stage. We wanted to set it up now because we know in about one or two weeks the needs are going to start being pretty great.”

To Hamilton, the amount of people who have volunteered to help since the project’s inception is a very telling representation of the community’s heart. 

“For being in the Pacific Northwest, where we’re often told we’re cold shouldered and that sort of thing, I think it speaks volumes that there’s a lot of people that are standing by, ready to provide assistance,” Hamilton said. “Right now, we’ve got a lot of people who are willing to just talk with people and I think that’s going to be pretty crucial as we try to figure out, you know, what is this new normal.”

Following Tuesday night’s Lewis County Board of Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Gary Stamper stressed the importance of taking care of your own during a time of crisis. He added Lewis County has always done “very well” in such situations.

“There’s a real spirit to the people who live here,” Stamper said. “That will continue and we’re going to get through this. It’s going to be difficult, but we have to rely on our neighbors to really do things to get things done.” 

To Brewer, establishing a way for residents of Lewis County to help those around them is really what the project aims to accomplish. 

“We’re just as nervous as the next people,” Brewer said. “But if we can say we’re all in this together and help them how we can, that’s what we want to do.”