The Olympian has many stories to tell. Your support will directly fund that reporting

You may have noticed that The Olympian has launched a new fundraising campaign to bolster our coverage of housing affordability and homelessness in our community.

This is our second outreach for community support in a year filled with extraordinary news, capped by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the election.

In the spring, when the coronavirus shutdown was taking its heaviest economic toll, we asked readers to open their wallets to help fund Report for America fellow Brandon Block’s position.

You responded, and we are so thankful for your support. We raised about $10,000.

Because of your support of Brandon’s position, The Olympian was able to keep supporting all the other reporting jobs in our newsroom. And during that period early in the pandemic and after the death of George Floyd, our small staff worked seven days a week to deliver local journalism that helped you make sense of what was going on.

That was nothing short of remarkable, and it was thanks to you.

With your support, we reported on the stories that impact your lives: where to get tests, how Thurston County was responding, and the stories of some of the early COVID-19 patients and their family members in our area. We also tried to give voice to the people rallying and protesting in the streets, whether it be for racial justice and Black Lives Matter, or against COVID-19 restrictions.

Fast forward eight months, and we find ourselves in a persistent challenge today. And we are asking for your help.

Our county’s need for responsible news coverage remains as critical as ever. Clearly, COVID-19 will continue to be a topic of utmost importance. But we need to continue to tell vital stories that aren’t necessarily linked to the pandemic.

What I hear from you is your concern about the growing number of homeless people in Thurston County, and how much you appreciate Brandon’s work to bring to light the many solutions aimed at getting people out of tents in the woods and on a new path. As housing prices continue to rise, the issues are affecting more and more people, and the community also needs help identifying ways to keep people housed.

We want to tell these stories and we need your help to do it. This campaign will support that effort.

From now through the end of the year, we are hoping to raise $12,000, once again in the form of tax-deductible donations made through the Local Media Foundation.

If you are among the 176 donors who gave earlier this year, we are truly grateful and hope you will once again. If you have not yet donated, we hope you will consider doing so now.

It’s quick and easy at givebutter.com/Olympian. If you prefer to send a check, you can do that too. Please make it out to the Local Media Foundation and in the notes field on the check, write “The Olympian.” If you include your email address, they will send you a tax donation letter.

The check should be mailed to: Local Media Foundation, PO Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689-5015. If you have any problems or questions, contact me at ddemarest@theolympian.com or 360-754-5477.

We will continue to explore opportunities such as Report for America and beyond as we create a new model that allows us to grow again after years of getting smaller.

While we are grateful for your readership, we are no means depending only on you.