Editorial

Vote for the Resource Directory to celebrate its 50th year

Usually we are not into popularity contests. We are a niche newspaper with The Fig Tree, an alternative voice. Despite that, other media have picked up covering stories of people who make a difference because of their faith and values.

With it being the 50th anniversary of the Resource Directory and hearing so many say, "It's gold"—in terms of connecting people to the resources they need to stabilize and transform their lives—we decided to enter it in The Inlander's "Best Of," annual contest for best "nonprofit organization" under "Arts & Culture."

Usually we don't enter such contests because there's not a category that fits. There's not a "best resource directory category," but "nonprofit organization" is close enough.

So we ask you to VOTE FOR us at https://bestof.inlander.com/arts-and-culture, to give us recognition during this 50th anniversary of the much used, comprehensive Resource Directory.

You need to sign in. The online balloting ends at midnight Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Under nonprofit, we suggest you write in The Fig Tree Resource Directory to give recognition of that project on its 50th anniversary.

Whether we "win" that recognition, we know that the treasure chest of resources we publish offers gold nuggets of ideas, contacts and hope to guide people to "win" housing, health, job, family and food security and more!

The directory has grown from publishing 4,500 copies in 2007 to 18,000 in 2022 with plans to print 20,000 in 2023. We have only a few hundred copies left this year and requests keep coming. With The Fig Tree newspaper, we have grown from printing 6,000 to 10,000 copies.

For both ventures, we ask supporters to VOTE FOR us by becoming sponsors and partners. We reached our target for sponsors in 2022. With more renewals and new sponsors each year, we can expand. We are modeled on public broadcasting, but lack the intense period in the media itself with a "captive audience" to make our appeals. Our Spring Benefits and Fall Festival of Sharing are two times for us.

As we approach our 2023 Spring Benefits with the in person and online Lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, March 3, and the Breakfast-Time online gatherings from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m., we look forward to celebrating with our readers and supporters, and with new folks the hosts invite to hear our story. The benefits are times to VOTE FOR The Fig Tree and Resource Directory with your support.

We are celebrating the Resource Directory anniversary with the theme of "Sharing Resources: Transforming Lives."

Our board voted in February 2007 to take responsibility to take over publishing from the Interfaith Council after it became a volunteer organization with no staff to do the intensive work of annual updates. The first edition published that year by The Fig Tree was volume 35.

For two years, Malcolm Haworth worked through AmeriCorps to do it. He has been directory editor ever since.

His work has also opened avenues of ecumenical and interfaith networking for the future to connect people in congregations, faith groups and nonprofits through more direct communication channels that will allow them to pool ideas and generate new or more effective collaborative efforts and ministries to address the issues their faith calls them to do.

The Spring Benefits are both opportunities to celebrate this facet of The Fig Tree's mission, to hear the story of how the Resource Directory developed, to learn about how it intersects with Malcolm's story, and to VOTE FOR us with your gifts to support the directory and the overall mission and ministry of The Fig Tree.

There is time to sign up to host a table for the lunch or a group for the breakfast-time—and time to sign up to attend to be part of underwriting our unique communication ventures that connect people who make a difference and have resources with those who want to help them make a difference. Just call 535-4112, email event@thefigtree.org or visit thefigtree.org.

Mary Stamp - Editor