Field Notes: Community Care on 2nd Avenue
It started with a Facebook post in June 2024.
“With permission from James himself, we’re fundraising to help our friend James Wilson, who has been without hot water in his home for years. His electrical panel is too old to support the 240-volt outlet his new tank needs. He’s tried applying for help, but the deadlines have passed. The waiting game has been long enough. Let’s step up and get the work started.”
That call to action spread quickly across the island. Within weeks, over $13,000 had been raised. Some people sent e-transfers, some dropped off cheques, and others simply handed me a twenty on the street. A few donated supplies. No grant applications, no forms, no waiting. Just people helping someone they knew and trusted.
James Wilson is a long-time resident of Daajing Giids — someone you’ll see volunteering at events, helping at the Co-op in Skidegate, or walking around town doing Tai Chi in Spirit Square. His mother passed nearly 6 years ago from cancer and James has dedicated himself to caring for their family home, all the while caring for himself. He occasionally uses walking aids and doesn’t drive, which makes getting to a shower or bath especially hard in the winter. Yet his kindness and quiet resilience are constants in our community. He is always frequenting community luncheons, events, and the Haida Gwaii Recreation walking group. He is known for bringing new faces to walking group, encouraging their betterment too. He is the epitome of a snowball sampler in the truest ways.
Working within his budget and with local trades, James managed meeting contractors and oversight of the installation of a new electrical panel, hot water heater, and even his connection with BC Hydro. No more reliance on oil heat! A local heat pump installer helped upgrade the system for better heating, and an anonymous donor gifted him a new stove. The remaining funds bought him an air fryer he had wished for and a few essentials wrapped as Christmas gifts. Generosity of community is long-lasting, as James will have lower monthly bills to cover with these upgrades.
Now, James has reliable heat, hot water, and the independence to live comfortably at home. His perseverance through each step, paired with the quiet support of neighbours, became a small but powerful example of what community care can look like. What stands out most is how long this could have taken if we had waited for formal systems to respond. Research in community development often describes bureaucratic drag, when procedures, approvals, and eligibility requirements, even with good intentions, slow down real progress (Jones, 2023). This study on community engagement shows that administrative structures and processes, while designed for fairness and accountability, can unintentionally exclude people who are most affected by decisions. Timing, accessibility, and complex requirements can all make it harder for residents to participate or for solutions to take shape quickly.
In small or rural places, studies consistently show that informal trust networks often achieve results faster and with greater connection. This creates what Jones calls a participation gap, where the people closest to the issue are least able to influence the response. In contrast, the work done for James shows what happens when that gap is closed. Without paperwork or waiting periods, a network of neighbours and local tradespeople was able to solve a problem that had lingered for years. It demonstrates how community-driven action can complement formal systems by moving at the pace of trust rather than compliance. When people have both the capacity and the permission to act, solutions happen at the pace of care rather than compliance.
It doesn’t end here. We’re seeing the benefits to James through his Facebook cooking updates, like healthy dinners prepped on his new stove, and the occasional bike ride this summer. He recently shared that when his step was broken, making it hard to enter and exit his home, a generous individual dropped in and fixed it without hesitation. These moments keep unfolding quietly, long after the fundraiser ended, reminding us that community care is not a single act but a way of being. Haawa - thank you to everyone who quietly donated to James and continue to support his dignity, independence, and connection to our community. The whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts!
