OPAL Community Land Trust

OPAL Community Land Trust Affordable Homes ✢ Healthy Community
www.opalclt.org

Every morning, someone unlocks the bakery.Someone starts the ferry shift.Someone opens the shop, checks on a neighbor, b...
09/02/2026

Every morning, someone unlocks the bakery.
Someone starts the ferry shift.
Someone opens the shop, checks on a neighbor, builds a house, cares for a child.

It’s easy to think of these as just jobs. But together, they’re what makes ** Orcas home. **

This Labor Day, we’re celebrating the people who show up for this island and the homes that help them stay.

That’s why OPAL does what we do.

** Happy Labor Day, Orcas. **

An investment in affordable housing is an investment in people.Meet Delmi Sanchez.If you've enjoyed a meal at Delmi's re...
09/01/2026

An investment in affordable housing is an investment in people.

Meet Delmi Sanchez.

If you've enjoyed a meal at Delmi's restaurant, you've experienced a piece of the dream she worked so hard to build. Today, Delmi is a restaurant owner and entrepreneur, but her journey to owning a business began more than 20 years ago.

When Delmi left El Salvador, she left behind a secure career as a teacher to pursue new opportunities in the United States. After years of working double shifts as a cook and housecleaner, finding an affordable OPAL rental gave her the stability she needed to follow her dream and start her own restaurant.

Then OPAL housing changed everything.

"Home is knowing my daughter has a safe place to grow up, the opportunity to dream big, and a community that believes in her."

Affordable housing is about more than having a place to live. It provides stability, opportunity, and the ability to build a future in the community you call home.

When we invest in affordable housing, we invest in the people who make Orcas Island extraordinary.

Read Delmi's full story: https://www.opalclt.org/delmi-sanchez/

An investment in affordable housing is an investment in people.Meet Laurie Michael.If you've stopped by Orcas Island Mar...
08/24/2026

An investment in affordable housing is an investment in people.

Meet Laurie Michael.

If you've stopped by Orcas Island Market, you've likely seen Laurie's work. As the lead for bakery and deli displays, she helps create the welcoming shopping experience so many islanders enjoy every day.

Laurie fell in love with Orcas Island in the 1980s and spent years doing what many working families here know all too well: juggling multiple jobs, raising her daughter as a single mom, and moving from place to place to stay on the island.

Then an OPAL home changed everything.

"I know I'm never going to lose my home and my daughter will always have a place to return to."

Affordable housing is about more than having a place to live. It provides stability, peace of mind, and the ability to build a future in the community you call home.

When we invest in affordable housing, we invest in the people who make Orcas Island extraordinary.

Read Laurie's full story: https://www.opalclt.org/lauri-michaels/

An investment in affordable housing is an investment in people.Meet Gary Bauder.If you've taken your recycling to the tr...
08/18/2026

An investment in affordable housing is an investment in people.

Meet Gary Bauder.

If you've taken your recycling to the transfer station, you've likely benefited from Gary's work. As a heavy equipment operator with Orcas Recycling Services, he helps process nearly every piece of trash and recycling generated by islanders and visitors alike.

Gary is also a musician, a former business owner, and a longtime member of our community. Like so many essential workers on Orcas, he faced a difficult reality: finding a way to continue living on the island he loves.

"I knew OPAL was my only bet for staying on the island," Gary says. "Now I pinch myself every day to have the security of my own home."

Affordable housing does more than provide a roof over someone's head. It creates stability, allowing people like Gary to continue contributing their talents, skills, and dedication to the community we all cherish.

When we invest in affordable housing, we invest in the people who make Orcas extraordinary.

Read Gary's full story: https://www.opalclt.org/gary-bauder/

Lace up your walking shoes and join OPAL homeowner, island historian, and storyteller Rusty Diggs for a guided tour of O...
06/16/2026

Lace up your walking shoes and join OPAL homeowner, island historian, and storyteller Rusty Diggs for a guided tour of OPAL's affordable housing neighborhoods!

Cost: Free! (Donations appreciated).

Reserve your spot now by emailing [email protected] or scanning the QR code.

Lydia Lane is officially FULLY FUNDED!Together, our community raised the full $15,000 needed to prepare the site for fiv...
05/22/2026

Lydia Lane is officially FULLY FUNDED!

Together, our community raised the full $15,000 needed to prepare the site for five new modular homes — bringing affordable housing one big step closer to reality on Orcas Island.

Thank you to everyone who donated, shared, supported, and believed in this project. This is what community looks like.

And as we celebrate, don’t forget to keep supporting the amazing organizations still fundraising through GiveOrcas!

Moxie the Modular Mink has entered full “WHY ISN’T THE BAR GREEN YET?!” mode. She’s been staring at the Lydia Lane donat...
05/22/2026

Moxie the Modular Mink has entered full “WHY ISN’T THE BAR GREEN YET?!” mode.

She’s been staring at the Lydia Lane donation tracker like it personally offended her.
“Look at it,” she said dramatically.
“It’s SO close. Why are we stopping now?!”

And honestly… she has a point.

We are incredibly close to fully funding Lydia Lane — the future home of FIVE modular houses that will help provide affordable housing right here on Orcas Island.

We just need that final push to turn the donation bar completely green.

So if you’ve been waiting for a sign… this is it.
(Or technically, this is Moxie spiraling over an incomplete progress bar. 😂)

Support Lydia Lane here:
https://oicf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/grant?grant_id=42036

Moxie the Modular Mink has officially started calling Lydia Lane “the almost-neighborhood.”Because thanks to this incred...
05/21/2026

Moxie the Modular Mink has officially started calling Lydia Lane “the almost-neighborhood.”

Because thanks to this incredible community, we are VERY close to fully funding FIVE future affordable homes for island families.

Right now, Lydia Lane is full of possibilities:
Future front porches
Future bike rides
Future family dinners
Future neighbors

And today is the FINAL day of GiveOrcas.

Every donation — no matter the size — helps move Lydia Lane one step closer from site plans and orange lot lines to real homes filled with real life.

Fun Fact from Moxie: Modular homes are built with precision off-site, which means less waste, faster construction and highly energy-efficient homes built to last for generations. 🐾

We’re so close. Let’s finish this together.
https://oicf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/grant?grant_id=42036

Moxie the Modular Mink keeps walking around Lydia Lane whispering:“We are SO close.” So close to turning marked lots int...
05/20/2026

Moxie the Modular Mink keeps walking around Lydia Lane whispering:

“We are SO close.”

So close to turning marked lots into real homes.
So close to welcoming five island families.
So close to watching modular homes arrive on Orcas Island.

After an amazing Benjamin Franklin Day, Lydia Lane is now just steps away from being fully funded — and Moxie has become emotionally attached to the phrase “final stretch.” 🐾

Right now, Lydia Lane may still look quiet… but soon these spaces will become kitchens, front doors, bike rides and neighbors.

Help us cross the finish line and bring Lydia Lane to life.
https://oicf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/grant?grant_id=42036

Moxie the Modular Mink has checked the GiveOrcas leaderboard approximately 47 times today… and OPAL is currently sitting...
05/19/2026

Moxie the Modular Mink has checked the GiveOrcas leaderboard approximately 47 times today… and OPAL is currently sitting in 5TH PLACE for Benjamin Franklin Day.

Apparently, this news caused dramatic pacing around the future home sites.

“TOP THREE, PEOPLE. TOP THREE.”
— Moxie, while pointing aggressively at a $100 bill 🐾

Here’s why it matters:
FIVE affordable homes are coming to Lydia Lane
Every $100+ donation today helps OPAL compete for BONUS funding prizes
More support = faster progress toward welcoming island families home

Moxie says she would REALLY like to stop stress-walking around empty lots and start celebrating future neighbors instead.

Help bump OPAL into the Top 3 today!
https://oicf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/grant?grant_id=42036

Address

286 Enchanted Forest Road
Orcas, WA
98245

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

(360) 376-3191

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when OPAL Community Land Trust posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category