If you listen to Voice of Vashon, you know that VoV’s Old Man Winter year-end campaign has kicked off. It’s all about maintaining our Emergency Alert Service.

It’s not only year-end fundraiser time again. We all know winter is on the way. Already this season, atmospheric rivers have roared through, bringing heavy rain and strong winds. It won’t be long before Old Man Winter turns that rain to ice and snow.

You need information. You can depend on VoV to get it. Your friends and neighbors on the all-volunteer VoV Emergency Alert Team will be keeping you updated with information to help you stay safe and comfortable despite raging storms and long, cold nights without power.

Winter is just a rehearsal, because emergencies can happen any time and without warning.

Your Emergency Alert Team is ready to help you year-round — a storm, an earthquake, a large fire, a tsunami … or even help you navigate our wonky ferry system.

Even if the power is out, 1650 AM is the place you can get all the local emergency information you need. Or, if you live on your phone, computer, or tablet, you can sign up for the email list or listen to the alerts on our free streaming app.

But all this good information costs money to deliver. While the volunteers who provide the information do it out of the goodness of their hearts, VoV still has rent to pay, emergency generators to maintain, transmitters and antennas to repair, and more. VoV depends on the community just like the community depends on us.

It’s all part of Voice of Vashon’s larger organization, the one that brings you an eclectic mix of music from islanders, issues and information, public affairs shows that are purely local, public service announcements about the work of our wonderful island nonprofits, and stories about the unique and accomplished people who are drawn to our little chunk of paradise. You can’t get that stuff anywhere else, and nobody owns Voice of Vashon but you.

So now is the time to keep that vital information alive and independent. Donate to VoV’s Old Man Winter campaign at voiceofvashon.org. Click on the Donate button and give the amount that works for you, or use that donation card you probably received in our annual Old Man Winter mailing this week.

VoV’s promise is to help keep our community safe, warm, and dry when Old Man Winter blows in. Thanks for helping to pay for it.

Rick Wallace is the president of Voice of Vashon.