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Speaking of cleanups: Final plan for tomorrow’s Beach Creeps sweep at Constellation Park
March 1, 2013 1:44 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

(Styrofoam debris on the beach; photo by Beach Creeps’ Guy Olson)
Since last Saturday, when we first mentioned the Alki Beach Creeps Bicycle Club‘s plan for a South Alki cleanup, the event tomorrow has drawn dozens of volunteers, more than a few local business sponsors donating treats and other support, and even Parks Department assistance with post-cleanup pickup. The Facebook event page for the cleanup has info on the final plan – so in case you’re interested in joining, but not a FB user, here are the key points:

*Optional bike ride to the cleanup starting point: Beach Creeps plan to leave El Chupacabra (2620 Alki SW) “no later than 11:30 am”

*Cleanup noon-3 pm (Saturday, March 2)

*Volunteers meet by the Constellation Park octopus sculpture (63rd SW/Beach Drive). Sign in and get your cleanup supplies (courtesy of Puget SoundKeeper Alliance)

*Treat donors include Pioneer Coffee on Alki and Christos On Alki (pizza)

*Seattle Parks plans to pick up the collected trash and debris (organizers are hoping to get a lot of styrofoam off the beach)

*Afterparty at Pioneer Coffee

If you haven’t been to Constellation Park – here’s a map.

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West Seattle’s mysterious Fairmount Ravine needs you – March 9th!
March 1, 2013 12:34 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

(Part of the 2010 Fairmount Ravine volunteer annual-cleanup crew)
Their 20th annual cleanup in 2012 netted a “vintage” 7-Up bottle – estimated to be half a century old. In 2008, discoveries included a car door. What will turn up in beautiful, mysterious Fairmount Ravine, beneath the Admiral Way bridge, during this year’s cleanup? Be part of the team that finds out – one week from tomorrow, Saturday, March 9th. Devoted neighbors, friends, and visiting volunteers will join forces over the course of two hours – also enjoying treats from Metropolitan Market and Zatz Bagels (both WSB sponsors) – 8:30 am to 10:30 am. From organizers:

Meet at the top of the hill at Fairmount and Forest – directly east of Hiawatha Park.

Please wear gloves, boots and old clothes as we remove garbage and invasive plants.

Here’s our coverage from past years – 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008.

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Another community cleanup this Saturday: North Delridge
February 25, 2013 11:38 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

As discussed at the most recent North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting, NDNC plans monthly beautification projects – starting this Saturday, March 2, and continuing every first Saturday of the month. NDNC’s beautification chair Lisa Taylor Whitley hopes you can help:

Our first beautification project will be cleaning the Greg Davis Park area on March 2, 2013 from 10 am to 12 pm. We will meet at the Greg Davis Park on the corner of 26th Ave SW & SW Brandon St (Map It) at the 4 large rocks in the middle of the park. Bags and pickers will be provided. Just show up in comfortable clothes! If there are any questions, comments, or suggestions about future projects you would like to see, please contact Lisa Taylor Whitley at lisataylorwhitley@gmail.com or 206-910-1425.

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Help shorten WestSide Baby’s waiting list for car seats: Take one to Rico’s
February 25, 2013 3:44 pm
|    Comments Off on Help shorten WestSide Baby’s waiting list for car seats: Take one to Rico’s
 |   How to help | Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo: Stack of donated car seats from past WS Baby drive)
WestSide Baby isn’t just about diapers – in case you didn’t already know. They provide car seats through partnerships with 80 social-service providers. But right now they have a wait list for convertible and combination-style car seats, according to operations manager Maria Groen – so they are “thrilled that Rico’s Auto Buff approached us to hold a ReRide Car Seat Drive to help us meet this need.” Here’s how it works:

Take your used (or new) car seats to Rico’s Auto Buff during business hours. The goal is to collect 50 reusable car seats for WestSide Baby. Car seats will be collected at Rico’s Autobuff during normal business hours through the end of March and are always accepted at WestSide Baby and their regular drop-off sites.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car crashes are the number one killer of children 1 to 12 years old in the United States. The best way to protect them in the car is to put them in the right seat, at the right time, and use it the right way.

WestSide Baby collects car seats 6 years and newer for re-use by local children in need. We refurbish used car seats and gratefully accept new car seats too. In 2012, we provided 670 car seats but had more than 400 requests that we could not fill. Any car seats that cannot be passed along to kids for safety reasons will be recycled, and a $5 donation to cover recycling costs is appreciated for car seats over 6 years old.

Rico’s is at 4623 36th SW, just north of SW Alaska, in The Triangle.

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Big boost for West Seattle Helpline: $10,000 from RealNetworks
February 25, 2013 12:38 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Good news shared by West Seattle Helpline executive director Tara Luckie:

The West Seattle Helpline just received a $10,000 RealNetworks Foundation grant to go toward helping families facing emergencies in West Seattle with housing and utilities. The RealNetworks Foundation has supported us for several years now. This funding will help many of our neighbors in West Seattle who are facing difficult times.

That’s Tara on the left in the photo, with (center) RealNetworks Foundation Grant Team member Bruce Reisenauer and AmeriCorps VISTA outreach/resources director Jeremy Beliveau. You have options for helping Helpline too – find out how, here.

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Membership drive ahead for Delridge’s co-op grocery store; planning meeting Monday
February 24, 2013 2:52 pm
|    Comments Off on Membership drive ahead for Delridge’s co-op grocery store; planning meeting Monday
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

Your chance to get an early membership in Delridge’s future co-op grocery store is less than a month away. The Delridge Produce Cooperative has announced Saturday, March 23rd, as the date for its first membership-drive event (11 am-1 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center). And tomorrow (Monday, February 25) is the date for DPC’s next planning meeting (6:30 pm at Delridge Library, across from the grocery store’s expected home in the future DESC Delridge Supportive Housing complex). Even if you haven’t been previously involved, you are welcome, and DPC says it’s looking for two “specific (types of) volunteers”:

We would love to find someone with the time and inclination to manage our social media outreach (i.e. Facebook). We also need some occasional tax advice. If you are able to volunteer for either of these roles (or any other area), please e-mail us!

The group’s reachable at delridgeproducecoop@gmail.com.

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Want to volunteer with Seal Sitters? RSVP for March 9 training
February 24, 2013 12:21 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Seal Sitters photo by Robin Lindsey)
You’ve probably seen the familiar yellow tape and traffic cones on the shore, marking the perimeter around a resting seal or sea lion, with at least As Seal Sitters‘ Robin Lindsey mentioned at The Whale Trail‘s orca (and more) talk this past Thursday, the next volunteer-training session is scheduled for March 9th, and you are invited to RSVP ASAP if you are interested. One particular point of interest from Robin:

Unlike most marine mammal stranding networks, Seal Sitters encourages children to participate. It is very empowering for a child to learn about our fragile ecosystem and be able to do something to protect seals and other marine mammals.

The e-mail link for RSVPs is in this announcement on the Seal Sitters’ site, which also includes location/time details.

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Roxhill Castle progress report: Help still welcome
February 24, 2013 6:34 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(First two photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Inside the tiled turret on the Roxhill Castle play structure, that’s a view that soon only children will see. We got a peek when we dropped by the soon-to-open renovated playground on Saturday to see how “artist in residence” Mike Henderson and volunteers are doing:

There’s still work to be done, and more help would be welcome. The playground’s not ready to open yet, but that’s not because of the turret project – remember, there’s a skatespot going in next door, too:

(Aerial photo by Long Bach Nguyen)
From the air, you can see the scope of the project. Here’s the skatespot view from ground level:

(This photo and those below are by Nick Adams for WSB)
WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams photographed it during a visit to the site earlier this week. But the skatespot is a separate project, out of the playground volunteers’ control. So they’re working on the mosaic, which includes the face of a dragon …

… and the grace of an astronaut:

The tile work is proceeding under a tarp:

Mike told us they’re not ready to grout yet and would still appreciate help – e-mail him at centerforawesome@gmail.com to coordinate when and how you can assist. These are the finishing touches on the project, most of which went up thanks to days of volunteer work back in November, with the replacement “castle” accompanied by new features awaiting the go-ahead for playtime:

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Also next Saturday (and beyond): SSCC students welcome volunteer forest helpers
February 23, 2013 12:45 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(City of Seattle photo)
Another chance to dig in and help out next Saturday (and in this case, beyond)! South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) is right next to the West Duwamish Greenbelt, the largest remaining contiguous forest in our city, and some of its students are hoping to round up some help as they join the ongoing work to help it recover:

Join the South Seattle Community College Ecological Restoration Class, along with our sponsoring partners, the Nature Consortium and Green Seattle Partnership, as we turn a section of the forest from a long- neglected and wounded place to a once again vital forest habitat, protecting the bank from erosion, building habitat for wildlife and reinvigorating and extending the life of our neighborhood backyard forest.

Volunteering can be very rewarding! This work will be!

3 CHANCES TO PARTICIPATE Sat, March 2nd, Thurs. Mar. 7th & Sat. Mar. 9th 10 am-2 pm

Meet at 10:00 a.m. at 14th & Holly (Holly is two blocks south of campus). Wear warm clothes (layers allow for fluctuations), long- sleeves and good sturdy boots (Wellingtons okay). You will get dirty! And so will your clothes and your shoes and your nose; that’s all just a part of the fun. Tools, work gloves, snacks and coffee will be provided.

Please bring a bottle of water, preferably reusable. Litter in the forest is comprised of pine needles and other natural debris!

3 Chances to Serve/Work/Volunteer/Give Back Any way you want to think about it, get outside and be a part of nature as you contribute to making it a better place for all.

Contact Daniel at dmcollins1962@gmail.com to RSVP or just show up at 10!

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‘Creeps’ cleaning up Alki next Saturday – with your help/donations
February 23, 2013 11:20 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

(Not the cleanup site, but not far! Beauty shot from Michael of the Beach Creeps)
Even before the crowds of spring and summer arrive, Alki Beach and points south need a helping hand or two, or ten, or a hundred. A group of bicycling friends is hoping you’ll lend yours for their planned cleanup one week from today – or at least donate trash bags and gloves:

The Alki Beach Creeps Bicycle Club is planning on doing a beach cleanup, March 2nd at noon.

We are going to start at Constellation Park and pick up as much of the trash as we can that afternoon. There is a HUGE mass of styrofoam and plastic on that side of the beach, along with a lot of random trash. We feel that it’s important to give back to our community and will do our best with our limited resources to do our part.

We have 15 members or so but anyone is free to attend. Trash bags, gloves, and beer (to keep us motivated) will gladly be accepted. Thank you very much and we look forward to your help keeping Alki looking creepy!

For questions about donations, please feel free to E-Mail: Michael D. Adams (Director of Marketing) at brothamichael@mac.com

Sincerely,
Guy Olson/Willis Mathiasen
Co-Presidents
Alki Beach Creeps Bicycle Club

Yes, we’re sure they know the rules; the beer’s no doubt for afterward. Anyway, now that spring cleanup season is here, let us know about yours – editor@westseattleblog.com – we already have a few more announcements in queue.

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‘100th day of school’ food drives: West Seattle Food Bank’s thanks, plus Schmitz Park, Alki, STEM results
February 22, 2013 12:33 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

We photographed that big pile of donated food this morning at the West Seattle Food Bank – just part of what’s been brought in as part of the “100th day of school” food drives at several local schools, with more on the way. Marveling at what the local schools accomplished so that WS Food Bank could help its clients, operations director Steven Curry told WSB, “This drive could provide us with the largest food buffer we have ever had at this time, (during the) usual lull in giving after the holidays. What a fantastic story on how something so simple communicated to a community, listening and caring, will serve so many people.”

He says the donated food in the photo is from Schmitz Park and Alki Elementaries – both of whom, in fact, sent in their reports overnight. First, from Schmitz Park, kindergarten teacher Mandy Cook reports:

Schmitz Park Elementary totaled in at 1,193 food items!!! The West Seattle Food bank had to come back and collect overflowing barrels 4 times! Staff and students had fun collecting, competing and tallying by classroom. Thanks again for the wonderful opportunity Arbor Heights. Count us in for next year!

And from Alki, fourth-grade teacher Anna Coghill reports:

Alki Elementary is happy to report we collected 1,319 items for the West Seattle Food Bank. Thank you for the inspiration Arbor Heights students and teachers. It was a great success.

That’s a reference, of course, to AH teacher Marcia Ingerslev and her class, which issued the original challenge to other schools/classes in the area. We reported their results (4 AH classes in all) here; Gatewood Elementary here: Holy Rosary School here; Cometa Playschool here. Still awaiting at least one more report. Congratulations to all!

ADDED 5:53 PM: Robin Graham from the West Seattle STEM PTA reports their donation is part of what you see in our photo from the food bank:

STEM dropped off our food Thursday afternoon … At least 200 items donated from the families at STEM. Thanks, Arbor Heights, for the great idea – we would love to do it again next year!

And from Arbor Heights, Marcia Ingerslev shared a photo of her visit to the White Center Food Bank:

She explains in the comment section below – and expresses her pride at everyone’s contribution, too.

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From the original ‘100th day of school’ food drive: 500+ items from Arbor Heights!
February 21, 2013 3:51 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

As we’ve noted in previous coverage, the “100th day of school food drive challenge” originated at Arbor Heights Elementary – where teacher Marcia Ingerslev just shared photos and this report on what they collected for the West Seattle Food Bank:

We collected 501 items of food. Rooms 16 (Ingerslev), 12 (Salter), 10 (Fisk), and 24 (Kennewick) participated. Thank you to everyone who participated. We will have to do this again next year. Maybe we can benefit the White Center Food Bank.

Here are just some of the students who took part at AH:

Even if you/your school didn’t participate, you can help local food banks any time – there’s information about how to donate money and/or food on the websites of both – westseattlefoodbank.org and whitecenterfoodbank.org.

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‘100th day of school’ food drive: Gatewood Elementary results
February 21, 2013 1:03 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

More results from the “100th Day of School Food Drive Challenge” started by Arbor Heights Elementary teacher Marcia Ingerslev and picked up by several other schools/classes in West Seattle! Jennifer Dempsey shares the photo with this report:

Ms. Schwendeman’s first-grade class at Gatewood Elementary collected over 100 items for the food bank and will be taking a field trip to deliver them soon.

We’ve also published reports from Cometa Playschool (here) and Holy Rosary School (here). Anybody else! editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

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Roxhill Castle’s ‘artist-in-residence’ needs helping hands ASAP
February 18, 2013 9:44 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

The Roxhill Castle playground is close to opening at Roxhill Park (as noted during the recent organizational meeting for a new community council) – and this week, its “artist in residence” needs help for finishing touches. Mike Henderson e-mailed to say the main castle’s turret – which project organizers told us emerged as something special during the volunteer build last fall – is “in the final push”:

It’s going really well thanks in large part to a small group of great volunteers. We are in the final push this week and need extra people for mosaic work, sponging down the installed tile, and the final grouting. Every day, 10-2, with Saturday the 23rd being the day to grout. We have all the tools needed on site and all the tasks are easy to learn. The only limitation is having to climb a ladder to get onto the scaffolding.

He shared the photos of parts of the turret:

If you can help any day this week, please e-mail Mike at centerforawesome@gmail.com. (And since 10 am is fast approaching as we publish this, if you’re able to help today, you can likely track him down on site; the park is south of SW Barton, across from the southwest side of Westwood Village.)

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Urgent request from White Center Food Bank: Drivers needed
February 15, 2013 3:39 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Just received from the White Center Food Bank, which also serves part of West Seattle, and they describe the request as urgent:

The White Center Food Bank depends on donations of bread, produce, meat and non-perishable food to help feed the clients. Can you or someone you know fill this important position at the White Center Food Bank by volunteering one morning/early afternoon shift a week as driver? Volunteer drivers must be able to lift 35 pounds & have a valid drivers license with no driving infractions. Training and food bank van provided. Commitment of six months requested. Contact Audrey Zemke at (206) 762-2848 or audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org to volunteer or for information. Come ride along and help out for a shift to see what it’s like if you’re curious.

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Fauntleroy Community Association: New wildlife-advocacy group’s debut; neighborhood survey; more
February 13, 2013 1:34 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | How to help | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Sixteen people filled the board room at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse last night for the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s monthly board meeting. One of the major items of business was something YOU can help with right now – if you live and/or work in the Fauntleroy area:

THE SURVEY: To find out more about how best to serve the community, among other things, FCA is conducting a survey right now. It was announced via their website and Facebook page, as well as via postal-mail postcard, and more than 180 responses have come in so far. As the group gets ready for its annual membership meeting (more on that shortly), they would love to get hundreds more – since it asks about a wide range of community issues and concerns. If you have ties to Fauntleroy, here’s where the survey begins.

Ahead – a new wildlife advocacy group debuted at the FCA meeting, and the group was briefed on two big King County Wastewater Treatment Division projects in the area:

Read More

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100th Day of School Food Drive: Holy Rosary collects 200+ cans
February 13, 2013 11:24 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

We’ve been reporting on local schools/classrooms taking Arbor Heights Elementary teacher Marcia Ingerslev and her students up on the challenge to collect at least 100 nonperishable food items, to commemorate the 100th day of school. For Seattle Public Schools, that’s February 20th; for some independent schools, it’s earlier, like Holy Rosary School, whose Lynne Crockett mentioned their kindergarteners’ food drive in a WSB comment yesterday; we subsequently requested a photo, and here it is!

We loved the idea of collecting 100 cans of food for the food bank. Between Mrs. Crockett and Mrs. Clarke’s classes, we collected over 200 cans of food for the White Center Food Bank. Attached is a photo of Reese, in the back of her family SUV among the bags of canned goods going to be delivered to the food bank. Again, thanks to the other schools who gave us this great idea!

The other schools participating have chosen to collect for the West Seattle Food Bank; as we frequently note, WC Food Bank serves part of West Seattle as well. Congratulations to everybody who’s joined in, and we’ll be happy to publish other progress reports/results too.

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Gildenfire Dance crowdfunding for permanent studio
February 10, 2013 12:46 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Big news for the little dancers of Gildenfire and their leader Jenna Lutton. They’ll soon have a permanent studio, reports Megan Kelton-Rehkopf (who also shared the photo from their latest performance):

On Neighborhood Appreciation Day (Saturday), Jenna Lutton’s Gildenfire Dance held their annual performance for the residents at The Kenney. At the end of the performance, Jenna announced that Gildenfire has found a permanent home and she’s launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $5500 for a dance floor and mirrors to transform the space into an amazing dance studio. The new home of Gildenfire will be in White Center, located behind McLendon’s.

Here’s the link to the Gildenfire fundraising page on IndieGogo – as of this writing, already two-thirds of the way to the goal!

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Happening now: Pancakes with a purpose, at Hiawatha
February 10, 2013 11:00 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

Hotcakes were the hot ticket for breakfast in West Seattle this morning, judging by the turnout at Hiawatha Community Center‘s annual benefit breakfast. The pancakes and sides were cooked up outside …

… and served fresh inside, as fast as staffers and volunteers could work:

Festive fruit, too:

We’ll be checking on the final tally – which goes to make sure that everybody who wants to take part in Hiawatha’s programs can do just that, regardless of their financial situation. A flyer handed out at the breakfast included highlights of upcoming programs and events, which you can browse in the newest West Seattle Community Centers (WSB sponsor) catalog, online.

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Sounders help Nature Consortium with their goal: West Duwamish Greenbelt restoration
February 8, 2013 7:42 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

In the West Duwamish Greenbelt, steps away from the south end of the South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) campus, a delegation from Seattle Sounders FC took the field – well, the forest – this afternoon. They were there to help the Nature Consortium in the West Seattle nonprofit’s ongoing quest to help heal and restore the city’s longest stretch of contiguous forest. Their task today: Plant trees that NC obtained through the Forterra C3 grant, in which the Sounders are a founding partner. (From left in our photo, Sounders team members Alex Caskey and Babayele Sodade; Nature Consortium’s Monica Thomas; Sounders’ Andy Rose, and Sounders rep Jessica Hancock)

P.S. You can help out in the forest too – find out how here – and the NC also would love to see you at SODO Park on March 21st for their next gala fundraiser, Deep Roots (with WSB among the co-sponsors) – ticket info here.

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Great breakfast for a good cause: Hiawatha Community Center pancakes on Sunday
February 8, 2013 5:12 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from 2011’s Hiawatha pancake breakfast)
No need to cook your own breakfast this Sunday – join your neighbors at Hiawatha Community Center (2700 California SW) for an annual tradition – all-you-can-eat pancakes, with proceeds going to cover program costs for those having trouble affording them otherwise. Hiawatha’s Tiffani Melake tells us it all starts at 8 on Sunday (February 10), $6 for ages 13-64, $5 for kids 3-12, $4 for ages 65 and up, 2 and under free.

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West Seattle scene: WS Food Bank open house
February 8, 2013 12:19 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

The West Seattle Food Bank‘s first open house of the year did double duty – the Thursday night event also served as the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce’s “after-hours” gathering, first one in a few months. Everyone who visited got a chance to peek behind the scenes at the food bank (p.s. – here’s how to donate).

P.S. Next up for the Chamber – its annual meeting, set for noon February 19th at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) – details here.

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2 more participants for 100 Days of School Food-Drive Challenge!
February 5, 2013 10:12 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Last night, we got word that classes at Schmitz Park Elementary would join the 100 Days of School Food-Drive Challenge launched by Arbor Heights Elementary‘s Room 16, with Alki Elementary and Cometa Playschool on board too. The goal is to collect at least 100 nonperishable food items for the West Seattle Food Bank by the 100th day of school – February 20th.

Tonight, two more schools: First we heard from Gatewood Elementary parent Jennifer Dempsey, sharing this news:

Donna Schwendeman’s first grade class at Gatewood Elementary would like to join Ms. Ingerslev’s class in their 100th day food-drive challenge. Ms. Schwendeman, the students, and parents are looking forward to making a great contribution to our local food bank.

And then via the West Seattle STEM Elementary Facebook page, we learned that their school is accepting the challenge and joining too – which means at least six schools so far. Details on the STEM collection plans are here. (And as they point out, even if you’re not involved with a school, you can help the WS Food Bank any time – see how at westseattlefoodbank.org.)

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