West Seattle, Washington
25 Monday
11:04 AM: From today’s long list of events – Seattle firefighters’ Toys for Tots collection drive is on the road this year rather than at the fire stations, and today’s stop is Westwood Village, outside the QFC store:
That’s the crew of Engine 37 (from Station 37 at 35th/Holden). Besides new, unwrapped toys, you can donate cash/checks, too.
We asked a Toys for Tots rep what specific types of toys they need most. Reply: Toys for babies. So if you’re going shopping for a donation for this drive – on until 1 pm today – that’s an idea. If you miss this, there are also Toys for Tots bins all season long in other spots around West Seattle, including C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) at 5612 California SW.
4:21 PM: From SFD’s Carrie Brazil: “We had a great event, despite the weather. West Seattle showed up and donated 10+ big boxes of toys. Santa’s best guess is 450-550 toys plus cash donations.”
Every holiday season, The Christmas People do their best to help people in need have a happy holiday – with your help. So far we’ve heard from them about two requests this season – first, for drivers:
The Christmas People need volunteer drivers to deliver meals to homeless shelters from Wed.,Dec.22 thru Sunday, Dec. 26 – 10:30 am, 3 pm, 4:30 pm, and 8:30 pm. Areas include West Seattle, Downtown Seattle, 116th Bellevue and CCS Kent. Must have dependable enclosed vehicle to hold insulated bags and/or food transfer boxes. Clean driving record, insurance and proof of vaccination. Need warm-hearted people able to bring joy and hope to marginalized and underserved populations. Contact Fred Hutchinson, 206-719-4979 or pialley@jps.net for time slot.
They also need thousands of homemade cookies again this year – just make plans to drop yours off 9 am-3 pm December 22-24 at West Seattle Coworking (6040 California SW). They’ll be going to area shelters along with 2,300 holiday meals. The Christmas People also need cookie sorters and receivers – same contact info as volunteer drivers, if you can help with that.
Delridge Grocery Cooperative has a deal for you – help them get a new fridge, by buying this year’s holiday basket! Here are the details:
Bring home the flavors of Washington state this holiday season with the Delridge Grocery Co-op’s second annual holiday collection of sweet and savory treats.
In addition to bringing you a specially curated selection of Pacific Northwest delights, the DGC 2021 Holiday Gift Basket is also a fundraiser — helping our growing neighborhood Co-op afford the purchase of an additional refrigeration unit.
We currently have a single, small older refrigerator that chills our locally sourced cheeses, eggs, milk, hummus, krauts, and kombucha, but its size definitely limits the amount and variety of perishable products we can carry. Adding a second, more modern refrigerator will allow us to expand our offerings and better serve our customers as we look to expand the days and hours that we’re open in the coming months.
Great for treating yourself or sharing with friends, neighbors, work colleagues, and loved ones, the DGC 2021 Holiday Gift Basket includes:
Salted Caramel Espresso Bark (Joe Chocolate Co.)
Madrona Smoked Salt (San Juan Sea Salt)
Loose Leaf Herbal Tea + Infuser (Beach House Teas)
Honey Thyme Mustard (Mustard & Co.)
Pickled Spicy Green Beans. (Seattle Pickle Co.)
Apple Cider Vinegar (Apple State Vinegar)
Raw Honeycomb (Georgetown Pantry Supply)The DGC 2021 Holiday Gift Basket is priced at $65 for both pickup and free delivery to addresses on our West Seattle peninsula. Baskets will be available for pickup starting Friday, December 17 at the Delridge Grocery Co-op retail store – we’ll be open from 3–7. Pickups can also be made on Saturday, December 18 (9:30 am–1:30 pm) and Sunday, December 19 (11–3). Deliveries will be made on that Friday and Saturday.
Go here to order.
While we mentioned Giving Tuesday in our daily preview list, we otherwise haven’t emphasized it since we try to provide opportunities for EVERY day to be Giving Day. But we do have a request for help from one community-based campaign – Poogooder, described by founder Lori Kothe as an “audacious idea to launch a community dog poo bin program to help end wayward dog poo for a happier, healthier community and planet”:
In our first year, Poogooder has grown to nearly 100 active dog poo bins in West Seattle stewarded like Little Free Libraries, with a growing steward waitlist (currently almost 50!). Poogooder has become an amazing phenomenon as we collectively work to reframe dog poo from problem to opportunity for good, but it takes a village. To-date, Poogooder has been funded personally by me plus many small donations, mostly through GoFundMe and Venmo.
People can “say thanks” via the Venmo QR code on the bin lids (Venmo @Poogooder), but we need a funding boost now to fulfill the waitlist and keep Poogooder going. Consider giving to Poogooder this #GivingTuesday to help meet our campaign goal by the end of the year, regularly donating via Venmo, and giving in other ways listed at Poogooder.com. Poogooder is not currently a registered non-profit so donations are not tax deductible, but all donations go directly to support the program, as it is currently 100% donation and volunteer driven. We’re exploring additional funding models such as grants and partnerships, and welcome ideas from anyone interested in helping Poogooder sustain and scale.
Beyond monetary donations, people can do some good today and every day by doing these three things:
1. Always pick up after your dogs and carry the bagged dog poo with you.
2. Never put dog poo in private garbage cans without explicit consent.
3. Remember to tie the bag and treat Poogooder bins and public garbage cans with care (dog poo NEVER goes in recycling, food & yard waste, or personal compost bins).Poogooder is a community project where neighbors offer to maintain the bins and transfer the contents to their personal garbage for free, not a paid service, so please show stewards you care by not overflowing the bins, being sure your bag goes entirely in, and closing the lid to keep the rain out. If a bin is full, walk your bag home or check the active bin map at poogooder.com/active-bin-map for a nearby bin. We also need volunteers to help with the program and to sign up to be “bin buddies” to support stewards as needed. Join the movement and learn more at Poogooder.com.
Hometown Holidays fun in the West Seattle Junction is just beginning, but with the biggest events coming up soon, the call is out for people who can give the gift of time: Volunteers! You can help with the Night Market and Tree Lighting on Thursday, or in a variety of other ways, says WSJA executive director Chris Mackay. Just go here, see what they’re looking for and when, and sign up for whatever interests you!
You can give the gift of play by donating to the Highland Park Elementary PTA‘s playground campaign, which ends this Friday (December 3rd). It’s the next step in a years-long effort to get the kids something beyond blacktop to play on. As of this week, they’re halfway to the goal, but that’s a long way to go to cover full costs. Here are ways to donate:
Fund a Playground Feature
You can make a donation to help us purchase different parts of the playground and outdoor learning garden.Your gift can fund:
Paint for kickball, 4-square or bike trail around the playground – $50
Dry cobble rain swale animal footprint or natural print OR classroom garden box – $100
Trees for learning garden – $250
Bench OR logs for seating – $750
Spinner toy OR mosaic tile project for students – $1,500
Climbing boulders – $2,500
Dry cobble rain swale OR artist payment for pavement or wall mural art – $10,000
Or you can donate any amount you can afford. Here’s the PayPal link. If you have questions about the project and/or donating, highlandparkplays@gmail.com is how to reach the PTA.
In our most-recent report on the advisory committee for West Seattle’s only tiny-house encampment, Camp Second Chance, we noted an unusual donation request: Christmas decorations. Those are among the items that are being collected in a holiday-season drive at Canna West Seattle (5440 California SW; WSB sponsor) and its Culture Shop across the street. From the announcement:
What types of items is C2C in need of? First and foremost, C2C residents have organized their own community supported, fun holiday event; a spirited contest for the best holiday door decorations for each of their tiny homes. Their contest for the “Best Holiday Door” will be held at the Tiny Home Village on December 20th, and prizes awarded to the winners.
Christmas decorations, so long as they are not perishable, can be dropped off at Canna West Seattle on California Avenue or at its sister store, The Culture Shop, which is located directly across the street. In addition to Christmas decorations, C2C is seeking the following items (camp operator LIHI’s donation guidelines included):
–Clothing Items, Towels, and Bedding: should be new or gently worn, nothing with stains or rips, and should be recently cleaned before donation. NO used underwear.
–Furniture: needs to be approved before donation, due to the size limitations within our Tiny Houses and apartment buildings, we will just need to confirm the dimensions of your items will actually fit within our spaces.
–Cleaning Supplies, and Hygiene Products: should be UNOPENED, and travel sized or relatively small, with a preference for gender neutral items so all folks feel comfortable.
–Books, Art Supplies, Household Items, Miscellaneous items: should be in good condition, gently used or new, and clearly labeled with its intended purpose (i.e. art supplies should be packaged or labeled as ‘art supplies’).
Also from the announcement, Canna owner and founder Maryam Mirnateghi explains, “There are so many different homeless programs that need community support and Camp 2nd Chance is one of those that not only needs West Seattle’s help, but also one that is making a real impact on the lives of the people it works with.” As we have reported in monthly status update, the camp at 9701 Myers Way S. is usually home to between 50 and 60 people and is supported by city funding, which is expected to cover an addition of 20 more tiny houses next year.
P.S. We’re adding this to the ongoing list of local giving opportunities in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, where updates continue through New Year’s.
For a second year, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle has had to skip flipping pancakes at a holiday-season breakfast benefit – so the service club hopes you’ll shop their online auction instead. Lots of gift cards donated by local businesses – food, fun, fitness, and more – plus potential presents, from art to electronics to jewelry. You can browse and bid by going here. The auction’s on through December 4th, which in non-pandemic times would be the day the club hosts that pancake breakfast. Instead, all you have to do is spend a little time with their online auction so they can keep helping kids, with projects from Key Clubs to Scouting to fighting childhood cancer.
West Seattle’s only charity-fundraising Christmas-tree lot is open for the season. Holy Rosary School is selling trees again this year just north of the school.
Many options – you can shop in person or online, pick it up at the lot or have it delivered for an extra fee. They have 2′ to 10′ Noble, Douglas, and Fraser firs.
If you bring five non-perishable food items for the West Seattle Food Bank, you get $5 off the tree price.
They’re also selling wreaths, as well as poinsettias from nearby Seattle Lutheran High SchoolPar.
The lot at 41st/Dakota is open 4-9 pm weekdays, 9 am-9 pm weekends, through the weekend before Christmas. Part of the proceeds go to the WSFB and to Hickman House.
All West Seattle tree sellers are listed in our Holiday Guide – if we’re missing something, please let us know!
If you can buy a turkey or two and get it to the West Seattle Food Bank between 9 am and 3 pm today, you can help ensure families’ holiday meals are joyous and bountiful. WSFB says it was able to buy 1,300 turkeys this season thanks to generous donors, but they’re running low and still distributing food today. Take your frozen-turkey donation to the Food Bank HQ on the southeast corner of 35th/Morgan before 3 pm – you should be able to pull into the garage off Morgan just east of 35th.
For the next three Wednesday afternoon, West Seattle High School‘s Teen Health Council is hoping you can help them collect items to create winter-break care packages for schoolmates in need. Here’s how WSHS junior Mevina Ott explains what they’re doing:
Addressing a wide spectrum of needs of our community at West Seattle High School requires attention to the diversity of situations and circumstances experienced by my peers, something very important to be considered.
During school closure in winter break (12/18 2021-1/2 2022), the Teen Health Center will be closed and students will not be able to access the Health Center’s services. The 16-day break can become a gap for those students who regularly rely on the Teen Health Center for access to hygiene products. With that issue, I proposed the idea to assemble winter care packages to provide the appropriate hygiene necessities needed throughout the break.
Here are hygiene necessities that would be included in care packages:
– packaged masks
– unopened hand sanitizer
– unopened protein bars/granola bars/snacks
– unopened bars of soap
– unopened deodorant
– unused toothbrushes
– unopened toothpaste
– unopened chapstick
– hand warmersDonations of clothing (used): jackets, sweaters, pants, socks, gloves, hats, scarves, t-shirts, blankets
Donation collecting events:
at WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL’S HISTORIC ENTRANCE
3000 California Ave SW– Wednesday, November 24th from 3-5 pm
– Wednesday, December 1st from 3-5 pm
– Wednesday, December 8th from 3-5 pmThe Teen Health Council will then assemble care packages and students at West Seattle High School can pick them up during the week of 12/13-12/17, the week before winter break starts.
The “historic entrance” is on the north side of the school, facing Hiawatha.
(Photo credit: Joe Mabel)
(Photo from GoFundMe.com)
If you’re a regular West Seattle Farmers’ Market shopper, you know Mariposa Farm, a family-owned provider of fresh organic produce year-round. Last Sunday, they and other vendors had to deal with the revenue loss caused by the windstorm closure; then the next day, Mariposa Farm’s Whatcom County land was deluged by floodwaters. Multiple WSB readers have emailed to let us know that Mariposa is crowdfunding to try to recover; here’s the GoFundMe page, which has photos including the one above, as well as details of their losses. (Here’s an aerial look at flooding in Everson, where Mariposa Farm is located.)
Another local school is asking for community support. The Chief Sealth International High School PTSA Direct Drive is under way through Sunday (November 21st):
<
Help support the Chief Sealth High School Community by donating through our direct fundraising drive and be entered to win great raffle prizes!Funds will help support a variety of programs at Chief Sealth, including music, athletics, student activities, library supports, the Chief Sealth clothing bank, college prep services, and many other empowering services for our students and families.
For more details and to donate, please go to this link – Chief Sealth PTSA Direct DriveThank you for supporting the Chief Sealth Community!
(WSB photo)
What a relief! WestSide Baby has welcomed shipments totaling 1 million diapers this past week, partly thanks to pandemic relief – with $225,000 received from the City of Seattle’s Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Diaper Distribution program. We were at the West Seattleite-founded nonprofit’s White Center hub this morning as the final installment arrived. Yet as impressive as a million diapers sounds, the need is even greater.
(WSB photo)
Last year alone, WestSide Baby provided families with a record-high number of diapers – 2.4 million. Executive director Sarah Cody Roth notes, “In King County, 23% of families could not afford enough diapers and the devastating economic impacts of COVID have only widened that gap.” The nonprofit has strong community support, but the city contribution has made a huge difference. West Seattle/South Park City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who chairs the Public Safety and Human Services Committee, calls WS Baby “a regional treasure … helping low-income families survive through the pandemic.” Also invaluably helpful, WestSide Baby says, was its WC neighbor La Mexicana, which temporarily donated warehouse space to help store all those diapers. Now they’re racing to distribute them quickly!
(WestSide Baby photo)
That photo’s from a delivery in High Point. “We have never done anything this big before – we are coordinating the distribution of 700,000 diapers over the next 4 weeks, one of the quickest and largest distributions we have ever done, all in response to emergency need this winter,” said Will Owen, WS Baby’s donation and logistics manager.
Here’s how you can help: Support WS Baby’s holiday-season JOY campaign – have a diaper drive, donate to one, and/or donate money so the purchases – and distributions! – can continue. Follow the link to see what else is on their most-needed list – such as winter coats, warm hats and gloves, and baby hygiene items.
Until 5:30 pm, Daystar Retirement Village (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) welcomes donations at its drive-up/ride-up food drive. The “Friendsgiving” drive is collecting food for the White Center Food Bank. Daystar is right across the street from Westwood Village [here’s a map]. The most-wanted items are listed on the Daystar website. If you donate, you’ll be offered a gift in return – Friendship Soup mix!
Every year, many ask about Thanksgiving volunteering opportunities. So far we don’t have anything for the actual holiday, but if you have time to spare the day before, the Junction Church (4157 California SW) needs helpers for its free Thanksgiving Eve community lunch at noon Wednesday, November 24. Interested? Text Pastor Gilbert, 206-327-2348.
Just two days remain to get in on this school fundraiser, which is Thanksgiving-specific!
Alki Elementary PTA‘s Thanksgiving Shop is open! We have partnered with Macrina Bakery, Metropolitan Market, and Remlinger Farms with an offering to help you gather around the table with loved ones:
-Macrina Bakery baked goods
-Fall Flower Bouquets
-Sparkling Apple Cider
-Remlinger Fresh Fruit Pies
-Family Gratitude KitPre Sale ends November 17th with order pick-up at Alki Elementary on Wednesday, November 24th from 11 am-3 pm
Here’s another way to share your bounty with neighbors in need, if you can, as Thanksgiving approaches – Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor) has a drive-through food drive this Wednesday, 3:30-5:30 pm. Bring donations for the White Center Food Bank to Daystar at 2615 SW Barton [map], right across the street from Westwood Village. A list of the most-wanted items are on the Daystar website.
Here’s another opportunity for you to support a school community in West Seattle. This announcement is from Friends of Roxhill Elementary:
We learned that the organization that provided Roxhill families with holiday support in the past cannot provide the same level of support this year. Every child should have a holiday meal and present, and parents and caregivers could use less stress this holiday season. You can make a difference by donating today to Friends of Roxhill Elementary, the school PTO. All donations are tax-deductible.
Many Roxhill Elementary families have already donated, but we’re a small Title I school of about 240 students. 56% of our students are on free or reduced lunch and 30% of our families are supported by the Seattle Housing Authority. So we really need help from the great folks in West Seattle, not just our school, to hit our fundraising goal.
We’re continuing to spotlight school fundraisers when we get information about them – several more have come in, starting with this list of 8 from the Lafayette Elementary PTA:
Here are several ways to support Lafayette PTA through the end of 2021. The PTA is raising funds to pay for reading tutors, eBook subscriptions for every student, and more. Thank you for your support!
Shoe Drive Fundraiser: Date extended until mid-January 2022: The PTA has partnered with Funds2Orgs to raise money for the PTA and repurpose shoes by sending them to developing countries around the world. Please drop off your gently used shoes at West Seattle Runner at 2743 California Ave SW. Our goal is to collect at least 2500 pairs of shoes. Please email lafayette.fundraising@gmail.com with any questions.
Paper Boat Booksellers Book Fair: 11/16/2021 – 11/21/2021, 6040 California Ave SW; please mention Lafayette PTA to the cashier and a portion of sales will be given back to Lafayette PTA.
The Good Society Dine-Out: 12/12/2021 – 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm – 2701 California Ave SW (please mention Lafayette to your server); this is a recurring event on the second Tuesday of each month.
Bellevue Ice Rink Fundraiser: 11/19/2021 – 1/9/2022, Mention “Lafayette” when you check in with admission staff and a $3 donation will be made to Lafayette PTA for each paid ticket during the 2021-2022 season. Visit www.bellevueicerink.com to purchase tickets online, check pricing and special events.
ONLINE FUNDRAISERS:
Krispy Kreme Digital Dozens, now – 11/15/2021 (5 pm): purchase a digital dozen for $10 using this unique link to redeem at any Krispy Kreme location; digital dozens will be emailed to you at the end of the sale. OR pick up a dozen at Lafayette on November 19th. Either option, order here.
Scholastic Book Fair, through 11/21/2021: All orders are shipped directly to your home; free shipping or orders of at least $25 (books only). Please use this unique link to shop
Boon Supply, now-12/31/2021: Beautiful items that are good for you, good for the planet, and good for Lafayette PTA! Lafayette PTA earns 40% of sales when you use this unique link to shop.
Minted, now-12/31/2021: Please check out Minted for gifts and holiday cards. Lafayette PTA earns 15% of sales and you receive 20% off your order when you use promo code FUNDRAISELAFAYETTE at www.minted.com.
Another holiday announcement from Our Lady of Guadalupe:
Fair Trade Sale: Get Your Chocolate Advent Calendar, Gifts, and Coffee Today!
Our Lady of Guadalupe’s annual Fair Trade Sale is staying online for one more year. Many of the artisans, farmers, and communities we support through the sale are struggling this year due to COVID and slow sales. Through our virtual sale, you’ll find a large variety of unique, quality gifts AND 20% of sales come back to us! Win, win, win! Simply shop through our custom parish link: serrv.org?a=olgfairtrade. Bonus: From 11/8-11/22 get free ground shipping with promo code SE4SERRV21. This year, we are also selling Pura Vida coffee for $12/bag and $4/bag comes right back to us! Pura Vida has been VERY generous every year, donating 100% of sales (sometimes even more!). To order their delicious ground or whole bean coffee, visit https://olgseattle.org/news/fairtrade by November 29. We’ll have coffee ready to pick up at OLG on December 11/12 or via the school that week! Interested in products from our other annual vendors? Visit our website for their links!
(WSB photo from September – Amanda Lee at The Heron’s Nest)
Two months ago, we reported on The Heron’s Nest, a site in the West Duwamish Greenbelt where volunteers have been working on a plan to purchase a site for environmental education and repatriate it to the Duwamish Tribe, whose Longhouse is nearby. At last night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, Amanda Lee from The Heron’s Nest gave an update and announced the project had received a city grant of nearly a million dollars. We followed up with Lee this morning and received the announcement they’re making:
The Shared Spaces Foundation is excited to announce a major milestone in its efforts to fundraise for the Heron’s Nest, a project aimed at preserving 3.56 acres of land in the West Duwamish Greenbelt for community use, stewardship, sustainable education, and repatriating it to the Duwamish people. On October 5th, the City of Seattle issued a $900,000 grant from its Strategic Investment Fund to the Shared Spaces Foundation. These funds will allow Shared Spaces to purchase the land currently used for the Heron’s Nest, serving as the first step in the repatriation process.
The Duwamish people have resided in present-day Seattle and King County since time immemorial. Where they once inhabited 50 villages in the Puget Sound area, they now own less than an acre of land and have been unfairly stripped of their federal recognition. Preserving this land will increase the footprint of land access by 5x for Duwamish Tribal Services.
The Shared Spaces Foundation currently leases the 3.56-acre parcel just a short walk from the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle. This undeveloped parcel was, until recently, destined to become the site for a new housing complex. Now, with the help of the SIF grant, the Shared Spaces Foundation will be able to preserve the land from destructive development and allow the Heron’s Nest project to continue the steps they have already taken to restore its indigenous vegetation and ecology, improve its productive uses, and provide for public access and education. Over 5,000 hours of community volunteering has been put into the restoration and construction efforts since the Heron’s Nest founding at the beginning of 2020.
In time, the Heron’s Nest will include the development of sustainable, community-accessible facilities including campgrounds, an outdoor kitchen, outdoor classrooms, tool libraries, an urban farm and agroforest, a recycling center, and a natural aquaculture pool. Once restored and with the above amenities in place, the land will be given back to the Duwamish people and be used for community benefit.
However, the Shared Spaces Foundation must continue its fundraising efforts in order to bring the full project to fruition. The entirety of the SIF grant will be applied toward the purchase of the land. To fund the remaining services and facilities, Shared Spaces is driving a community-giving effort. Shared Spaces looks to raise another $500,000 for materials, staffing, and operational costs, and have set a target deadline for the end of 2021. A successful fundraising campaign this Winter will allow for many of the facilities to be operational by Spring 2022.
In addition to further grant funding, the fundraising efforts include an upcoming holiday market at the Heron’s Nest, a recent dinner and auction held on October 16th, and utilizing the space for community events, nature viewing parties, and workshops. To learn more about the vision for the land and the scope of the project, visit: www.TheHeronsNest.org
Lee says the holiday market is scheduled for December 11th – more on that when it gets closer.
This Saturday, 10 am-1 pm, you’re invite to be part of am “all-hands cleanup” centered on four areas of West Seattle, with the local volunteer coalition CleanupSEA. Their announcement:
A CLEANER SEATTLE IS IN REACH. GRAB YOUR SPOT & JOIN US! Pick a cleanup zone and join us at 10 AM on November 13 for the first-ever CleanupSEA West Seattle all-hands volunteer cleanup event. Bring your friends and family for a beautiful fall day outside together. Bags, gloves, vests, and nifty trash grabber picker sticks provided. Bring a 5-gallon bucket if you have one. Masks required. Clean for 5 minutes or 3 hours. It’s all good.
*Please RSVP and sign up to the respective cleanup below so we can plan accordingly. Sign-up not required, but appreciated.
• Alki Beach (meet at the Alki Bath House)
• Alki Elementary (meet at Alki Elementary Playground)
• Seacrest Park / Harbor Ave (meet outside Marination Ma Kai)
• Under the West Seattle Bridge (meet outside Chelan Cafe; please park nearby, not in cafe parking lot)FREE COMMUNITY CLEANUP EVENT. EVERYONE WELCOME. Presented by CleanupSEA in coordination with Seattle Public Utilities Adopt-a-Street and Alki Elementary PTA Eco-Heros program. Questions? hello@cleanupsea.com
To RSVP, go here.
| 1 COMMENT