West Seattle, Washington
27 Wednesday
Friends of Jon Boudreau are sharing news of his passing along with a way to assist his family:
It is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of Jon Boudreau, a beloved member of our West Seattle community and the spouse of Odetta Owen Boudreau. After a glioblastoma diagnosis, Jon focused on healing his body and soul by focusing his energy on his love of family, friends, music, and gardening.
In addition to giving support and care to Jon, Odetta has given so much to our community in times of need, including organizing a food distribution center at Highland Park Improvement Club at the beginning of the pandemic that operated for 2 years.
To honor Jon’s memory, we are posting Odetta’s tribute to him and a link to the GoFundMe page set up in his name to help the family during this difficult time.
“With a heavy heart I share with you that my beloved Jon passed quietly and without pain (January 30). Over two years ago he was given the fatal diagnosis of brain cancer, glioblastoma. At the time he never wanted that information on social media. He did not feel that it would be helpful to anyone and he was in this diagnosis, as in his entire life, determined to live.
When you think of Jon and this period of his life, I hope you will as I am today remembering this beautiful quote.
‘The body of a starving horse does not forget the size it was born to.’
-Jane HirshfieldJon knew the eventual outcome of his diagnosis. In spite of that he never forgot the size he was born to.
Although we here still tethered to the planet, did not get what we wanted in outcomes for our dear, sweet husband, father, son, brother and friend, we must always honor the path he took. We feel deeply a loss, and we tend to talk about disease, especially cancer in terms of winning and losing.
Sweet friends, such language diminishes the size Jon was born to. Simply, and truthfully, God chose to heal him in a way that was different than what we wanted.”
The CleanUpSEA coalition has an invitation for you, to start what’s expected to be a rainless weekend:
Join Jess at her monthly 10 am cleanup from Alki Beach to Constellation Park, and neighboring streets in between — the first Saturday of every month!
We’ll meet outside 2452 Alki Ave SW (brick apartment building across from new bathrooms on the beach) and spread out from there. We have pickup sticks & buckets you can use, or bring your own.
Friendly doggies and supervised children of all ages are welcome. Please, no dogs on the beach. Dress for the weather and bring gloves if you’d like your hands covered.
Early Riser? Meet Erik & Garet at 7 am every Saturday to clean up starting at the Statue of Liberty.
No RSVP needed – just show up!
The White Center Food Bank, which also serves south West Seattle, needs your help, if you can donate food. Here’s the announcement we received:
We are running low on the following items and need our community to help fill the shelves:
Soup (pop top)
Broth
Peanut Butter
Rice
Sugar (in a box)
Condiments (BBQ, mustard, mayo)
Oil
Flour
Coffee & Tea
Soy Sauce
Mac and Cheese
Ramen Noodles
Salt
Black PepperDonation hours at the food bank are 8 am-3:30 pm M-F, 10829 8th Ave SW.
Please get in touch with a staff member when you arrive and they can help load in.
If those hours or location are not convenient, we have donation barrels located at:
– BECU in Roxbury Safeway
– Moonshot Coffee (White Center)
– Good Day Donuts (White Center)
– Future Primitive Beer (White Center)
– White Center and Fauntleroy Starbucks locations
Three fun ways to help local schools, which need community help more than ever as the pandemic has dampened the usual fundraising:
VALENTINE SHOPPING WITH ALKI ELEMENTARY PTA: Through Sunday (February 6th), pre-order from the online shop benefiting the Alki PTA:
Cupid’s back with an offering to delight your sweet tooth and make your valentine’s heart flutter. Rose Bouquets (WS delivery available)
Franz Chocolates
Kid Valentine Gift boxes
Brush and Mallet Valentine Cards
Fizz Drink Kit complete with family activities and delicious Cupcake Royale cupcakesAdditionally, a Staff Fund will be available to contribute funds for Cupid to drop treats off to our amazing Alki Staff!
Presale ends THIS SUNDAY so don’t delay. We have Valentine’s Day covered for you!
Go here to browse/order.
LINCOLN PARK CO-OP DINE-OUT: This Sunday is also the day you can dine/drink at Lady Jaye in The Junction (4523 California SW) – dine-in, shop, or takeout – with proceeds benefiting Lincoln Park Cooperative Preschool. There’s also a take-and-bake dish you can preorder by Friday to benefit the preschool. Details on all of the above are in our calendar listing.
WSHS JUNIOR ASB DINE-OUT: Next Wednesday (February 9th), you can get food from Chipotle in The Junction (4730 California SW) and help out the West Seattle High School junior class ASB. Just tell the restaurant you’re there for WSHS. Our calendar listing includes a code you can use – that day, 5-9 pm only – to order online for the fundraiser.
Got a fundraiser, school or otherwise? Let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Start your weekend with community work. Saturday morning (January 29th), some of your West Seattle neighbors are leading a cleanup under the West Seattle Bridge and along the bike path. From the announcement:
Saturday from 10 am – Noon; meet at Riverside Memorial Park (a little plaza at the intersection of SW Marginal Pl. and 17th Ave SW). ADULTS ONLY (for safety).
This will be the first in a series of grittier-style cleans under the WS Bridge and along the bike path and surrounding areas (adults only.) Our mission will be to create a safer environment for bicyclists and pedestrians who use this area to pass thru on their commutes. Currently garbage, broken glass, and many discarded items make this a hazardous area to travel.
Vests, gloves, buckets and pickup sticks will be provided. More details are in the full announcement here. Organizers welcome any help, even if you can’t spare the full two hours.
From the North Delridge-headquartered Camp Fire Central Puget Sound:
Camp Fire Candy Fundraiser Going on Now
Every year around this time, youth from Camp Fire Central Puget Sound can be found in the doorways of grocery stores selling candy and raising funds for their groups. This year, they will mostly be found selling through virtual storefronts on the Camp Fire website! To purchase some delectable candy and coffee, please head to our Gallery of Groups web page now through February 21st and choose a youth seller to support. Thank you!
The nighttime temperature is back into the 30s, so West Seattle’s only emergency shelter, at the Veterans’ Center in The Triangle, has reopened. From its operator Keith Hughes:
The overnight shelter is open, and will be each night this week, as well as the morning Warm-up Center. Warm-up hours are 7:30 – 11 am. Shelter opens at 5 pm, with hot meal at 6:30 pm. Check in for overnight closes at 10 pm.
The Shelter is located at the American Legion Hall at 3618 SW Alaska St in West Seattle.
Volunteers and financial support remain needed and appreciated, as noted here.
Two weeks ago, we published a call for volunteers for an MLK Day of Service weekend work party at Lincoln Park. Today we have word – and photos – from forest steward Lisa McGinty of Friends of Lincoln Park, who says it was a big success:
42 youth showed up to help clear over 15,000 square feet of non-native plants and planted 20 native trees in a forested area of Lincoln Park. While honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to action in their community, students connected with nature and learned about non-native plant species that can cause harm to our urban forests.
The event was co-hosted by West Seattle High School Green Team, Friends of Lincoln Park and YMCA Earth Service Corps.
Want to find out about future chances to help at the park? Here’s how.
We continue to spotlight school fundraisers, and the next one is coming up Sunday – with a pre-ordering option too. Here’s the announcement sent to us:
We are inviting the community to join the Genesee Hill Elementary Dine-Out fundraiser hosted by Lady Jaye this January 23 from 2 to 7:30 pm. If you are interested in a $50 Take and Bake special serving 4, order here by Friday, January 21 at 5 pm. If you’d rather be in person, reserve a table on the heated patio or indoors before it’s too late!
Online ordering/reservations are strongly recommended. 20% of all sales on this day will go to Genesee Hill. This includes takeout, dine-in, gift cards, drinks, the Take and Bake special, and even a one-of-a-kind Genesee Hill special to-go cocktail!
Lady Jaye is at 4523 California SW in The Junction.
(WSB photo, December)
During our recent run of snowy/freezing weather, we reported multiple times on the only emergency cold-weather shelter in West Seattle, not operated by the city, not operated by a homelessness nonprofit, but instead operated by Keith Hughes, commander of American Legion Post 160 and manager of the co-housed West Seattle Veterans Center. The shelter is closed for now, as reported here, but winter has two more months to go and it’ll likely need to open again. So what can you do to be sure it’s ready? Here’s a new webpage set up by supporter Tomasz Biernacki with the backstory and two ways to help, as follows;
Now in his 4th winter of giving care to those struggling in the cold, Keith needs our help. He’s in his 70s and is exhausted. In addition to the folks he is serving, he’s been remodeling the building to meet code requirements for the kitchen and bathrooms, often dipping into his own 401K. To meet the growing need, he needs us now. He needs volunteers and funds.
If you can help with either or both, please do. Keith is a doer, but he can only do so much.
If you want to get involved, please email pecharalala@gmail.com. There is lots to do so please let us know time availability and what you would like to offer in terms of labor and services. Tomasz will get back to each person to pre-screen them for Keith.
If you would like to donate funds, you can do so here – https://gofund.me/1daf9797. We are hoping to raise $6,000 to help cover utility bills. Contributions are tax-deductible, as the West Seattle Veterans Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization
The city committed to cover what it would otherwise charge the center for December’s bills, but that’s just a fraction of the building’s costs.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has become MLK Day of Service for many, and in West Seattle, that included several environmental-restoration/cleanup projects today. We stopped by the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association Nature Team work site in Pigeon Point Park, part of the West Duwamish Greenbelt urban forest, adjacent to Pathfinder K-8.
This is a labor-intensive, long-running project to give the life-sustaining forest some help by beating back invasive plants. Removing blackberry growth was a focus for the nearly 30 volunteers who turned out today. In the spring, work parties will focus on planting – but at this time of year, the ground has to be cleared and readied to receive those new plants. DNDA has frequent volunteer opportunities for this area and other parts of the West Duwamish Greenbelt – check them out, and sign up if you’re interested, by going here.
If you aren’t already signed up for an MLK Day of Service volunteer opportunity tomorrow but are interested in helping out somewhere, we just found out about this – CleanupSEA is organizing a pop-up cleanup, 10 am-noon. Meet at Harbor and Lotus [map]. More info here. (P.S. If you know of any other service opportunities Monday that are not all booked up, let us know so we can mention them too!)
Help your neighbors stay warm and fed. Mode Music and Performing Arts is teaming up with Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) for a winter donation drive. Here’s the announcement:
Drop off your donations at the front desk of Mode Music Studios at 3805 Delridge Way SW until January 19th. All proceeds and donations requested below will go to the White Center Food Bank and Mary’s Place. Help us keep our community warm this winter by donating warm clothing, nonperishables, and toiletries!
The White Center Food Bank is taking:
Soup (pop-top), Canned Meat (pop-top), Rice Noodles, Spices, Peanut Butter, Canned Fruit (pop-top), Boxed Baking Mixes, Coffee, Non-Dairy Salad Dressing, Flour, Broth, Condiments, Sugar, Rice, Soy Sauce, Brown Sugar, Oats, Tamari Sauce, Oil, Spaghetti, and Ponzu SauceCanned goods are accepted within 18 months of the expiration date
Boxed cereals and pastas within 6 months
Drinks within 3 months
Dry Beans and Grains within 2 yearsMary’s Place is taking:
Winter Drive Items:
Winter Coats, Raincoats, Jackets, Sweatshirts, Hoodies, Fleece, Warm pajamas, Hats, Scarves, Gloves/Mittens, Blankets, and Hand WarmersToiletries:
Shampoo/Conditioner, Toothpaste/Toothbrushes/Mouthwash, Deodorant, Feminine Hygiene products, body wash/body lotion, lip balm, brushes/combs, pain relievers, makeup, nail careDiapers and Wipes with larger sizes needed (5, 6), and pull-ups (size 4t and 5t).
Clothing (new and like new):
All clothing for women, men, children and infants, bras and underwear, twin-sized blankets and sheets, towels of all sizes
If you’re interested in music, theater, and dance classes, visit the drive’s sponsors online at modemusicstudios.com or modemusicandperformingarts.org
Earlier this week, we reported on a burglary at Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point – someone broke into the school music room during winter break. Today, Pathfinder parent Lisa Stencel emailed us to say they’re looking for instrument donations so the students can keep making music: “Most of the instruments were taken, so we are hoping that our West Seattle community can help us out. If anyone has any instruments that are not being used, we would gladly take them.” We asked if any specific types were most needed; her reply, “It was mostly wind and horn instruments, but we’ll take anything.” Donations can be picked up if necessary. If you have an instrument to offer – and/or questions – email Lisa at lisastencel (at) gmail.com.
Looking for a way to volunteer on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend? The West Seattle High School Green Team, Friends of Lincoln Park, YMCA, and Green Seattle Partnership invite you to a youth-led urban-restoration event at Lincoln Park, 10 am-1 pm on January 15th. All are welcome – they’ll be meeting near the north map kiosk by Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Rose. Here’s the flyer with the QR code for registration, and contact information if you have questions.
If you can donate blood, our regional blood bank needs you now. The holidays are already a challenging time, and the snow has compounded that, according to this announcement Bloodworks Northwest asked us to publish:
Due to our recent snow/weather, the need for blood for our community is now urgent. Bloodworks Northwest Talking points:
· In the past three days, 55% of our appointments (966) weren’t able to come in due to the winter weather. We are seeing additional cancellations today.
· We have over 1,200 open appointments in the next 10 days.
· With the holidays and winter weather, donations have dropped by 1,400 units in the past 7 days. This is the smallest amount of donations we have seen since the pandemic began.
· Almost all blood types are at Emergency Levels, less than a day supply
If you can get to a Bloodworks Northwest donor center or pop-up safely, please give blood. We have many openings at upcoming West Seattle pop-ups. Please book your appointment at www.bloodworksnw.org
Here’s the list of West Seattle pop-ups – including three days next week at the Masonic Center in The Junction. (Or, if you can get downtown, they have appointments available up through 6:30 tonight.)
“The phone will not quit ringing.”
That’s what Keith Hughes told us – between phone calls – when we stopped by American Legion Post 160 (3618 SW Alaska) this afternoon to see what he needs to keep running West Seattle’s only cold-weather shelter.
12 people slept there last night, and he was expecting more tonight. So he needs more cots, and blankets for the people who will sleep on them. Socks and gloves, too – those go fast, dozens of pairs so far.
And of course, he still needs more volunteers to help keep the doors open, as a daytime warming center – some people drop in for a cup of coffee, maybe a pair of socks, and then go back out – and overnight shelter.
He is serving two meals a day, as the whiteboard outside says:
But he says they have plenty of food – including six 5-pound pans of frozen lasagna – so they don’t need more food right now. And please don’t bring clothing – that takes more volunteers to sort and wash, and that’s more than he can handle. Socks and gloves, he can just keep on a table by the door to Pershing Hall, the event room that’s doubling as a shelter.
Running the shelter is more than a matter of just keeping the doors open. Hughes has also been kept busy handling logistics for the people who show up, or who are brought there; some of the phone calls he took while we were there had to do with someone dropped off there who really needed to be in a hospital instead.
Since the last time we talked with him, the city has started including Post 160 on its resource list of emergency shelters. And the new King County Regional Homelessness Authority has someone calling twice a day to check in. But the only government help he’s getting, says Hughes, is a city promise to cover the utility bills for December – running two furnaces, doing laundry, and providing showers adds up.
If you have questions, or are interested in volunteering, call Post 160 any time between 8 am and 6 pm at 206-932-9696, or call Hughes directly at 206-941-6654.
WEDNESDAY NOTE: Please see the comment discussion below for updates. In short – volunteers still needed, everything else is good for now, thanks to some fast-acting generous people!
The photo is from Mel, dropping off homemade cookies Thursday for The Christmas People, who are including the cookies in holiday meals for people in need. Today’s your last chance to contribute some too – take the cookies to West Seattle Coworking (6040 California SW) between 9 am and 3 pm. (Last year they received more than 7,000 cookies!)
Once again, American Legion Post 160 in The Triangle is opening a winter-weather overnight shelter – but we just learned this afternoon that volunteers are urgently needed. Post commander Keith Hughes says they are required to have two people on site at all times while open as a shelter, and they need help filling those slots. Ideally a volunteer could be there either 6 pm-midnight or midnight-6 am, but if you can only give a few hours, they’ll take the help they can get. If you have questions, or are ready to volunteer, call Post 160 any time between 8 am and 6 pm at 206-932-9696, or call Keith directly at 206-941-6654.
Baking holiday cookies? Add an extra dozen or two and take them to The Christmas People! For three days starting tomorrow, they’ll be accepting cookie dropoffs in West Seattle to include in the meals they’ll be delivering to people in need. Every year, community members have stepped up to fill the order. (Homemade only, please.) You can drop cookies off any time between 9 am and 3 pm Wednesday through Friday (December 22-24) at West Seattle Coworking (6040 California SW)
That’s Mark Bouma of Lake Washington Physical Therapy (1309 Harbor Avenue SW; WSB sponsor) “crabwalking.” Mark explains that it’s part of their holiday-season fundraiser to help foster kids – and you can be part of it:
We have about 3 weeks left of our Holiday Fundraiser supporting Treehouse for Kids!
We are part of a group of small businesses called the Puget Sound Health and Fitness Coalition, joining forces to raise money for foster kids. So far we have raised over $5,000, but there is still time left to donate!
This link will allow visitors to donate securely online: engage.treehouseforkids.org/fundraiser/3573656
The community can donate online or in the clinic. If they donate over $20 in the clinic, they can ask any one of our team members to perform some FUN physical tasks from the list!
The clinic is right across from Don Armeni Boat Ramp.
The chilly, breezy weather isn’t stopping brothers Atticus and Dominic from their annual drop-off donation drive – until 3 pm, you can drive, ride, or walk into the lot behind Hope Lutheran and donate food and/or money for the West Seattle Food Bank, and/or “new or gently used coats of all sizes which will be placed by Westside Interfaith Network at their welcome table every Saturday in White Center.” The brothers – Atticus is a freshman at Raisbeck Aviation High School and Dominic is a 7th grader at Hope – say, “Thank you once again for helping us support the members of our community during these times.” You can enter the lot off SW Oregon just east of 42nd SW.
Lots of generosity so far this season – and still many opportunities to keep giving, if you can. Here are three in the next four days, if you haven’t already seen them in our West Seattle Holiday Guide or on our year-round Event Calendar:
WSHS WINTER CARE-PACKAGE DONATION DRIVE TODAY: Today, 3-5 pm outside West Seattle High School‘s north entrance (3000 California SW) is your third and final opportunity to drop off donated items for this student-led, student-benefiting drive creating “care packages.” Items needed:
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
DRIVE-UP CLOTHING DRIVE THURSDAY, WITH COFFEE: Tomorrow morning (Thursday, December 9th), 10 am-11:30 am, a drive-up donation drive at Daystar Retirement Village (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) is collecting clothing items for the West Seattle Food Bank‘s Clothesline. Your reward: A made-to-order coffee drink! Here are the details, including requested items.
DRIVE-UP FOOD DRIVE SATURDAY: Atticus, now a high-school student, collected food in the Hope Lutheran back lot last year – almost a ton! – and is doing it again this Saturday (December 11th), 10 am-3 pm. He and his brother Dominic will be collecting food and money as well as coats – all sizes – for the Westside Interfaith Network‘s weekly Welcome Table in White Center. The dropoff site (ride-up and walk-up welcome too, of course) is off SW Oregon just east of 42nd SW.
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