West Seattle, Washington
30 Saturday
If not for the pandemic, this coming Saturday would be the day that Rotary Club of West Seattle members and hundreds of other volunteers join forces for the Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree, providing fun and necessities to kids from local schools. Not this year – but the Rotary has five other ways to support kids. with your assistance:
On November 6th, The Rotary Club of West Seattle celebrated 73 years of service to the community. Through our Service Foundation, we address many critical needs of Southwest Seattle kids, from those in elementary school to those graduating from high school or a GED-granting organization.
For over 50 years, we had our Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree at Sears on the 1st Saturday in December with the goal of taking 100 children shopping to be sure they have warm winter clothing, good footwear and essentials.
Due to current and long-term uncertainties with conducting such an event at a large mall, and school counselors identifying a need for a springtime event, we have come up with “Spring for Kids”, a program offering a shopping spree, brunch, and other fun treats at a safe West Seattle location.
“Spring for Kids” is one of five major local area service programs for kids that the West Seattle Rotary Service Foundation supports through donations that come to us through our Club’s members, friends, family, and the West Seattle community:
Spring for Kids – provides high-needs elementary school kids with a springtime clothing shopping spree and a free brunch
Pencil Me In For Kids — provides elementary schools and their kids with supplementary supplies they need and can’t afford.
Youth Life Prep — Through Southwest Youth and Family Services, provides a job-seeking GED graduate with the clothing, resume, and interview skills required to find a job.
Student of the Year – provides a high-needs graduating senior with funds supplementing college/community college tuition for books, food, or housing.
Inspire Kids — Through Southwest Youth and Family Services, provides for underserved elementary school kids and their parents/guardians with extensive social-emotional health services – inspired to say “yes” to healthy behavior.
We have launched a virtual fundraising campaign to help us raise money to support these five important local programs. Please consider a gift to the West Seattle Rotary Service Foundation through our Happy, Hopeful, Kids Campaign: give.westseattlerotary.org/campaign/happy-hopeful-kids/c308750
Questions? Contact Amy Lee Derenthal at amyleed@soundgenerations.org or 206-932-4044 ext. 5.
Yet another option for online holiday shopping – the Delridge Grocery Co-op, working toward a food store in the heart of Delridge, is taking orders for gift baskets through December 11th. You can support the co-op and local producers by buying one (or more)! If you haven’t already seen it in our Holiday Guide, here’s the announcement:
The Delridge Grocery Co-op is now selling its first Holiday Gift Basket in addition to its weekly DGC Essentials produce box. Packed full of sweet, savory, spicy, and soft local delights, the DGC Holiday Gift Basket is great for sharing with friends and neighbors, sending as a gift to work colleagues, or treating yourself. Priced at $60 for pickup or delivery, it includes a specially curated selection of delightful foods from local businesses around Seattle and the Pacific Northwest plus a hand-dyed tea towel — all in a reusable wooden half-bushel basket.
You can order the DGC Holiday Gift Basket now through December 11, and it will be available for pickup or delivery on December 19. You can get a box delivered to your home, or specify another West Seattle address to receive the box. (Deliveries are limited to the West Seattle peninsula, as far south as Roxbury.)
Here’s what you’ll get in the DGC Holiday Gift Basket:
Vanilla Salted Caramel Gourmet Popcorn (Cobb’s)
Preserved Lemons (Villa Jerada)
Pickled Green Beans. (Seattle Pickle Co.)
Black Truffle Mustard (Mustard and Co.)
Everything on Everything, Classic Blend (Stocked Kitchen)
Haxan Hot Sauce, Various Flavors (Haxan Ferments)
San Juan Sea Salt Chocolate Bar (Patty Pan Cooperative)
Blueberry Jam (Sidhu Farms)
Shibori-Dyed Indigo Tea Towel (hand-dyed in West Seattle by DGC board member)Get details on all the Holiday Gift Basket contents at the DGC website.
As for the DCG’s ongoing Essentials Boxes – see our story from earlier this fall.
(Photos courtesy West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge)
Even if we don’t see snow or ice, we will see an abundance of polar bears in West Seattle this season – thanks to the West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge. It’s all sorts of good things bundled up in one, according to the announcement we received to share with you:
The mission of the West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge is to:
*Create holiday fun for the West Seattle community – A Polar Bear Scavenger Hunt
*Collect food for the West Seattle Food Bank at polar bear locations
*Build awareness about “supporting local” and drive business into local stores and restaurants for takeoutThe West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge is a scavenger hunt with a cause.
There are already 40 participating homes and businesses around our community, and the numbers are growing every day. You can view the interactive Polar Bear Scavenger Hunt map here. Big or small, an inflatable or simple picture in your window, the more polar bears and bins the merrier.
The West Seattle Polar Bear Challenge begins on December 1, 2020 and will run through January 1, 2021. On January 1, 2021, our Polar Bears will be down on Alki, the famous location of the Polar Bear Plunge, for one final opportunity to contribute to the West Seattle Food Bank.
Learn more and get involved here:
wspolarbearchallenge.comTo make it easy to participate, the website includes a form to submit your address to be included on the map, downloadable signs and donation bin labels, and more.
Organizers tell us this is simply an “effort of several families and friends that have come together to make it happen.” (We’ll of course be adding it to the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide – anything this season that you want the community to know about and/or be part of, let us know!)
During this pandemic-altered school year. PTSAs and PTAs are focused on helping students and families with the most basic of needs, as the economic crunch leaves more struggling than ever before. Here are three ways you can help another local school community:
‘Tis the season for giving! Please help our Chief Sealth International HS students and their families.
There are many ways to help CSI; please consider giving to one or both of these important crowdfunding campaigns below. Please share these links with your friends and family that would also be able to support our CSI community.
CSI PTSA General Fund
We are not able to hold our annual auction. Help us replenish our annual PTSA budget to provide needed essentials for our students.
or
Gift Cards for Sealth Families
This campaign will help our CSI families that are in need of basic supports, many for the first time. If you are able, we would appreciate your donation.
Another way to help Sealth is by using our Amazon link for all of your Amazon Cyber Monday shopping! We get a greater percentage of your sales by entering the site through this link. Bookmark it and help all year by doing your usual shopping. Or just enter the site through the link on our CSI PTSA website.
Thank you, Sealth supporters! We appreciate every one of you. Wishing you all the best through the holidays and cheers to a less chaotic 2021!
With Gratitude,
The Chief Sealth PTSA
(WSB photo: The Y crew @ donation drive)
Reminder that while we’ve talked a lot about shopping today, it’s also a day for giving – right now until 3 pm, the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) has a drive-up donation drive, accepting warm pajamas and unwrapped toys for local students. The Y’s at 36th/Snoqualmie. Here’s our preview with details.
Earlier this month, we published the John L. Scott Real Estate-Westwood (WSB sponsor) call for pre-Thanksgiving donations to be delivered to the White Center Food Bank. What you see above is just part of what generous donors brought in. The office wanted to share its gratitude:
Thank you, everyone, for making the John L Scott Westwood food drive, benefiting the White Center Food Bank, a success. People came from all over, and our bins were overflowing!
Please remember this holiday season to continue to give to our local food banks, as the need is great this year.
Donation information for the WCFB, which also serves part of West Seattle, is here.
The West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) just announced two opportunities for you to provide holiday help if you can:
West Seattle YMCA Pajama & Toy Drive
Join us for a drive-thru pajama & toy drive on Saturday, November 28, from 12:00 – 3:00 pm at the West Seattle Y [36th/Snoqualmie] to support Y families this holiday season. We are looking for warm pajamas, sizes 5T through size 16, and unwrapped toys. A few favorites include Legos, art kits, board games, Paw Patrol, Hot Wheels, and all kinds of balls. If you are not able to join us for the drive-thru, please see our online wish list:
West Seattle YMCA Virtual Giving Tree
During the holiday season, the West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA hosts the Giving Tree, which is full of requests from youth who are participants of our programs. We invite you to join our virtual Giving Tree to support our community while also keeping everyone safe.
We’ll be adding these ASAP to the list of giving opportunities in our just-launched West Seattle Holiday Guide.
(WSB file photo)
Yet another local holiday event has reinvented itself for the pandemic – the St. Nicholas Faire, presented every year by First Lutheran Church of West Seattle to benefit local nonprofits. It’s usually a celebration in the church’s festively decorated lower level, centered on silent auctions for potential gifts – specialty baskets put together by church members, and gift cards to businesses. This year, it’s an online auction, and it’s happening Friday night (November 27th), 6-9 pm. All you have to do is register and bid! As organizers note, “This is an excellent opportunity to purchase some gifts without having to leave your home.” Proceeds go to the West Seattle Food Bank. But the bidding will happen just during those three hours Friday night. You can register in advance, and preview some of the items, by going here.
(WSB photo, Saturday at SSC)
1:33 PM: Last Saturday, the West Seattle Food Bank gave out hundreds of turkeys, and distribution at their HQ continues through Wednesday – but they need more, ASAP. We just received the request:
You can help your neighbors enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. Please donate turkeys today!
The West Seattle Food Bank is in need of turkeys to give out to our neighbors this week. As we approach Thanksgiving, there has been record numbers of neighbors coming to the West Seattle Food Bank for holiday groceries.
While we bought several hundred more turkeys than usual, we are at risk of running out! We’ve served over 700 families thus far and are still distributing food another 3 days. We need your help to ensure all our neighbors can enjoy a delicious meal with their family.
Donations accepted:
Monday until 3:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 2:00 pmWest Seattle Food Bank
3419 SW Morgan St.
The WSFB has a garage entrance off Morgan where you can pull in to deliver donations.
4:17 PM: WSFB says frozen small or medium turkeys are preferred, but reader Christine reported trouble finding those at several local stores, so they say they can accept fresh turkeys too, as they have an industrial-size freezer for storage.
(Photo from past, in-person OLG Ethical Trade Sale)
In pre-pandemic years, we’d have a long list of local holiday bazaars/one-time sales, where you could do some of your gift shopping while supporting artisans/makers both local and global. This year, some have canceled, but others have gone online, like Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s Ethical Trade Sale, happening right now:
Ethical Trade Sale: Get Your Chocolate Advent Calendar, Gifts, and Coffee Today!
Our Lady of Guadalupe’s annual Ethical Trade Sale is online this year! Many of the artisans, farmers, and communities we support through the sale are struggling this year as COVID spreads and sales slow. Through our virtual sale, you’ll find a large variety of unique, quality gifts, AND 20% of sales come back to OLG! Win, win, win! Simply shop through our custom parish page. Bonus, you can get a $10 gift card on 11/21-22 (code: SEGC20). This year, we are also selling Pura Vida coffee. Pura Vida has been VERY generous every year, donating 100% of sales (sometimes even more!). Their business is struggling with COVID and now we can return the generosity. To order their delicious ground or whole bean coffee, contact Erin at erinpedras@centurylink.net by November 30. We’ll have coffee ready to pick up at OLG on December 12 from 11 am-3 pm. Interested in products from our other annual vendors? Visit our website for their links!
Is your bazaar/fundraising sale/other holiday event happening online this year? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thanks!
Many fundraisers and other donation/volunteering requests we’ve featured in recent months have drawn heartwarming support. That’s the case for the fundraiser to help Roxhill Elementary families – here’s an update, with a new goal:
Thank you so much for the generosity you’ve shown in helping our families get food to eat. Because of your outpouring of support, we not only met, but exceeded our original goal. So now we’re dreaming big! Our original $8k ask met the immediate and urgent need for food this fall. Now we’re looking at what it would take to close the food gap for our families for the whole year. And with COVID on the rise, the year keeps getting harder for a lot of our families. If you’ve already made your tax-deductible donation, thank you! Please consider sharing to your social networks and donating again. We’re already over halfway there, and with your support we know we can make it! Much love West Seattle. <3
Here’s the link for donating.
It’s the season of giving, if you can. Here are two ways to help people stay warm (and more):
ANNUAL COAT DRIVE: The State Farm office of Dave Newman (longtime WSB sponsor) has launched its annual coat drive:
Donations of Clothes, Coats and Shoes in full swing as West Seattle residents give generously.
:
Week one of our annual clothing drive in support of the West Seattle helpline is now under way. So far we have one full barrel of much-needed winter clothing to help our less fortunate friends and neighbors.Dave Newman State Farm Insurance agency will continue to collect clean donations of clothes, coats, and shoes until January 1st. For undergarments and socks please donate only new and unopened packages of clothing items.
The drop-off location is 3435 California Ave SW. For those who have donations but are unable to transport their clothes, coats and shoes to the donation location, pickup may be available. For further information, contact the State Farm office at (206) 932-1878.
The office’s regular hours are 9 am-5 pm weekdays.
SOCK DRIVE ON SUNDAY: Alki UCC is collecting socks as well as food this Sunday (November 15th):
It’s never too early to share the holiday spirit. Alki United Church of Christ (Alki UCC) is hosting an in-person socially-distanced Thanksgiving food Drive this Sunday, November 15 between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Collections are being taken outside the church’s main entrance at 6115 SW Hinds in West Seattle.
Priority items, distributed through the White Center Food Bank, include Boxed Stuffing Mix, Instant Mashed Potatoes, Turkey Gravy, Yams, Cranberry Sauce, Canned Veggies, Cornbread Mix, Canned Fruit Pie Filling, Pie Crust Mix, etc. Donations of personal care items and (clearly labeled) packets of pet food are also welcome.
Donations of Men’s Casual/Work Clothes are also welcome, as well as SOCKS, SOCKS, SOCKS — the clothing item most requested by our neighbors experiencing homelessness.
If you can help, here’s two ways to assist the food banks serving our area:
GOT FOOD? John L. Scott Real Estate – Westwood (WSB sponsor) invites you to stop by the office and donate non-perishable food for their Thanksgiving-season drive to help the White Center Food Bank (which also serves part of West Seattle):
JLS is in the Westwood breezeway east of Bed Bath & Beyond. The office is open 10 am-5 pm weekdays, 10 am-4 pm Saturdays.
GOT BAGS? Here’s a request from the West Seattle Food Bank:
We are in need of clean, unripped paper grocery bags with handles!
Please, no gift bags, cloth bags, plastic bags, etc.
Donations accepted Monday – Friday between 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – 3419 SW Morgan St.
Sweet tooth? Generous heart? Meld the two by supporting one or both of these school fundraisers:
ROXHILL ELEMENTARY: Candy sale!
Want to stress eat some chocolate and support local underfunded public schools at the same time? Now’s your chance!!!
Roxhill Elementary’s See’s Candy fundraiser is one of the biggest ways we raise money for our school. from chocolate treats to peanut brittle, there’s something for everyone. Place your order online and it will be shipped directly to you. It also makes a great gift. :) Feel free to share the sugar-ey love with your friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives across the country.
ALKI ELEMENTARY: The PTA’s inviting you to a One-Stop Thanksgiving Shop (which offers more than sweets):
Our community has come together in so many beautiful ways during this challenging time, and to honor that, we have put together a fundraiser to show our gratitude to you.
Shop Alki’s One-Stop Thanksgiving Shop for locally curated goods https://alkipta.square.site/pie
Pre-order Remlinger Farms Fruit Pies, Macrina Bakery Breakfast Breads and Rolls, Market Flower Bouquets, Gratitude Cards, and more! Items will be ready for drive-thru no contact pickup on Wednesday, November 25th from 11:00-3:00 PM in West Seattle.
By partnering with a local farm, flower grower and bakery, we bring gifts of gratitude and delicious food for around your dinner table this Thanksgiving. Share the joy with one another while sharing the love with Alki Elementary.
Thanks to WestSide Baby for the photo of that brand-new mural on the north-facing wall of the nonprofit’s White Center HQ. It’s by artist Angelina Villalobos, who painted it last weekend. The organization explains:
The mural is the end result of many conversations for many years, but was pushed forward by the organization’s desire to communicate their values of Humanity, Resilience, and Intention OUTSIDE of their huge warehouse walls in response to the murder of George Floyd in late May and the continued fight for justice in our community and beyond. The building has been tagged with graffiti a number of times over the last couple months, with messages of support for Black Lives and racial justice, and it was important for WestSide Baby to honor that sentiment.
The artist elaborated on her work:
I centered a circle and honed in on shapes growing out, emulating pages of an open book. From the open book I filled it with words of justice, love, and equity, and more words brainstormed by WestSide Baby staff, including their values of Humanity, Resilience, and Intentionality. This design color and type was pulled from 1960s-styled protest posters, reminding us of the fight for civil rights and love during that time, and now in 2020.
WestSide Baby has distributed more than 1.6 million diapers to local families so far this year, and says that’s more than during any other full year in the organization’s 20 years of work. You can support them in two ways: Donate dollars or diapers. For online donation info, go here; for in-person donating, they’re accepting boxes or packages of all sizes of diapers and pullups, plus wipes and other hygiene items, 10 am-2 pm Wednesdays at the White Center HQ (10002 14th SW).
(WSB file photo)
In pre-pandemic years, early November is when the Southwest Seattle Historical Society would host its annual Champagne Brunch, celebrating community and raising money for programs including its Log House Museum. This year, a new plan: An online evening event and multi-day auction in early December. Here’s the announcement:
The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is pleased to announce that this year the most important fundraising event of our calendar will be held digitally on Friday, December 4 at 7:00 PM. While we will miss seeing you at our traditional brunch at Salty’s on Alki this year, we hope you will join us online for the perfect opportunity to join together as a community to celebrate the successes of 2020 and support the Historical Society as we work together to build a foundation for a successful future.
This year’s theme is “History Proves We Are Stronger Together.” We are delighted to announce that Lora Radford, Executive Director of the West Seattle Junction Association, will be delivering keynote remarks that highlight the ways in which individual members of our community have come together to rise to meet the challenges of this unprecedented year. Kathy Blackwell, President of the Board of Trustees, Michael King, Executive Director, and others will offer additional remarks and key updates.
Our online auction will open on Tuesday, December 1, and close on Friday, December 4, ahead of our free celebratory program. As usual, the auction will uniquely reflect West Seattle through a range of exciting experiences, items, and gifts on which to bid. Remember, every bid you make helps to support the Historical Society!
Starting tomorrow, you can join in the online “Raise the Paddle” donation drive to kick it all off. Find the info here.
As mentioned earlier this fall, the West Seattle Monster Dash is virtual this year – and it’s not too late to be part of it! Organizers sent photos and this reminder:
We are heading into the final weekend of the Virtual Monster Dash to benefit South Seattle Cooperative Preschools. We will be accepting registrations and donations all the way through the end of the day on November 1st. More than 250 people have signed up to run, walk, and be active with us this year. We have raised just over $6.000 of our $10,000 goal, and for fall quarter, we were able to award $4,500 in scholarships to families in need. We anticipate needs to be just as high during winter and spring. Thank you all for your continued support! >/blockquote>
Go here to be part of it!
One big event for tonight – The Dusty 45s, in concert, online. Leader Billy Joe Huels and two other band members are West Seattleites, and in pre-pandemic times, have played here often, from nightlife venues to events like West Seattle Summer Fest. 7 pm tonight, it’s the annual “Gimme Shelter” benefit concert for housing/services provider DESC – Billy Joe explains in the clip above why it’s personal for him. You can register to see tonight’s concert – free! – by going here.
One holiday tradition won’t be happening but will be replaced by something else fun. Starting today, West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) is launching a holiday-giving event in which you have a chance to get a gift as well as give one. Here’s the announcement:
Locally owned West Seattle Thriftway announced that due to COVID-19 they will not be hosting their long-running “Holiday Taste” this year. Instead they will be hosting a holiday giving event with a goal to raise at least $40,000 for the West Seattle Food Bank.
:
For the last 22 years West Seattle Thriftway along with its vendor partners has presented a Holiday Taste event showcasing new and specialty items for the holiday season. The event featured over 40 vendors, more than 150 items, and was enjoyed by several hundred customers each year. This year due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are forced to cancel this yearly event. In its place we have worked with our vendors to create a Holiday Giving Event to “do something big” for the West Seattle Food Bank and at the same time provide some of our customers with a unique holiday sample experience. With the help of over 60 vendors, we have compiled 50 amazing “Holiday Bounty Boxes” full of special products with an estimated value of over $500 each. Customers will be able to enter a raffle for the boxes with a $5 donation per ticket, and all ticket sales will benefit the West Seattle
Food Bank.With the help of our community and our generous vendors our goal is to raise $40,000 for the food bank. West Seattle Thriftway will match all donations up to $20,000. “We have an amazing opportunity to do a lot of good for our community. Use of the food bank’s services has increased dramatically due to COVID-19, and they are seeing many people who have never needed to use their services before. Their mobile food delivery service has increased by 300% alone since March. We hope that the community comes out big for this event and demonstrates what the food bank’s motto is; neighbors helping neighbors.”
West Seattle Thriftway was founded in 1988 by Paul and Connie Kapioski. The store is located at the intersection of California Ave. SW and Fauntleroy Way SW in West Seattle’s Morgan Junction.
From the WSB inbox, two more school-support-group fundraisers:
BUTTER BRAIDS: From the West Seattle Booster Club: “Stock up on delicious Butter Braids for the holidays and support WSHS Booster Club! These mouth-watering pastries come frozen. Simply thaw the butter braid overnight, pop it in the oven the next morning, layer on the pre-made icing and enjoy! Each butter braid will easily serve 4-6 people. Order online through this link by Friday, October 30th.” Contact Melanie at melanetheilen@msn.com for more information.
DISCOUNT CHINOOK BOOKS: The Lafayette Elementary PTA is selling digital subscriptions to Chinook Book for $10 (usually $15) to support the students of Lafayette. Get yours here.
Let us know about your school/nonprofit fundraiser, if it’s something the wider community can help with! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you.
Last Wednesday, 10 West Seattle food businesses donated part of their proceeds to the West Seattle High School Class of 2021 – and tonight, class president Ella Richardson tells us how it went:
The West Seattle High School Senior ASB wants to thank everyone who supported us by participating in our Dine-Out Day this past Wednesday! We raised $2,788, almost three times our original goal. We are so grateful for the support in our community.
We would to like to give a special thanks to the following local businesses who supported us: Circa, Arthur’s, Lady Jaye, Mission, The Westy, Peel and Press, Bebop Waffle Shop, The Admiral Pub, Ampersand Cafe, Dream Dinners, Vain Salon, and Cre8 Contracting. We would also like to shoutout Gretchen, the owner of Circa, for rallying restaurants to join the fundraiser.
For those who are interested in directly donating to the Senior Class, here is the link to donate . Another way to support us is by purchasing a delicious pre-made frozen meal from Dream Dinners, who will be continuing our partnership until November 14th. Click this link for more information.
The Roxhill Elementary school community is casting a wider net to help feed local families in need. Maybe you can chip in too. Jessica sent us this note:
A large number of families at Roxhill Elementary in West Seattle are facing food insecurity. Friends of Roxhill Elementary (FORE), the school PTO, has organized a fundraiser to help out. All donations are tax-deductible!
A lot of Roxhill Elementary families have donated, but we’re a small school of about 250 students. 70% 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.
If you can help, go here.
9:11 PM: On Halloween, a day when fake blood is used to scare, your real blood can be used to help. West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) is sponsoring a half-day blood drive on Halloween afternoon – noon-4 pm Saturday, October 31st, at The Sanctuary at Admiral (2656 42nd SW). Sign up now for a donation appointment – no walk-ups during the pandemic – just go here to choose a time. Bloodworks Northwest notes, “As an additional benefit, donors will be tested for COVID-19 antibodies.” Want more info about donating? Go here.
EARLY THURSDAY: There were 12 spots open when we published this, but it looks like they’ve all been spoken for. If that’s what you find too – check BWNW’s site for other opportunities!
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