West Seattle, Washington
17 Wednesday
Big snack spread planned for The Big Game? In honor of that abundance, here’s something more you can do in the next few hours: Score a touchdown against hunger by contributing to one or both of two local churches’ Super Bowl-linked food drives. Before 1 pm or so, take a nonperishable item or two or three or … to Tibbetts United Methodist Church (3940 41st SW; WSB sponsor; backstory here) and/or Peace Lutheran Church (39th/Thistle; backstory here).
P.S. The food drives are part of our West Seattle Super Bowl Spirit list – see it in full here.
(Photo courtesy Girls on the Run)
So sunny and warm today that we’ve seen people out running, walking, bicycling everywhere around West Seattle. Great time to think about community involvement like this: Girls on the Run is recruiting coaches for spring 2015, and needs volunteers for the program at three West Seattle schools: WS Elementary, Alki Elementary, and Westside School (WSB sponsor). Here’s the announcement:
Girls on the Run of Puget Sound is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. Empower 3rd-5th grade girls to celebrate their bodies, honor their voices, recognize their gifts, and activate their power to make healthy choices for years to come!
As a coach, you’ll work with 1-2 other coaches to guide a group of girls through an established, easy-to-follow curriculum that uses running games to teach healthy living lessons that develop the whole girl – her social, emotional and physical self. Together, you will explore issues like media awareness, nutrition, emotional health, positive communication, and community service. Help empower the next generation of women by volunteering to coach this spring! For more information, please visit http://girlsrun.org/get-involved/coach/ or contact Jen John, Program Manager, at jen@girlsrun.org or 206-528-2118.
(2013 photo by Debra Salazar Herbst)
The signs of spring are starting to show up – like this one: If you know you’re going to participate in the West Seattle 5K Run/Walk this year, there’s an incentive to early registration, as announced by race director Jeff Mensing:
Early Registration is open for the West Seattle 5K Run/Walk. Join us with your friends and family on May 17th at beautiful Alki Beach for the 7th annual West Seattle 5K Run/Walk! This community event is a fund raiser for West Seattle High School. The first 100 registrations are automatically entered in a drawing to win a new pair of running shoes from West Seattle Runner. Help support West Seattle students and take advantage of early registration discount fees.
You can register online at westseattle5k.com.
(Photo courtesy Tibbetts UMC)
With a week and a half until the Super Bowl, Seattle vs. New England team-spirit contests abound. Here’s one you can join while not only showing your love for the Seahawks, but also your love for your down-and-out neighbors. From Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), here’s how you can get involved in a Seattle vs. New England food drive!
Since the Seahawks are repeating a trip to the Super Bowl, the Seattle-area United Methodist Churches are repeating a challenge to a food drive contest – this year to New England. Tibbetts UMC is a drop-off site and food will go to the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks.
Whoever has the highest number of donations of dry goods or money at midnight on Super Bowl Sunday will be declared the winner. In this contest, EVERYONE wins, since our spirited competition supports local people in need. All food & money will be donated to local food banks. For details on how/where to donate, go here.
You can also donate online at unitedinblue.org (where you’ll also find out about participating churches in other areas). Once again we expect that many churches in Washington will participate since our Seahawks have such a huge fan base! Monetary donations made online will count towards the contest, with donations going to Northwest Harvest. We’ll beat New England in football AND in generosity!
P.S. Food items that are needed most: Whole-grain cereal; fruit in water or juice; meat (canned in water when possible); vegetables, low or no sodium; beans (dry or canned); 100% fruit juice; powdered or shelf-stable milk; pasta sauce; peanut butter; soup; canned meals; Mac & Cheese & other boxed meals; whole-wheat pasta, rice, or other whole grains.
Tibbetts UMC is at 3940 41st SW.
The trajectory of today’s coverage kept us from our usual preview of various events, so as we arrive at mid-afternoon, here are two more to mention, both happening in The Junction:
BENEFIT FOR JASMIN: In November and December, we mentioned benefits for Jasmin Egan, who grew up in West Seattle and is fighting leukemia. Friends at Brunette Mix (longtime WSB sponsor) in The Junction are organizing another benefit tonight, 5-8 pm, just around the corner at Lika Love Fashion Boutique (4447 California SW) – a sip-and-shop event, with a percentage of tonight’s sales proceeds going to help Jasmin and her family with mounting medical bills. You can even stop in while on your way to …
OPENING NIGHT FOR ‘4000 MILES’: Be among the first to see the new production at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), the Northwest premiere of “4000 Miles“:
(ArtsWest photo by Michael Brunk; cast, L-R, Adria LaMorticella, Adam Standley, Susan Corzatte, Sara Porkalob)
Amy Herzog was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for writing “4000 Miles,” a dramatic comedy telling the story of a 91-year-old grandmother and her 21-year-old grandson, and who really needs who and why. ArtsWest’s artistic director Mathew Wright directs. Curtain time tonight is 7:30 pm; tickets are available online here. “4000 Miles” will run through February 15th.
The latest reminder that the West Seattle Food Bank provides recycled books to its clients – and needs your donations to keep the books flowing!
The West Seattle Food Bank’s Bookcase Program was so successful with our clients during the holidays that we have run out of many books, especially children’s books. Young children enjoy the picture books while waiting with their parents in our lobby and are excited about being able to take them home. Cookbooks, history books and Adult fiction and non-fiction are extremely popular with our adult clients. Our Bookcase Program distributed more than 5,500 recycled books last year donated by local book stores and individuals in our community. Donations are accepted during our office hours of Monday – Friday 9 am – 3 pm. The West Seattle Food Bank is located at 3419 SW Morgan St. at the corner of 35th & Morgan.
(Some of last year’s Straight Blast Gym food-drive donations)
North Delridge’s Straight Blast Gym of Seattle (WSB sponsor) isn’t just aiming to strengthen bodies. It’s aiming to strengthen community. And the latest way it’s working to do that, with your help, is via monthlong food drive. From SBG’s Sonia Sillan:
We are currently running a food drive throughout the month of January for the West Seattle Food Bank. Every ten items (ramen not included) earns one raffle ticket; at the end of the month we’ll hold a drawing for different prizes like an Xbox One, gift cards, etc. When discussing how to help others and the purpose of the food drive, one of my five-year-old students said “Well, when you help others it shows that you love them, even if they’re strangers. They don’t have the things that we have. That’s why we should always help everyone and love everyone” (clearly awesome parents!).
My focus with the drive this year is to really pull the community together. Everyone at SBG is excited to see what we can raise within our gym community, and outside of it as well. I really challenge people who don’t know us to stop by and drop some nonperishables off. Take a step. Make a difference. Help us help others. Last year, we raised 1700 pounds of food. This year, our goal is to raise at least 3000.
This quotation by Ralph Waldo Emerson really resonates with me: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
You can help Straight Blast Gym meet and pass that ton-and-a-half goal by dropping off food at the gym, 5050 Delridge Way SW.
(Photo courtesy South Seattle College: SkyCity Executive Chef Jeff Maxfield, SSC culinary alum)
Two weeks from tonight, 15 accomplished Seattle chefs will cook dinner for 300 people supporting the South Seattle College Foundation during “Gifts From the Earth.” Go here to see the full lineup and read their stories – award winners, entrepreneurs, hotel chefs, restaurant chefs, club chefs, SSC-alum chefs. Then make your reservation to support student scholarships and services via tickets to the event, 5 pm Saturday, January 24th, at Brockey Center on campus. The night includes silent and live auctions. And yes, there will be wine! Your tickets await, here.
(Car full of donations, unloaded upon delivery to Helpline)
Throughout the just-wrapped-up holiday season, countless West Seattle businesses, schools, organizations, and individuals gave generously to local nonprofits, in so many ways. Today, before the holidays are too far back in the rear-view mirror, we have a wrap-up of one drive that lasted beyond Christmas, all the way through New Year’s Eve, headquartered at the office of State Farm agent Dave Newman (WSB sponsor), who writes:
The annual coat and cold weather clothing collection for the West Seattle Helpline was a great success!
Special thanks to local businesses such as Berkshire Hathaway, Mirsepasy Law Office, Chelan Café, Alki Key and Lock, Wiseman’s Appliance, Admiral Starbucks, Swedish Automotive, Foreign Car Workshop, Auto Buff, and Les Schwab. With their help, and the help of other local supporters, we collected seven large barrels of cold-weather clothing for our less-fortunate friends and neighbors. A heartfelt thanks to fellow citizens who made it possible by their generosity and giving nature.
Let’s all hope for a pleasant 2015.
So what happens to all that clothing?
That photo is courtesy of WS Helpline, whose Anna Fern notes that the WSH clothing bank Clothesline “is open three days this week with 25 families scheduled to come to ‘shop’ for free clothing and coats! Over the last two months (November and December) we have given away over 162 coats! Clients have been very grateful! One commented, ‘What a great gift – the gift of warmth and comfort’.”
P.S. You can help Helpline any time of year, with clothing or money.
Maybe someone gave you new athletic shoes as a holiday gift. Maybe you’re getting ready to treat yourself to a new pair. Whatever the circumstances, if you have athletic shoes you don’t need any more, 
take them to West Seattle’s EQ Fitness (WSB sponsor) so they’ll make it onto the feet of homeless people who need durable footwear to get through the winter, and beyond. This is the second annual shoe drive at EQ Fitness, and it’s lasting all month long. If you need an extra reason to stop by EQ (3270 California SW), set your calendar for 1-3 pm Saturday, January 24th, an open house with food, drinks, and demos of TRX, aerial yoga, and the new “booty barre.” Plus, a convenient time to donate shoes!
(John Murphy with Yezidi children; photo used with permission)
A West Seattle man is starting the New Year thousands of miles from home, working to help refugees who fled northern Iraq for Kurdistan. John Murphy is a Highland Park resident who, among other things, founded and leads The Cabiri. Right now, he is working to help Yezidi refugees, members of an ethnic minority forced from their homes by ISIL, which has targeted them with genocidal violence (here are reports from U.S. media and the BBC).
While nonprofit non-government organizations (NGOs) are helping some of the Yezidi refugees, others have taken shelter with relatives and sympathizers in towns around the region, and they are who Murphy is helping. We learned of his work via West Seattleite Lola Peters, who forwarded a message from Murphy that explains, “I’ve known Yezidi for two decades and have an ability to work within their culture. … The NGOs, although doing their best, they have lost people in the cracks. I am working with a private Yezidi collective to find needs, fulfill them, and mitigate hardships in the areas that have gotten (missed).”
Murphy has set up an emergency fund for the Yezidi refugees via this GoFundMe page, where you can read a short summary of his project. He also writes about it in-depth today at SeattleStar.net, noting, “Regardless of the largest refugee exodus since the Armenian genocide, few know exactly what is happening,” and concluding, “We in the West made this mess; let’s clean it up.” (While researching this, we happened onto a mention that U.S. military operations related to ISIL have cost $1 billion so far.)
Sure, you have multiple ways to recycle your Christmas tree. But the Rainbow Girls‘ annual benefit has a few one-of-a-kind aspects, including: Nonprofit fundraiser; only place in West Seattle to drop off your tree (if you don’t want it sitting out on the curb until your next pickup day); no need to cut the tree into pieces (but no flocking or tinsel, please). Just take your tree to the Alki Masonic Center parking lot in The Junction (40th/Edmunds, newly repaved and regraded) until 3 pm today; they’re accepting cash donations for the service. They’re also selling handmade Seahawks-theme scarves, we noted while there to photograph (above, L-R) Destiney, Darian, and Zoë.
Just announced by Delridge Community Center – happening every Saturday this month:
Airstream Pop-Up Haircut Salon
Look good and feel good about doing it. (Suggested haircut payment/donation will go toward Delridge Community Center )
Delridge Community Center has been serving the surrounding community for over 20 years. And we want to continue doing more! We offer from Ballet and Zumba, to one of only 3 centers who offer showers to the homeless for $3.00. We have a RECTECH computer lab to help you apply for jobs or finish a school or work project. A fun and safe place for your teens, and licensed school-age child care, and a preschool Program.
During the Month of January, in partnership with Rudy’s Barbershop, we will be offering free haircuts to the community. Come and get a haircut by one of Rudy’s Barbershop’s professional hair stylists. Look good and feel good; proceeds will go toward the Delridge Community Center’s Teen programs and scholarships for before- and after-school programs, and much more. Airstream Pop Up parked behind Delridge Community Center, close to soccer fields.
Dates for the Airstream pop-up:
* January 3 (8:30 to 3:30)
* January 10 (8:30 to 3:30)
* January 17th (8:30 to 3:30)
* January 24th (8:30 to 3:30)
* January 31 (8:30 to 3:30)
DCC is at 4501 Delridge Way SW, south of SW Genesee. (Rudy’s, by the way, is likely to open its non-pop-up West Seattle Triangle location this year, as reported here last summer.)
We’ve been talking about ways to finish – or start – the year with a good deed. Here’s yet another opportunity. This Saturday (January 3rd), 10 am-4 pm, CrossFit LOFT in The Junction (4142 California SW) will host a fitness competition and silent auction to help Keith Olson, injured in a logging accident. Keith’s daughter Annie Olson is a West Seattle resident and firefighter who coaches at the gym. You can find out more about the event here – and that’s also where you can register in advance.
So much giving spirit in the weeks leading up to Christmas – businesses, schools, organizations, individuals – but it doesn’t stop there. We’re spotlighting New Year’s giving this week too. Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) has a two-part plan: Food drive for the West Seattle Food Bank on Wednesday, benefit drink raising money for WestSide Baby on Thursday:
Hotwire is at 4410 California SW.
P.S. If your business/organization/etc. has some sort of New Year’s giving going on too, and the community can participate, let us know so we can help get the word out! One other drive we know is still going on is this one – warm clothes for West Seattle Helpline, being collected through Wednesday at Dave Newman‘s State Farm Insurance office (WSB sponsor), 3435 California SW, regular hours 9 am-5 pm weekdays.
Get the last day of the year started off right:
Volunteers able to lift between 20 and 50 pounds are needed at 9:00 am Wednesday, December 31 to help the White Center Food Bank do inventory. The inventory will take place at 10829 8th Ave SW. Volunteers should dress for a warehouse and wear closed-toe shoes. Available? Contact Audrey Zemke at audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org or 206-762-2848.
(Photos courtesy West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA)
Thanks to a Seattle-based volunteer group called Kids Need Bikes, dozens of young West Seattleites have new ones just in time for Christmas. The West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) received 90 donated bicycles.
Most of the bicycles donated to the Y through Kids Need Bikes, which believes “every child deserves a bicycle to experience the unique freedom and well-being that only riding a bicycle can offer,” were given to children served by Y programs – the Y’s Joleen Post shared the photos from bike-pickup visits this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The donation even included tricycles for the Y Preschool – shown below with Emilia Holbik and Obie Wilkerson from the preschool:
The trikes are for preschoolers to use while at school. In all, Kids Need Bikes made 200 bicycle donations in the city this holiday season, and it could use your help, via donations of volunteer time and/or money; get more info on its website.
Thanks to Kyle Geraghty of American Legion Post 160 for the photos and report:
West Seattle’s American Legion Post 160 and Auxiliary Unit 160 came together today to assemble care packages for homeless veterans in our community.
If you know a veteran who is or is at imminent risk to being homeless please make a call to 877-4AID-VET (424-3838) to be connected 24/7 with VA’s service to overcome or prevent homelessness.
If you are a veteran or family member of a vet and would like to support projects like this, contact American Legion Post 160 at wslegion160@gmail.com or 206-932-9696.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
Today was one of the happiest days of the holiday season at the West Seattle Food Bank – the day that visitors from Nucor bring food and money donated by the steel mill and its employees. The food, for example, totaled more than a ton, unloaded with volunteer help as usual:
Along with the food came checks totaling $21,575, including more than $15,000 from Nucor itself.
The money means WSFB can buy more food, to add to what it’s been getting from food drives and regular donors.
We’re told the WS Food Bank is doing OK on holiday turkeys for Christmas, thanks to donors, but overall, the need all around, all year long, is always great – so your donations are always welcome. And spot food drives are still under way – be sure to bring a can (or two!) for the collection bin at West Seattle Lights/Helmstetler Family Christmas Spectacular, and for the mini-food drive at the Menashe Family Lights tomorrow night while “Santa Al” visits, 6 to 10 pm.
Haven’t decided what to do for dinner yet? Kathleen sends word of an option with a side benefit – literally:
Fundraiser happening tonight at Angelina’s Restaurant to benefit Washington State’s ONLY Sport Acrobatic Team! Proceeds will help our athletes represent Seattle and WA in competitions. Basket raffle and craft sale happening now!
Raffle basket items include Microsoft Office for Home & Business, a Kindle Paperwhite, wine, gourmet food, baking supplies and much, much more. Crafts, handmade by the athletes are also for sale. Angelina’s is donating 10% of tonight’s receipts. Come in for some great food and to help some great young female athletes! The Acro teams are part of West Seattle’s own West Side Gymnastics Academy. Open until 2 am!
You can even stop by to check out the raffle and craft sale without dining/drinking, if need be. Angelina’s is at 2311 California SW.
Still lots of time to expand your holiday giving to local food banks and other nonprofits – or maybe you already have, like the West Seattle neighbors who contributed to these successes:
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NW photo: Agents Michael Mallagh and Debbie Kerns)
ALMOST A TON FROM BHHSNW: The recent Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate food drive at West Seattle Thriftway (both WSB sponsors) brought in 1,860 pounds of food – almost a ton! – according to Don Bereiter, who sends out a big “thank you,” along with word that donors gave $682 for the West Seattle Food Bank as well as all that food. “It always amazes me how lucky we are to live in such a generous neighborhood.”
LETTUCE PRAY: The offseason for gardening is NOT an offseason for this food-collection program, explains Jane Taylor:
The food bank collection program Lettuce Pray collects fresh produce from home gardeners at West Seattle churches weekly during the growing season but also picks up non perishables once a month. (This past Sunday) we went to Alki UCC for the holiday food drive and were wonderfully overwhelmed with over 400 pounds of food and a great deal of TP, diapers, and other personal effects. Our thanks to Alki UCC for this hugely generous response! You can see that it took all of our engineering skills to figure out how to fit it all in Kristen’s Subaru!
For holiday-giving opportunities, check out the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide.
Southwest Precinct Community Police Team officers are usually the ones you’ll call about a chronic problem or concern in your neighborhood, rather than seeing them show up in an emergency situation. On Friday, we caught up with two of them in a setting aimed at solving a different problem – literacy challenges.
We’re continuing to share local holiday giving opportunities, both via the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide and via spotlights like this one, received from Schmitz Park Elementary 1st-grade teacher Emily Veling and librarian Lesley Vannini, both advisers to the SPES Student Council:
Student Council members at Schmitz Park Elementary have been busy organizing, marketing, and supporting a holiday donation drive. One of our goals at Schmitz Park is serving our community, and we hope to do this by collecting new toys to help foster kids through Treehouse. These young leaders hope to help all kids have a special holiday season. So far, we have collected hundreds of gifts for our community.
Read more about the Schmitz Park Student Council effort – and see more photos – in this story on the Treehouse website. You can drop off toys for the drive at Schmitz Park (5000 SW Spokane) through next Monday (December 15th).
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