New Year’s giving: Wednesday food drive, Thursday benefit drink @ Hotwire Online Coffeehouse in The Junction
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.
Before you celebrate – a good deed! Help needed, New Year’s Eve
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.
Big gift to West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA from Kids Need Bikes
(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.
West Seattle holiday giving: American Legion Post 160’s kits for vets
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.
Holiday giving: What Nucor and its employees gave the West Seattle Food Bank this holiday season
(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.
Happening now: Craft sale, basket raffle, dining benefit at Angelina’s for young local athletes
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.
West Seattle holiday giving: More food-drive success stories
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.
West Seattle holiday giving: Help the Schmitz Park Elementary Student Council help foster children through Treehouse
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).
You can help! White Center Food Bank needs people for two upcoming daytime distributions
The White Center Food Bank, which serves part of West Seattle too, is looking for extra holiday help:
Are you available on a weekday morning? The White Center Food Bank needs volunteers for a distribution to hand out holiday food Thursday, December 18, from 9 am to 1:30 pm and Monday, December 22, from 9 am to 12:30 pm. Set-up time is included in the shift. We expect to see 125 families each of these times. Contact Audrey Zemke at audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org or (206) 762-2848.
Not free those days, but want to help? Volunteering info is here; ways to donate are here.
Happening now: Pancakes and photos @ West Seattle Kiwanis’s annual community breakfast
Santa Claus‘s day started well before dawn – and the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s annual Community Pancake Breakfast is one place you’ll find him. The breakfast continues until 11 am and diners get a free Santa photo – that includes the West Seattle High School Key Club (a Kiwanis youth project), who were with him when we got to that side of the room at the Alki Masonic Hall. A bustling room, too:
All around the room, helpers including local Boy Scouts are making sure things run smoothly. In the kitchen, Kiwanians are busy cooking pancakes and sides:
West Seattle Hi-Yu royalty is on hand, not just because it’s one of their community appearances, but also in this case, Junior Court Queen Bianca Carufel is celebrating her birthday:
Next Monday, by the way, the new Junior Court will be coronated, 7 pm at Admiral Congregational Church, and you’re invited. But first, if you haven’t had breakfast yet, get over to the Masonic Hall (40th/Edmunds – the parking lot’s being renovated so you’ll park either across Edmunds or across Fauntleroy) by 11 – proceeds help with the club’s many charity projects. (WSB is among this year’s table sponsors, along with other local businesses.) And if you miss the Kiwanians today, you’re invited to check out one of their regular weekly meetings, 6:30 pm Wednesdays at the Senior Center of West Seattle.
Golf on Maui or in SoCal! Dream trips to bid on, at benefit for Jasmin’s leukemia fight, 2 nights away
Update on a community fundraising effort first mentioned here last month, to help Jasmin Egan, a West Seattle native and mom of 3 fighting leukemia. This Thursday is the night you can go to Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) and not only have a good time with some great music – Rocky Votolato is performing a special live acoustic set! – but also bid for some spectacular silent-auction items. Sarah, who’s organizing the benefit, points out for one thing, golfers might want to come bid for BIG items including a 6-day, 5-night golf trip to Maui (at the Kapalua Golf Villas) and “a chance to golf at the famous Lakeside Golf Club in California with Kiefer Sutherland, Oscar De La Hoya, and PGA pro Duffy Waldorf.” Other silent-auction items have been donated by more than 20 businesses in the area – listed at the bottom of the official flyer. Drop by The Feedback on Thursday night, any time after 6:30 pm.
City Fruit harvests city $ for work in West Seattle, elsewhere
(2012 photo courtesy City Fruit)
You’ve probably heard that the City Council gave its final approval to the next city budget plan this week. Attention tends to be drawn by the biggest issues – but some of its relatively small points are notable, too. Tonight, we hear from one of the many nonprofits that will benefit from some part of the budget, City Fruit, which works in West Seattle and elsewhere to keep backyard fruit from going to waste if its owners don’t want/don’t need/can’t harvest it:
City Fruit is grateful to the Seattle City Council for including $68,000 in the 2015 City budget for the organization’s gleaning programs. City Fruit recognizes Councilmember Sally Clark for her leadership on this issue. The funding will support City Fruit’s harvesting efforts on both public and private property.
In addition, City Fruit thanks Councilmembers Jean Godden, Bruce Harrell, and Tom Rasmussen for their sponsorship of the budget package.
Hazel Singer, vice president of the City Fruit board of directors, thanked the Council, saying, “Funding from the City is critical to our harvest. With this support, we will be able to continue serving five neighborhoods in Seattle and add an additional area, Northeast Seattle, to our territory.”
With the City’s support in 2014, City Fruit harvested nearly 28,000 pounds of fruit, a record for the organization. Nearly all fruit was donated into Seattle’s emergency food system, including food banks and meal programs. In addition, the organization hosted over 50 work parties in support of public orchards and stewarded nearly 400 trees on public land.
As explained on the City Fruit website, the nonprofit pays for harvesting help rather than relying on volunteers, and that’s part of the cost it has to cover. If you want to donate harvestable fruit in the future, here’s how.
One more day to get in on WSHS Music’s fruit fundraiser
Music Boosters supporting the West Seattle High School music department sent word of this – tomorrow (Wednesday) is the last day to get in on it – and note that if you don’t need all that fruit, you can still help the students while donating your donation to feed those in need!
The WSHS Music Department is currently selling 20-pound boxes of oranges or grapefruits, for $28.00 each. Funds raised will help offset student costs as both the orchestra and band will be traveling to perform in Disneyland this next May. Fruit can be purchased from any WSHS music student, or contact westseattlehsmusicboosters@gmail.com by 11/26, for more information. Boxes can also be purchased for direct donation to the West Seattle Food Bank. The fruit will be delivered around December 5th.
West Seattle giving: 8-year-old Joseph’s one-day food drive
The spirit of giving can start young. These pictures show what 8-year-old Joseph Meats, a third grader at Our Lady of Guadalupe, did this past weekend. His mom Christi Meats explains, “He wanted to do something nice for Thanksgiving and the up and coming holidays so he decided to go door to door and ask for food for the food bank!” So they distributed a flyer to some homes in Admiral and Arbor Heights last Thursday asking that people leave food donations on their doorstep for pickup yesterday.
Today, he brought it all to the West Seattle Food Bank after school.
His mom adds, “His goal is to inspire others so it was fun to watch him succeed in raising awareness as he left his wagon out during the Seahawk game and people kept dropping off food!” (And if you’re inspired – contact the WS Food Bank directly, or keep an eye on our daily calendar previews and Holiday Guide for giving opportunities of all kinds.)
Pre-Thanksgiving giving: ‘Lunches With Love’ needs you Wednesday
Leading up to the holiday when many of us are lucky to be able to have and enjoy abundance … many also are looking for ways to reach out and help those who don’t. In addition to the opportunities we’ve been sharing (including the list in our West Seattle Holiday Guide), here’s one more – West Seattle/South Park volunteer/community advocate Lashanna Williams invites you to be part of “Lunches With Love” on Wednesday – here are the ways you can help:
A few times a year my family hosts an event called Lunches with Love. People donate sacked lunches, lunch supplies, and blankets. Volunteers spend the Wednesday before thanksgiving making paper sack lunches.
In the evening ,volunteers take lunches around town to those who need it. ( Pike Market park, near the bus stop, outside of shelters, under I-5, along West Marginal …)
If people want to make some sacked lunches or drop off lunch supplies – it would be amazing. This year, our goal is 500 lunches.
Pre-made lunches and supplies can be dropped off at my house – 9319 7th Avenue S (map)
Lunch hints: nothing that needs to be heated
(Sandwich, fruit, veggies, cheese, protein bar, sweet treat..etc)
If you are interested in making lunches, please feel free to come by any time from 10 am – 6 pm and we’ll head out downtown around 7.
Questions? Email lashannaw@gmail.com or call 206.715.5265
West Seattle weekend scene: WSHS auction success
Big fun and big giving Friday night at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor):
The West Seattle High School PTSA thanks the community for making the annual “Reaching for the Stars” auction a tremendous. success. The auction was held on Fri. Nov. 21. Principal Ruth Medsker and PTSA President Cathy DeVore welcomed guests and supporters, including Mayor Ed Murray and County Executive Dow Constantine (WSHS alumnus), pictured holding a member of the WSHS class of 2032:
If you missed the auction, you can still support WSHS students via the PTSA’s fundraising efforts – go here.
Aaron’s Kids Swim Program launched with family’s gift to the Y
(YMCA photo: L-R, Raymond Mann, Kathryn Mann, Allison Wherry, Josh Sutton)
Thanks to the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) for sharing the news that the legacy of a favorite Y staffer will live on, as an endowment started by his family, who presented the launch donation this week (photo above). Here’s the announcement from the Y:
An endowment fund is being established in remembrance of Aaron William Mann. Aaron was an employee and volunteer of the West Seattle YMCA and previously worked at YMCAs in Anchorage and Colorado Springs. During his more than 20 years at the Y, Aaron was a lifeguard, swimming instructor and a teacher of thousands of kids, families and members. More than anything, Aaron enjoyed teaching and being around “his kids,” and had a special gift for turning their hard work into fun. Aaron taught them swimming and water safety skills, along with life skills. Aaron’s Kids Swim Program is intended to honor his memory and continue his loving support of Y kids.
Aaron’s parents, Kathryn and Raymond Mann, are establishing the endowment fund with an initial donation of $20,000. The purpose of the fund is to “Provide scholarships to kids and families for participation in the West Seattle YMCA aquatics programs.” Scholarships will be awarded to kids and families to offset the costs of swim lessons and aquatics activities. Funds may also be use to purchase aquatics equipment, particularly to meet the needs of kids’ swim programs.
The Mann family has also pledged to match the first $10,000 of incoming donations to the fund and to actively solicit continuing donations to the fund, with a first-year goal of a $50,000 endowment. Once established, the program will be managed andadministered by the West Seattle YMCA. All donations will be tax deductible in keeping with the YMCA’s non-profit status.
Thank you to the Mann family for their generous endowment and also for helping us keep Aaron’s spirit of service alive in all of us.
Aaron Mann was just 44 when he died this past June. Contact the Y for information about donating to the new program.
Holiday giving: West Seattle Food Bank turkey drive Saturday
The West Seattle Food Bank is up to 300 of the 500 turkeys it needs for the holiday season. It’s just added another chance for you to help close the gap. From WSFB’s Judi Yazzolino:
We will be holding a last-minute Turkey Drive tomorrow at the West Seattle Food Bank, from 1 pm to 4 pm. Drop off your turkey/donation and get a tour of our facility from our Executive Director or Operation Managers. In addition to turkeys, we also need stuffing.
We’ll also be at the Junction True Value Christmas Open House, Saturday from 10 am – 2 pm greeting holiday shoppers and selling raffle tickets for $5. You have a chance to win wine tasting for 10 at Viscon Cellars on California Ave. with appetizers paired for the wine by The Bridge. Thank you to both of them for donating. See you on Saturday.
WSFB HQ is on the southeast corner of 35th/Morgan – donors can pull into the garage from Morgan just east of 35th. JTV (a WSB sponsor) is at 44th/Edmunds.
Holiday giving: Turkey drive this Sunday and other ways to help White Center Food Bank (which serves part of West Seattle too)
It’s time for our seasonal reminder … did you know that West Seattle is served not only by the WS Food Bank but also by the White Center Food Bank, whose “official” territory begins at SW Myrtle? We mention this so you can be sure to include BOTH in your holiday giving. We’ve been mentioning WSFB donation drives, and now we have some WCFB info too:
TURKEY DRIVE THIS SUNDAY: 9 am-noon at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW), drop by with a turkey – White Center Food Bank executive director Rick Jump (at right, file photo from 2011 holidays) will have a refrigerated truck onsite so you can drop by with a frozen turkey and know that it will get to a WCFB client before Thanksgiving.
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT TO FAUNTLEROY ON SUNDAY, STOP BY WCFB ON SATURDAY: For holiday food donations, the food bank has added extra dropoff hours at its HQ this Saturday, 11 am-2 pm – 10829 8th SW (map).
OR, DONATE FOOD DURING REGULAR HOURS: 9 am-5 pm Mondays-Fridays, you are welcome to stop by that same address with food donations. (Or a check! Speaking of which …)
DONATE MONEY: Most of the time, food banks can buy more with your dollar than what you can get for it at a supermarket. (Turkeys, we’re told, are the rare exception, given the Thanksgiving-season prices.) Here’s the “donate” page on the WCFB website.
P.S. WC Food Bank development director Kristina Dahl says food/financial donations at Roxbury Safeway (as part of Northwest Harvest’s “Hometown Harvest”) benefit WCFB. Ask for her if you stop by WCFB HQ weekdays, and she’d be happy to give you a tour!
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