White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Perhaps the craziest fundraiser ever is happening this weekend in SODO – and its organizers chose White Center Food Bank as a beneficiary – but to pull it off, some help is needed! In case you haven’t already seen this alert on Facebook or Twitter – we’re putting it here online. From Ann Kendall:

The Tomato Battle selected White Center Food Bank as a beneficiary for this upcoming weekend’s battle and we are looking for a few folks to help out. Yes, it does sound messy but we’re not asking anyone to jump into the actual battle. Help is needed with set-up (hanging banners, and other decorating), observing the battle (reporting anything odd to security, checking IDs at entry) and tear-down; 2 hour shifts from 10:30 until 9pm. All volunteers receive a “crew” t-shirt. If interested, contact Ann Kendall at ann@annkendall.com directly.

Find out more about the Tomato Battle – and buy tickets, if you’d rather do that than volunteer! – by going here.

Just in – announcements of two events on behalf of the White Center Veterans’ Memorial in the South Delridge Triangle:

Sunday, August 20th, 2011, 8am to 11am. Benefit pancake breakfast with eggs, sausage, coffee and juice at the Holy Family Church, 9615 20th Ave SW. The suggested donation is $6 for adults and $3 for children under 12 years of age. The proceeds will fund the development and sustain improvements of the highly visible Triangle Park Veterans Memorial at the heart of the vibrant central business district of White Center.

Then in September:

The White Center Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the re-dedication of the White Center Triangle Park Veterans Memorial. The ceremony will feature a flag raising commemorating veterans’ service to our country. September 18th is the anniversary and formal start date for the search for Vietnam era MIAs.

Presentations will be made by veterans currently residing in White Center and West Seattle.

The memorial is also the site of public art co-sponsored by the White Center Chamber of Commerce and the White Center Community Development Association. It is a beautiful green space maintained by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). New and improved electric service and lighting will showcase the new flag.

The Veterans Memorial is located at the intersection of Delridge Way SW, 16th Ave SW, and SW Roxbury St.

You may have seen the smoke from Sunday afternoon’s huge apartment fire in the unincorporated area east of White Center, in a Union Gospel Mission-owned building in the 9800 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive. Dozens of people are without homes as a result; efforts are under way to help them, from a collection being taken up at the South Park-area Red Apple Market, to a Red Cross shelter set up in a West Seattle church so residents have someplace to sleep and to get meals. Citywide media reports say the fire’s cause is still being investigated.

Want to be part of the next White Center Art Walk? Here’s your chance!

Dear Artists & Art Lovers,

White Center Arts and the White Center Art Walk would like to invite you to participate in our 3rd Saturday Art Walk on August 20, 2011 from 6pm – 9pm. Our art walk has been growing at a fast and furious pace in the past two months, and we feel the excitement building. In June, we curated a Mini Short Film Festival with three unique programs shown at Full Tilt, Southgate Skate Rink and Big Al Brewing. Just this past weekend, we curated live painters at 3.14 Bakery, Big Al’s and the sidewalks of 16th Ave SW to great and enthusiastic response.

For August, our theme is Live Performance. We are putting a call out to dancers, dance troupes, spoken word artists, live painters, street performers and musicians. There are many great spaces to accommodate any and all types of performance art in White Center. We have space at 3.14 Bakery, Company Bar, Full Tilt, Big Al’s, Southgate Skate Rink, Triangle Pub, Sidewalks and Crosswalks and more!

Once we get artists’ commitments, we will create a schedule with times and locations.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please respond by August 8th, 2011 with:

Your Name
Troupe Name
Contact Info
Type of Performance Art
How many in your troupe
Any special needs (power, lighting, etc)

We are aware of the tight timeline of this ambitious event, but feel confident in you, and our White Center family to make it fantastic!

Please call or email us with questions or comments.

Thank you in advance,

Amanda Kay Helmick & Devrim Ozkan
White Center Art Walk Co-Curators
White Center Art Vice Chair / Secretary
whitecenterartwalk@gmail.com
Amanda: 206.708.5617
Devrim: 206.484.0399

The White Center Library Guild‘s yard sale IS on today, till 3 pm – 1110 SW 116th – rained out last week but today, so far so good! (Thanks to Gill for the photo.)

Throughout its third-anniversary-celebration day on Monday, Full Tilt Ice Cream in White Center was hopping – we took the photo above at 8:30 that night! And as noted here, they were planning to donate to the White Center Food Bank the equivalent of the ice cream sold that day. So, the verdict’s in, according to the WC Food Bank Facebook page – “Results are in: 200 pints of ice cream are coming to WCFB from Full Tilt’s Monday anniversary celebration/ice cream raiser for WCFB. Thanks to Full Tilt and everyone that came out to buy ice cream!”

P.S. WC Food Bank is one of many local nonprofits that you can support with an online $ donation today through the Seattle Foundation’s one-day GiveBIG drive. Find them (and other eligible White Center orgs, including WCCDA) on this list – and follow the links there to donate today and make them eligible for “stretch” dollars – gotta do it by midnight!

From volunteer coordinator Audrey Zemke at White Center Food Bank:

We still need 3 or 4 volunteers for June 18 from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm. Volunteers will be settting up for food distribution, handing food out to clients, and helping clean up. Please let us know by Friday, June 17 at 5:00 pm at audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org or 206-762-2848 if you can help.

Here’s the official flyer – be there!

Next White Center Art Walk, organizers are going beyond the usual “walk around and look at stuff” plan – they’re organizing programs with films and videos, and they’re putting out an URGENT call for contributors. From Amanda:

Every month the White Center Art Walk is trying to “theme” our artwalk, and June’s theme is Film. We are trying to get together (3) film programs to show at (3) locations in White Center. One is the Southgate Skating Rink (a family-friendly program), Big Al’s Brewery (more edgy program) and Full Tilt (more music-filled program).

We are trying to put together this program wabi sabi, DIY style, without a lot of time to do it. What we are looking for are short films. Animation, music videos, power pieces, light pieces, dark pieces, etc. We are trying to get three 20 – 30 minute programs together. We can take each piece on a variety of formats, and will put it together at a location post production house in Seattle. The art walk is Saturday, June 18th.

This is an open call to locals, film organizations, film programs and schools. If interested, please send us an e-mail to whitecenterartwalk@gmail.com by next Friday, June 3rd, with your name, length of piece, subject matter and contact info. Unfortunately, there is no compensation for the use of the pieces, but there will be great exposure in Seattle’s coolest enclave.

Story and photo by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now

Second Use delivered about 100 gallons of donated latex paint Thursday afternoon to the King County Sheriff’s Office White Center storefront.

KCSO’s Community Service Officer Peter Truong (photo, center) assisted Second Use Outreach Coordinator Elena Velkov and a co-worker with the supplies. Second Use held a weekend-long drive at their facility adjacent to the South Park transfer station.

Truong said the paint will be used on the upcoming White Center Spring Clean on May 14. WCCDA has a deadline to register projects for the annual event at the end of the month. Last year, 400 people participated – this year, registration isn’t quite . The CDA is encouraging community members to register their projects and sign up for what is usually a couple of hours of fun work, community building and free snacks. An online registration form can be found on the CDA’s website at wccda.org.

(Courtesy Aguero Photo)
Two months ago, West Seattle’s Avalon Glassworks announced its Feed The Core Fundraiser for White Center Food Bank was close to a milestone … $10,000! Each golden blown-glass apple goes for $80, with half of that covering production costs, half of it going to the WC Food Bank, which can buy 200 pounds of food for that much money. Shannon Felix of Avalon Glassworks tells us they have just reached the $10,000 milestone – 250 apples sold, and 25 tons of food for hungry people in our community. But you can still buy an apple – go here!

Shared by Joleen:

Ricardo Frazier invites Eagle Members and their guests to join him at the Ladies Style Texas Hold’em Fundraising Event at the White Center Eagles.

Dinner and Auction at 5:30pm
Tournament at 6:30pm

Benefits the Foster High School Girls Basketball Team (Tournament trip to North Carolina)

Today you don’t have to head far to help support West Seattle for Japan, a fundraiser for the quake/tsunami relief efforts, with 26 businesses to the north participating – plus North Highline’s own Village Green Perennial Nursery (see the bottom of the Google map above). A percentage of Village Green’s proceeds today are going to the cause.

The Union Gospel Mission Search and Rescue van is about to hit the streets in White Center/West Seattle for the first time, according to UGM’s Sharon Thomas. She says it’s outreach to “homeless individuals sleeping outside.” Usually the van travels around downtown, delivering food, blankets, and clothing to help those people “survive the night,” and offering them a space in their shelter; this time, they’re traveling further south, and they’re planning to make it a weekly visit starting April 7th. They plan to set out tomorrow night from Westwood Christian Assembly sometime after 8 pm tomorrow (Wednesday). And if you know someplace where people are sleeping outside and might need help, UGM invites you to let them know via their Facebook page. (They also would like to hear from you if you can help – Thomas adds, “We always need sandwiches made, hot chocolate and warm clothing, especially men’s pants.”)

From King County Councilmember Joe McDermott‘s office:

King County Councilmember Joe McDermott was listening when North Highline resident Mike Merta expressed concern about increasing amounts of graffiti and litter in West Seattle and South Seattle.

What Merta and others are seeing, McDermott said, is the result of declining county revenues and budget cuts. King County cut back its litter control program in an effort to balance the County budget.

And that’s the impetus behind a community clean up event scheduled from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday, March19. McDermott is spearheading the event with support from Merta and Waste Management.

“We have all been impacted by the cuts made to balance state and county coffers. Communities must work together to fill the void that has been left,” Councilmember McDermott, who represents North Highline, said. “Residents of North Highline love their community, and I’m thrilled to help them keep it clean.”

Volunteers are invited to a free kick-off breakfast at 10am. Breakfast will be hosted by Waste Management at the company’s site at 8111 First Avenue South.

“Waste Management is all about helping make communities cleaner and greener,” said Katie Salinas, public sector manager for Waste Management. “We are inspired by the community spirit that’s driving this event and pleased to provide breakfast to fuel this important volunteer effort.”

Volunteers are urged to bring gloves and to wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes.

For more information, “like” Keep Seattle Beautiful on Facebook.

From Shana at WestSide Baby in White Center:

We wanted to remind you that our monthly After-Hours event is this Thursday evening, March 17th, from 7-9pm. Please grab a friend and join us on St. Patrick’s Day for an adult evening of sorting donations, having fun and making a difference in the community!

Space will be limited to 20 people so please RSVP to shana@westsidebaby.org if you will be attending. Parking is available in front of our Operations Center located at 10027-14th Ave SW.

From the Facebook invite for this upcoming event to help the Youth Media Institute keep working with local young people:

For over five years, Youth Media Institute has been utilizing media justice education and social justice conversations to empower youth in the White Center and South West Seattle neighborhoods. We plan on continuing our work for 55 more years. But to do that, we’ll need your help.

Drop by our first ever Silent Auction right in the world famous White Center neighborhood. You get to bid on fun items, meet the folks behind the sce…nes at YMI, have a fabulous time, and perhaps most importantly be a part of empowering the next generation of social justice media makers.

Auction items include: Ecuadorean painting, locally made ceramics, massage and acupuncture services, Papua New Guinea folk art, an antique typewriter, a three-minute promotional video for your favorite nonprofit produced by YMI, and much, much more.

Support White Center/West Seattle youth making a difference in our community.

Special thanks to Sibelle Nguyen and the Dubsea crew for ensuring that 100% of all proceeds go directly to YMI programming.

Dubsea, we hope you know, is at 9910 8th Avenue SW.

Cross-posted from partner site West Seattle Blog – it’s the annual announcement of the two-month period when food-bank donations can count for more than face value, because of the Feinstein Challenge! Here’s the joint announcement from the White Center and West Seattle Food Banks:

The White Center Food Bank and West Seattle Food Bank are seeing a record number of families come to their doors for assistance. During March and April your donations to help neighbors in need can go farther.

For the 14th consecutive year, Allan Shawn Feinstein will divide $1,000,000 among hunger relief agencies nationwide through his Feinstein Challenge. All donations made between March 1 and April 30th, 2011, and that are specifically designated “Feinstein Challenge,” will count towards the challenge total and help these agencies receive a larger percentage of the million dollars.

For the White Center Food Bank, donations may be mailed to 10829 8th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98146. To make a donation online or for information about the White Center Food Bank’s programs benefited by the $1 Million Challenge, visit www.whitecenterfoodbank.org or contact Rick Jump at (206) 762-2848, or e-mail rick@whitecenterfoodbank.org.

For the West Seattle Food Bank, donations may be mailed to 3419 SW Morgan, Seattle, WA 98126. To make a donation online or for information about the West Seattle Food Bank’s programs benefited by the $1 Million Challenge, visit www.westseattlefoodbank.org or contact Fran Yeatts at (206) 932-9023, or e-mail fran@westseattlefoodbank.org.

For information about the Feinstein Foundation and the $1 Million Challenge, visit www.feinsteinfoundation.org

As the need for our services continues to increase significantly, your donations are now more important than ever.

Story and photos by Deanie Schwarz
Reporting for White Center Now

Thanks to Gill, WCN got the heads-up that the King County Sheriff’s Office storefront is currently in great need of graffiti-paintout supplies — in particular, outdoor primer.

Unlike the city of Seattle, which has a graffiti program, unincorporated areas like White Center must rely on donated materials.

On Wednesday, the city of Seattle donated about 15 gallons of paint, some brushes and rollers to the “quality of life” program, which Community Service Officer Vary Jackson (top photo) helps coordinate. But Officer Jackson told WCN that they still are in dire need of outdoor-only primer.

The “quality of life” program deploys misdemeanor offenders to address such issues as cleaning up graffiti vandalism, retrieving abandoned shopping carts, and picking up litter. Officer Jackson says that the brief snow we had a few weeks ago seemed to encourage a lot of tagging around the neighborhood, though she emphasized that this was mostly tagger-style graffiti rather than gang-turf-war-type markings. Even so, there is just so much of it since then, that they have used up the outdoor primer they had.

If you have unused primer to spare or are able to donate new primer, they are welcome to call Officer Jackson at the King County Sheriff’s Office to make arrangements for donations that will be accepted gratefully. The phone number is (206) 296-3323. (Officer Jackson works out of the downtown White Center “storefront,” at 9609 16th SW.)

The White Center Food Bank just put out the call for volunteer help. From volunteer coordinator Audrey Zemke:

The White Center Food Bank needs help this coming week handing out food to clients. The most urgently needed shift is 3:30 to 6:30 pm Monday, December 20. In addition we could use help Wednesday, December 22 from 12:30 to 3:30. Please contact me by e-mail (audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org) to sign up.