White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Got this note from Julie – we’re thinking WCNers will be interested as well as some West Seattleites:

As you may know, many of the communities in “southern” West Seattle look out over 3 Tree Point and the communities of Arroyo, Seola Beach and Arbor Heights enjoy our fireworks show. Last year, quite a few families from these neighborhoods contributed funds toward our entirely not-for-profit and volunteer effort (although the barge based fireworks are presented by professionals, thank goodness!). We are enormously grateful for that support. This year we have new chairs and have launched a new website www.3TreePoint.org

Their fundraising drive runs throughout May – check out the website for more details.

Just in from WestSide Baby, which is headquartered in White Center but helps families in West Seattle and surrounding areas too:

WestSide Baby is opening on Thursday, April 16th from 7-9, for our monthly “After Hours” sorting frenzy. Grab a friend and join us for an evening of sorting donations, socializing and making a difference in the community.

It is very helpful for us to know if you are coming though so we can prepare with staff and projects. Please RSVP to Sarah@westsidebaby.org. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult and it is especially important for us to know if minors are coming so we can prepare appropriate jobs for them.

We also have an ongoing need for larger size diapers (Sizes 4-6) and Pull-ups (Sizes 3t and 4t).

Audrey from White Center Food Bank says last night’s food drive brought in more than 250 pounds! You can donate $ to WCFB online any time through the website, whitecenterfoodbank.org.

(photo added 6:21 pm – Barbara Connor from Rainier Valley Kiwanis, at the donation station)
Till 8 pm tonight, Kiwanis Division 26 volunteers are at the White Center Food Bank, collecting donations. As mentioned before, food-bank donations count for extra through the end of this month because of a special nationwide partial-match program – so if you take food/money to them now, it’s worth even more than face value. Here’s a map to WCFB.

Now it’s just two days away, so it’s reminder time – this Wednesday night, local Kiwanians will be at the White Center Food Bank to collect your donations:

Members of the Division 26 Kiwanis in Seattle would like to invite you to bring non-perishable foods to the White Center Food Bank on Wednesday evening, April 8, 2009 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. Members of the Kiwanis will be stationed outside the food bank at 10829 8th Avenue SW [map] under a canopy to collect your donations.

Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

The White Center Food Bank says the most needed foods are Hamburger Helper and Rice-a-Roni type products as well as canned meat (not tuna), canned fruit, cereal, and jelly. The White Center Food Bank serves a diverse ethnic population so ethnic foods are always welcome. The food bank also accepts $5 and $10 gift cards from Safeway, QFC or Albertsons. Cash donations can be sent to the White Center Food Bank at 10829 8th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98146. To donate online, go to www.whitecenterfoodbank.org.

Donations to food banks count extra through the end of this month because of the Feinstein Challenge, so everything you give includes a built-in bonus. See you Wednesday night!

From Ian at White Center Community Development Association – an invitation to help plan a big springtime event:

Community Partners and Friends! The White Center Community Development Association (White Center CDA) is gearing up for its Sixth Annual Spring Clean. This event brings the White Center and Boulevard Park communities together for one day to clean, plant, paint and connect with their neighbors/family/friends/businesses/non-profit organizations/etc. We would like to invite you to our first meeting, so please bring your energy and ideas to the table. Please forward this to anyone who is interested in being a partner and/or volunteer.

White Center CDA Spring Clean Meeting
Tuesday, March 31 – Noon to 2:00pm
YWCA Meeting Room at Greenbridge (9720 8th Ave. SW)

Tentative agenda Items:

-Introductions

-Identifying Partners and their resources

-Brainstorm ideas

-Q&A

-Committee Sign-ups

-Marketing and Promotion

-Flyers and T-shirts

-Art/Mural opportunities

The actual Spring Clean event will be on Saturday, May 16. Mark your calendars and save the date.

From just north of White Center, Hope Kerkof sends word that Shorewood Christian School‘s auction is almost here:

Mark your calendars! This Saturday, March 28th at 5 pm, you won’t want to miss the Shorewood Christian School’s annual auction. The theme of this year’s dinner-auction, “Come aboard Our Cruise Ship,” docks at Shorewood Foursquare Sanctuary at 5 pm. This is a fun filled evening of buffet dining, with a silent and live auction benefiting Shorewood Christian School. The proceeds from the auction this year goes to Shorewood Christian’s high-school-expansion efforts. Boarding passes are $25.00 each. For tickets or more information, call Shorewood Christian at 206-933-1056 or visit the website at www.ShorewoodChristianSchool.org

Just got this from executive director Nancy Woodland at White Center-based WestSide Baby:

WestSide Baby is hosting a 3rd Thursday After Hours Sorting Frenzy

Join us between 7 and 9 to organize and sort toys, clothes, bottles and more. Open to ages 8+ but ages 8 to 14 must be accompanied by a volunteering adult.

WestSide Baby is at 10032 15th SW; here’s a map.

Just announced:

Members of the Division 26 Kiwanis in Seattle would like to invite you to bring non-perishable foods to the White Center Food Bank on Wednesday evening April 8, 2009 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Members of the Kiwanis will be stationed outside the food bank at 10829 8th Avenue SW under a canopy to collect your donations.

Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time

The White Center Food Bank says the most needed foods are Hamburger Helper and Rice-a-Roni type products as well as canned meat (not tuna), canned fruit, cereal, and jelly. The White Center Food Bank serves a diverse ethnic population so ethnic foods are always welcome. The food bank also accepts $5 and $10 gift cards from Safeway, QFC or Albertsons. Cash donations can be sent to the White Center Food Bank at 10829 8th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98146. To donate on-line go to www.whitecenterfoodbank.org.

The White Center Food Bank has been providing emergency food relief in this community for over thirty years. In the past two years food insecurity has grown. The rising cost of housing, food, and health care, cutbacks in federal funding for housing and food assistance, and the loss of manufacturing jobs leave many working families short of food. Stories about the rising costs of food and hunger are in the press almost daily. The White Center Food Bank continues to provide much needed emergency food relief while promoting efforts to fight poverty.

Last year a record 17,000 families were served and almost 900,000 pounds of food was distributed worth about $1.5 million dollars. This was done with two paid staff and over 200 volunteers including members of Kiwanis White Center, 34th District Democrats, Fauntleroy UCC and Evergreen Key Club. 1,700 families a month are being served.

This is an annual event that means your assistance for the White Center Food Bank (and West Seattle Food Bank too) goes farther than ever this month and next – read the announcement from WCFB’s Rick Jump:

$1 MILLION FEINSTEIN CHALLENGE TO BENEFIT LOCAL FOOD BANKS

March and April donations to White Center Food Bank and West Seattle Food Bank will qualify for Feinstein Challenge

The White Center Food Bank and West Seattle Food Bank are encouraging community members to make donations between March 1st and April 30th so they can receive additional funds from the Feinstein Foundation’s $1 Million Challenge.

For the past 12 years Rhode Island philanthropist, Alan Shawn Feinstein, has made $1 Million available to help anti-hunger agencies. For every cash and food donation received by the end of April the Feinstein Foundation will add a financial contribution.

“During these tough economic times local food banks are serving more families than ever. Many of them are first time visitors to a food bank,” said Rick Jump, executive director of the White Center Food Bank. “This increased demand for services is likely to continue over the next several months and we urgently need to support of the community to insure that we are able to provide nutritious meals to our neighbors in need,” said Jump.

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 rjump_wcfb@yahoo.com.

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 wsfb@teleport.com.

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

(Photo by Dina Johnson)
White Center Food Bank executive director Rick Jump made a guest appearance Monday night at the monthly meeting of the Highland Park Action Committee, whose turf stretches all the way to the WC line, and he shared numbers that won’t surprise you, but are startling nonetheless: Last month alone, WCFB served almost 1800 families – 6,000 people. That’s up to 80 percent more than this time last year, Jump said, describing it as “a bit of a crisis” while also noting that in addition to serving White Center, WCFB also serves Highland Park (and other areas of West Seattle’s south half). He elaborated: “We’re seeing a lot of people who have never visited a food bank before in their life, and they’re really embarrassed to be there … it really is a new face we’re seeing in food bank lines.” He says the Feinstein Challenge starts next month, with a private organization rewarding WCFB (and other organizations nationwide) depending on how much food and money is donated to the organization in March and April, so if you make a donation during the next two months, be sure to earmark it to qualify for the Feinstein Challenge. What they need most right now, he says, is “dry variety” food – macaroni and cheese, Hamburger Helper type of stuff. What they don’t need … tuna … they get that as a government commodity and, Jump smiled, “we’re swimming in tuna.” They have a “baby pantry” service as well, and while they don’t need formula – a private donor gives them all they could possibly need, according to Jump – they do need “larger size” diapers. You can find out more about WCFB, and donate money online, by going to its website, www.whitecenterfoodbank.org. (We’ll report more on the Highland Park meeting later today on our partner site West Seattle Blog.)

A new “edible garden” has sprouted at the White Center Food Bank; volunteers from Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle and SeattleWorks spent several hours Saturday clearing ornamental plantings from the plots where vegetables will now grow. Read more about it on partner site West Seattle Blog – including the need for one more volunteer – somebody to set up and tend a new worm-compost bin! Meantime, hours after we stopped at WCFB, it was off to the first open house at the artists’ studios on the east side of the old skating rink:

The party inside and upstairs was a little too crowded and dark for good pix but we had a great time wandering from room to room, viewing some of the artists’ creations, including paintings, sculpture, even a striking bench with an inset eagle-head carving. Next weekend, the artists will be involved in the first Rat City Rummage event – remember, you can look for the entryway from 16th:

Rat City Rummage is set for next Saturday, 10 am-6 pm at the old skate rink.

Are you ready to serve? The search is on and maybe you can answer the call:

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council is seeking applicants for council positions. Candidates must be 18 years and older, a resident of the area, and/or a business/property owner in the area or an official representative of a non-profit in the area. The council represents residents and business/property owners of the North Highline Unincorporated Area in their dealings with King County and surrounding cities. The council is comprised of 13 members representing the communities of Beverly Park, Boulevard Park, Glendale, Riverton Heights, Salmon Creek, Shorewood, South Park, Top Hat and White Center. To obtain a Candidate Filing Statement or to learn more about the open position’s contact Christine Waldman, cwaldman@northhighlineuac.org

We reported recently that the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council had plans to help with a roundup of abandoned shopping carts – and now, NHUAC’s Heidi Johnson has sent us the flyer that has information on who to contact at which stores, and what their policies are. Download it here – and help clear those carts out of YOUR neighborhood!

From Aviva at Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle:

Community Harvest of SW Seattle in partnership with the White Center Food Bank will be removing some grasses and other ornamentals to make room for a food garden. This demonstration garden, designed by a SSCC horticulture student, will have sections for traditional Asian greens, square foot gardening, northwest berries, and containers. The intention of this garden is to inspire and educate on the possibilities for growing food, even in limited spaces.

Seattleworks volunteers will be digging up existing landscaping on February 21st, and we would like to offer some of these lovely grasses and bushes in exchange for compost (or $$ to buy compost!) All donations of time or money will be happily accepted and will go toward this project and other projects which encourage food growing amongst low-income residents of West Seattle and White Center.

Contact: info@gleanit.org

Big changes ahead for the White Center/South Delridge Community Safety Coalition, and you might qualify to be part of them. Here’s a letter from its staff liaisons:

We are excited to be preparing to hold our first elections! As this is the first election, we are accepting nominations for the new Executive Committee until Thursday, February 19th, at 4:00 pm.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s the day for a big fundraiser for White Center’s New Start High School. As Paul Fischburg put it in a letter we published in its entirety earlier this month:

On Thursday 1/29, all day, when you buy anything at the Barnes and Noble at Westwood Village shopping center and show them the attached flyer, a portion of the sales will be donated to New Start for the library. Better yet, books on New Start’s wishlist will be on display and you can buy one directly for the library. Even better still, come on down between 6:30 and 8:00 pm, and view student art work, hear readings of student writings and enter a drawing to win an ice cream party at White Center’s own Full Tilt Ice Cream!

You can download and print the flyer, which has the voucher number, here.

(WCN photo of Hicks Lake, 1/7/09)
From Dick Thurnau at Friends of Hicks Lake:

King County has allotted $25,000 in the budget for Lakewood Park / Hicks Lake improvements and has asked Friends Of Hicks Lake for suggestions. We have many; however, we wish to gather input from the community to provide the best and wisest recommendations.

Suggestions (including, so far):

*Water fountain with an aeration system to help cleanse the lake water and display a beautiful attraction. (will need volunteers)

*Walking path around Hicks Lake might require use of a small section of school property (safety reasons)

*Volleyball, basketball court in half of the tennis court, horseshoes

*Full-time caretaker for the park house to control graffiti, litter, illegal alcohol usage, and vandalism

We welcome the community’s input.

You can reach Dick by e-mail at hdthurnau@juno.com or by phone at 206-244-4558.

Got time to spare Thursday night? Just in from Nancy Woodland of WestSide Baby, which helps families in the greater White Center/West Seattle area – they’re looking for “after-hours” help 7-9 pm tomorrow (Thursday 1/15):

WestSide Baby is inviting volunteers to join us to help sort through the many wonderful donations received during the snowy weeks in December. We have mounds of items to sort through so that we can get them distributed out into the community. Our last event like this in December was extremely successful with almost 20 volunteers appearing to help us wade through the donations. It is very helpful for us to know if you are coming though so we can prepare with staff and projects. Please RSVP to Sarah@westsidebaby.org. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult and it is especially important for us to know if minors are coming so we can prepare appropriate jobs for them. We also have an ongoing need for batteries (size C&D) and larger size diapers (Sizes 4-6) and Pull-ups (Sizes 3t and 4t). We have many diapers in smaller sizes though. The batteries are most often used for swings so we can get them back out into the community rather than waiting in our facility.

Forum members at our partner site West Seattle Blog have organized a shoe drive in honor of Inauguration Day, and White Center’s own Full Tilt Ice Cream is one of the dropoff sites. New/lightly used shoes dropped off between now and Inauguration Day will be donated to Soles4Souls. Join the shoe-drive conversation here! And here’s the official flyer.