White Center Now: The blog about White Center

What you see above is just part of the haul that the West Seattle chapter of CoolMom.org has collected for its first-ever Toy Swap and Sale, happening Saturday at the Camp Long Lodge in WS (map) — proceeds benefit White Center-based WestSide Baby as well as the West Seattle Food Bank and CoolMom (whose organizers say, “We have gotten some great items – bikes, trikes, and push toys; puzzles & games; barbies; baby gear, music, art, and other developmental activities; lots of brand names and much much more!”). The “swap” aspect of this involves donations of toys made over the past few weeks (each donor got a $5 sale credit for each bag of toys); tomorrow, it’s all about the sale, 9 am-1 pm. (By the way, you can help WestSide Baby any time with an online $ donation — right from this page.) Here’s where you’re going, courtesy of Google Street View:

They’ve been planning it for months, and tonight’s the big night: The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council‘s fundraising dinner for the art project at Steve Cox Memorial Park. When we last checked in with NHUAC’s Heidi Johnson, just a few tickets are left, so we are hopeful the dinner will be a smash hit, and the project will be on its way to completion.

First posted at partner site West Seattle Blog. They need diapers AND people-power.

Click pic to play video

That video shows harpist Mary Frank as she played to welcome guests to Saturday night’s White Center Food Bank Harvest Dinner and Auction. WCFB executive director Rick Jump says the final tally was 200 guests and more than $40,000 raised, and he wants to “thank all the White Center and West Seattle businesses who donated so generously to make this possible.” Among the sponsors, BECU, whose Claudia Martinez and John Webb were there as we made the round with our camera:

We also caught up with Steve Fisher from the King County Housing Authority (photo left) in the early going at the gala event at South Seattle Community College’s Brockey Center. Guests perused, and bid on, silent-auction items before the Harvest Dinner — among the more unusual ones, an authentic fire hydrant. Meantime, regardless of whether you made it to the benefit on Saturday night, there are myriad ways you can give to the White Center Food Bank right now, including the purchase of a beautiful glass apple from Avalon Glassworks in West Seattle (half the $80 purchase price goes to WCFB) – we’ve told you about it before, and Rick tells WCN they’re still available. You can also donate $ online by going here.

Checking with Audrey at White Center Food Bank, we found out (also posted at partner site WSB) that reservations for this Saturday’s annual Harvest Dinner and Auction for WCFB need to be in by 5 pm today so they can get the catering order in. The Saturday event starts with the silent auction @ 5:30 pm, SSCC’s Brockey Center. Full details here; $60/person, 206/762-2848, or rick@whitecenterfoodbank.org. (A week later, on 10/25, it’s the White Center Community Development Association five-year-anniversary gala – details and ticket info are on the WCCDA site.)

Another reminder, 5 days till the White Center Food Bank‘s annual Harvest Dinner and Auction this Saturday @ SSCC – but don’t wait to make a reservation – call or e-mail now. 206/762-2848, rick@whitecenterfoodbank.org – see the full invitation here!

Longfellow Creek, which stretches almost all the way to White Center, has some amazing natural areas along the way – and the volunteer forest steward for Delridge Natural Area, Mike Arizona, asked us to invite White Center Now readers to join him in restoration work tomorrow. We posted a story with photos and video on our partner site WSB; you can see it here (including information on where to goand how to help, tomorrow).

Click pic to play vid

We first told you here at White Center Now (Monday report here) and at partner site West Seattle Blog (Monday report here) two days ago about an urgent call for help from the White Center Food Bank. Executive director Rick Jump says thanks to WCN/WSB readers for stepping up – hundreds of dollars in donated $, plus food donations, have come in as a result, and citywide media have come by to do reports – but much more help is still needed. While we visited Jump at WCFB earlier this afternoon for a followup, he gave us the newest statistics — the number of people seeking help from WCFB this September was 50% greater than last year, almost 1,000 in ’07, almost 1,500 in ’08. And as commenters pointed out on both sites, WCFB has a unique challenge – since it is not within the boundaries of a city, it doesn’t get any kind of city funding, as do its fellow food banks in incorporated areas. You can help WCFB right now by donating $ online, right from this page. While we were at the food bank this afternoon, a steady stream of people came in – Rick explained, it’s the first of the month, and food stamps are still days away; we didn’t photograph the clients because we believe they’re entitled to dignity as they seek help, but trust us (and listen to the sound as we shot the video you see above), the volunteers were working hard to distribute what they had. P.S. One more way you can help – the WCFB annual fundraising auction/dinner is coming up October 18th, 5:30 pm at South Seattle Community College’s Brockey Center; this event raises up to half the WCFB’s annual budget funds – check out the invitation here and RSVP by October 10th (read more in this previous WCN post).

We mentioned last week that the date is set for the fundraiser for the Steve Cox Memorial. Here’s the official announcement with details from Heidi at NHUAC:

Steve Cox Memorial Art Project Dinner & Auction

Please join us as we reach for our goal to have an artist create a memorial
for Steve Cox that will be installed at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White
Center.

“A fitting tribute to a man that made a difference“

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council Invites You To A Benefit
Dinner & Auction For The
Steve Cox Memorial Art Project

November 14, 2008 – 6:00 p.m.

St. Bernadette’s Parish School Hall
on 128th and Ambaum Blvd. S.W.

Catering by: Galliano’s.

Oral & Silent Auction
Auctioneer: Deputy Roy Galusha

Tickets are a donation of $40.00 per seat and are tax deductible

To RSVP
Please send check or money order payable to: 4culture by November 3rd, 2008 to:
NHUAC P.O. Box 66900 Burien, WA 98166

4culture is the fiscal sponsor for NHUAC
Credit cards not accepted

To learn more about 4culture, visit www.4culture.org

For additional information please contact Barb Peters at 206-242-0934 or Heidi Johnson at _hjohnson@northhighlineuac.org

WestSide Baby, which is headquartered in White Center and helps families here as well as West Seattle and environs, just put out an urgent call for newborn-size diapers – those shelves are bare! WestSide Baby collects diapers at its headquarters (10032 15th SW) as well as several other West Seattle locations and even one in Burien; full list is here.