White Center Now: The blog about White Center

We’re just a few hours away from the day every holiday season that nonprofits hope you’ll use to focus on giving to the organizations that nourish, cherish, support, and uplift your community. First one we’ve heard from is White Center Food Bank, which is not only continuing to carry on with its daily work of keeping people fed, but also working toward the move to its new headquarters. Here’s the WCFB announcement:

On Tuesday, November 29, the White Center Food Bank joins #GivingTuesday, a one-day global giving event dedicated to assisting non-profit organizations.

With the support of our generous donors, volunteers, and individuals of the community, WCFB provides healthy, culturally familiar food for our neighbors. Many of those within the White Center community face difficult economic conditions, leaving families and individuals in need of food resources. With the start of this holiday season, White Center Food Bank wants to extend a hand and inspire others to do the same. WCFB provides food security for our customers and their loved ones during these warm, festive times. By collaborating in this movement, you can support the WCFB and give back to your community. Let’s all participate in #GivingTuesday and continue to #KeeptheCommunityFed.

Link to donate:
whitecenterfoodbank.networkforgood.com/projects/173679-end-of-year-2022

We’re still not back to the safety level that would enable donation drives at fire stations, so here’s how you can support firefighters’ gift-giving for area families:

It’s that easy!

Thanks to Lauren for the tip on this. The Velasquez family, who run White Center restaurant El Catrin (9641 15th SW), are crowdfunding to keep their doors open. They write on the GoFundMe page, “We have been working for the last year to catch up on rent. Since we’re a new business, we don’t qualify for any government assistance, and with the increase of all costs in our city ( ood costs, utility insurance, and the closure of the street etc.), and losing battles with covid. Then the accident our Dad had with his hand, we’re running dry.” Lauren said in her note to us, “We would hate to lose them as they’ve always done tamale giveaways to families in need and Thanksgiving turkeys for families that couldn’t afford them.” If you can help, here’s the link.

Looking for something to do Saturday night? The White Center Community Development Association has an invitation for you:

The White Center Community Development Association’s (CDA) 20th Anniversary Gala: Truth in Community, will be on Saturday, September 10, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the South Seattle College Brockey Center. Gala attendees will hear community narratives and testimony that encompass the theme of ‘Truth in Community.’

We invite the community to join us for activities throughout the night, such as a silent auction, wine pull, and a champagne toast alongside dinner, dessert, and special performances. There will be opportunities to mingle with community partners and organizations as the Seattle-based band, the OBG’s, plays their favorite tunes.

The White Center CDA’s works to eradicate poverty and build a vibrant and economically diverse community in unincorporated White Center. In the past years, the White Center CDA has engaged in community facilitation on a diverse range of projects that touch the White Center community. These projects include King County’s revisions to the North Highline and White Center Subarea plan, fighting for the strong and resilient business community within the White Center business core, advocating for and providing culturally relevant early learning opportunities and needed resources to families, and bringing a needed hub of community resources and affordable housing to White Center.

The White Center CDA is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002. The White Center CDA works to connect community to people and place in many ways, such as the Spring Clean, the White Center 5k, and ongoing anti-displacement work within White Center.

Here’s where to go to get tickets.

As mentioned last week, the county’s Participatory Budgeting vote is on right now – you have today and tomorrow to vote online and help decide how to spend $3+ million. One of the contenders is the White Center Food Bank, which says it has found a new location in downtown WC (but isn’t saying exactly where yet).The WCFB needs money “to renovate and transform our space into an innovative food bank for all who need it.” You can vote here.=

The booth on the northwest corner of 16th/98th is one of three places you can buy $5 tickets for the Taste of White Center, benefiting the White Center Food Bank – each ticket gets you one of the special menu items that 31 establishments are offering – here’s the list:

Participants are all flying red balloons:

The Taste of White Center is on until 4 pm, but take note that some venues have slightly different participation hours – for example, Tomo has a sign saying it’ll open at 2 pm (it’s offering smoked sable fish congee), and Good Day Donuts is participating until 2 (their menu item is listed as “surprise”). The other two ticket booths are outside Mac’s Triangle Pub at 16th/Delridge/Roxbury and outside Patrick’s Café and Bakery at 15th/100th. Along with the $5 taste tickets, you also can buy tickets for a drawing that’s also benefiting WCFB – two round-trip Alaska Airlines tickets. Alaska is one of the sponsors whose support is enabling compensation for the venues so that all the ticket proceeds can benefit the food bank.

This just might be the tastiest fundraiser of the year.

Announced by the White Center Food Bank:

SAVE THE DATE:
TASTE OF WHITE CENTER, PRESENTED BY WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK, JUNE 25, 11 AM-4 PM

The White Center Food Bank is excited to bring together our neighborhood’s wide variety of restaurants for a family-friendly event and fundraiser. With over 25 restaurants participating, attendees purchase $5 tickets to try a variety of foods from roasted corn, banh mi sandwiches and gyoza dumplings to specialty ice cream, bubble tea and shaved ice. Iconic restaurants like Tomo, La Fondita, Good Day Donuts and more are ready to serve up amazing bites!

Each ticket is an opportunity to taste something from each establishment and all ticket proceeds go to support the White Center Food Bank. Sponsorship dollars from Alaska Airlines, King County Metro, Nucor Steel and others go to the participating restaurants to purchase ingredients and pay for promotion of the event.

Tickets will be available for purchase at three locations in downtown White Center (Patrick’s Café and Bakery, Mac’s Triangle Pub, and on the corner of 16th Ave SW and 98th St). A restaurant passport will be given to each attendee at the time of purchase with a map and details on which restaurants are participating and the menu items available. There will also be a raffle for 2 roundtrip tickets on Alaska Airlines.

White Center food Bank looks forward to hosting people from across the region around the one thing we know always brings together community: FOOD!

See the current list of participants by going here.

From Lina Rose at King County Parks – a chance to do a good deed while having a good time this Saturday (June 4th):

Our program lead community members in high quality service experiences in King County Parks with the goal of connection and engagement in the health of our parks. Together with our partners, we lead an average of 10,000 volunteers a year performing restoration, park improvement and building and maintaining trails. We weave environmental education into every event, to make for a rewarding and productive day in the park.

We’ve got a free, public event coming up on June 4th in partnership with Parkour Visions that we’d like to share with the White Center community. This special event is focused on connection to White Center Heights Park through environmental restoration, and through play. The event includes 3 hours of learning about the plants and animals of the park, digging out weeds and spreading compost mulch with an option to stay for an hour of parkour. Parkour Visions staff lead the parkour portion of the event and participants will receive instruction in parkour basics like the basic jump, landing, climbing and vaulting techniques. We ask that interested volunteers sign up in advance of the event so that we can plan our tools accordingly and ensure that all volunteers have the information that they need for the day.

To learn more and sign up please visit: Volunteer King County Parks

Date: Saturday, June 4, 9 am-1 pm

Location: White Center Heights Park

*Note that volunteers must show proof of vaccination in order to participate in this event. Please contact Crescent Calimpong, ccalimpong@kingcounty.gov with questions about this event.

Those are some of the riders who left the White Center Bike Playground on Sunday morning to head out on the fundraising Ride for Major Taylor. It was actually two rides – a 63-mile route, with riders heading out as early as 7 am, and a 26-mile route with departures starting at 8:30 am.

The ride raises money to help youth via the Major Taylor Project. The presenting organization, Cascade Bicycle Club, explains it:

Marshall “Major” Taylor was a Black athlete and cycling legend who was one of the greatest bicyclists of his era, setting numerous world records and winning a World Championship–all while battling racism throughout his career from the late 1800s to early 1900s. He was an international superstar whose amazing talents and drive were as well-known in his era as LeBron James or Serena Williams are today.

The Major Taylor Project is a year-round, youth leadership cycling program focused on introducing young adults from underserved communities to the recreation of cycling and creating an inclusive culture of bicycling that will continue to future generations. The Major Taylor Project currently serves schools in the Puget Sound region; Seattle, Tacoma, and Puyallup.

The Major Taylor Project welcomes donations year-round.

(Photo courtesy DubSea Fish Sticks)

Got room under your roof for a summer visitor? The DubSea Fish Sticks are looking for a few more host families for the collegiate players who will spend a big part of their summer here:

The DubSea Fish Sticks summer collegiate baseball team is looking for host families for out-of-town players this summer.

The team recruits players from colleges across the country to come and play for the months of June and July. The 2022 summer roster is composed of players from 26 different colleges. The players report in late May and play with the team to hone their skills and hope to one day play professionally.

Similarly to junior-hockey teams like the Seattle Thunderbirds out of Kent, the Fish Sticks rely on the support of local families to host players for the summer months, also known as billets in the hockey community.

General Manager Justin Moser said, “Host families are the backbone to successful summer collegiate teams. Being able to recruit players from a broader range of area improves our ability to be as competitive as possible. It also allows us to expand our reach into other communities and give college student athletes an experience of living in our community.”

The Fish Sticks aren’t just a baseball team, though. They require players to volunteer within the community weekly, performing community-service hours at the food bank, with local non-profit organizations, help run youth baseball camps, and do community cleanups regularly.

“We’ve seen host families in the past start out as a safe place to stay, and then the relationship grows and many players become an extension of the family. Most of our former players and their families still have relationships with their former host families,” explained Moser.

If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a host family, please visit gofishsticks.com/hostfamilies. The team is still in need of hosts for 8 players this summer.

You can find more information about the Fish Sticks at GoFishSticks.com, where you can join their priority ticket list. Season tickets and flex packs go on sale in mid-April and single-game tickets go on sale in May.

You’ll see hundreds of bicyclists riding in White Center on April 24th, as the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s Ride for Major Taylor starts and finishes at WC Bicycle Playground (11050 10th SW). The ride raises money to support free after-school educational programming. Riders can choose a 26- or 63-mile course. Find out more – and register, if you want to ride – here.

Up for a bar/pub crawl? Set your calendar for Saturday, March 19th. White Center establishments are participating in a benefit for this summer’s White Center Block Party. From the ticketing page:

COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE WHITE CENTER COMMUNITY ON MARCH 19!

The WC Block Party planning committee is rounding up the bars in White Center for an evening of drinks and deals over St. Paddy’s day weekend right in the heart of White Center. All proceeds from bracelet sales will go toward planning the White Center Block Party this summer.

PRE-ORDER NOW AND GET A FREE JELLO SHOT AT PICK UP! OR, PURCHASE DAY-OF FOR 20.00.

Participating bars:

Buho

Drunky’s Two Shoe BBQ

CanBar

Mac’s Triangle Pub

Lariat

Roller Rink Bar

Boombox

Future Primitive

Beer Star

Special Shops Participating:

Macadons – Free Cream Puff for Pub Crawl Attendees

Cartwheel Vintage & Consign – 20% off from 4-8 PM for Attendees

It all starts at 4 pm March 19th; buy your advance ticket here.

The White Center Food Bank needs your help, if you can donate food. Here’s the announcement we received:

We are running low on the following items and need our community to help fill the shelves:

Soup (pop top)
Broth
Peanut Butter
Rice
Sugar (in a box)
Condiments (BBQ, mustard, mayo)
Oil
Flour
Coffee & Tea
Soy Sauce
Mac and Cheese
Ramen Noodles
Salt
Black Pepper

Donation hours at the food bank are 8 am-3:30 pm M-F, 10829 8th Ave SW.

Please get in touch with a staff member when you arrive and they can help load in.

If those hours or location are not convenient, we have donation barrels located at:

– BECU in Roxbury Safeway
– Moonshot Coffee
– Good Day Donuts
– Future Primitive Beer
– White Center and Fauntleroy Starbucks locations

Your local firefighters want to bring holiday joy to 25 families around their coverage area again this year. All they need is some help from you – starting today:

That’s Crescent Calimpong, volunteer coordinator for King County Parks, who had quite a crowd to coordinate at Steve Cox Memorial Park on Saturday;

Crescent had 17 volunteers for a fall tree-planting event, mostly students, reports Gill Loring, who took the photos. This was a three-hour event – that’s all you need to give, a small amount of time to make a big difference! Other opportunities are coming up, including one at White Center Heights Park in less than two weeks – go here to sign up.

If the end of summer has you feeling rummage/yard/garage-sale withdrawal, here’s one more chance – the White Center Library Guild‘s books-and-more sale is happening today!

Find the sale just outside the library (1409 SW 107th) until 3 pm. Besides books, we found toys, clothing, housewares, even classic music cassettes.

The all-volunteer Library Guild raises money to help fund programs at the library.

From the White Center Library Guild:

The White Center Library Guild is having a Book & Sidewalk Sale this coming Saturday, October 2nd, from 10 AM to 3 PM at the White Center Library at 1409 SW 107th St. in White Center just east of 16th Ave. SW. Stop by the Library for a fast look at books and other items to restart needed funding for our White Center Library programs for children and adults over the next year. Guild members will be on hand to sell various items collected during the COVID shutdown. Be masked and come by for some good bargains. Join our Guild, too! If you have yet to visit, the Library it is a beautiful welcoming place with books, computers, a children’s play area, and a friendly staff. Great place for children of all ages to go after school. COVID protocols are in place.

(WCN photo, September 13th)

Less than two weeks after the 3-alarm fire that destroyed the closed Locker Room in downtown White Center, its neighbor to the north, Huong Xua Deli, is still struggling to recover from damage. (Our photo above shows what it looked like inside hours after the fire.) So their neighbors to the north, Full Tilt Ice Cream proprietors Justin Cline and Ann Magyar, have launched a crowdfunding page for community donations to help Huong Xua reopen. The page features this message from the deli’s owners:

My name is Kevin Bui and my wife is Phuong Nguyen. I came to the US when I was young. Growing up, I didn’t have that many opportunities and wealth. I had to work to support me and my family. Even through the struggle, our culture brings happiness and everybody together. That is why I wanted to open a small business to share some cultural foods such as Bánh Mì, Bún Bò Huế, thịt Heo Quay (Roasted Pork) and many more foods. When we inherited the business from the previous owners, everything was still the same but got slower from the pandemic. Not too long ago, our Roasted Pork Sandwich got rated #1 as the best Bánh Mì in the Puget Sound from The Seattle Times. I could say this was a blessing. Our business got more customers coming from all over the state. Everything was going well until a fire that was spread to our Deli. There were 3 fires that happened in a span of 5 months, but this time, Hương Xưa Deli was affected and damaged by the water and fire retardant. Our friendly neighbor from Full Tilt, started this fundraiser to help us rebuild our deli. Our family’s income depends on this business. Anything will help, thank you all for your support, I hope we can rebuild a new Deli as soon as possible located in the spot where we are right now to serve to our lovely community in White Center.

You can donate by going here.

P.S. Bizzarro Italian Café, south of the Locker Room, remains closed too. King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Tim Meyer told WCN that investigators believe “smoking material” started the fire, as was the case with the April fire that closed the Locker Room.

Thanks to Gill for sending word of this. Your help would be welcomed!

Restoration and Stewardship at North Shorewood Park

10044 24th Ave SW

Saturday, September 11, 2021
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Space is limited, register at:
pg-cloud.com/KingCountyParks/

The Community School of West Seattle at 22nd/Roxbury invites your support at a fundraising concert in White Center Heights Park:

Go here for tickets.