White Center Now: The blog about White Center

From Audrey @ White Center Food Bank:

MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO HUNGRY FAMILIES AT THE WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of hungry families in the community? White Center Food Bank needs volunteers every weekday and food for the holidays.

You can be on the front lines of hunger by coming to the food bank to pass out food. In an average distribution, we see 40 to 70 families who receive meat, food staples, milk, egg and produce. Including set up and clean up this shift takes about 4 hours. We need help Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at 9:00 am.

Like to lift boxes? You can help in the warehouse on Tuesdays when we load and unload trucks and organize the warehouse. The work starts around 10:00 am and can last until 2:00 pm or longer depending on the amount of donations.

If you have a clean driving record and can lift 40 pounds, we would love to have you drive the food bank van to local businesses to pick up donations. We regularly pick up from Safeway, QFC, Starbucks, Super Saver, Essential Bakery and other generous businesses. Thursday morning is the shift you can help the most but other days especially around the holidays are busy too. If you’re not sure if this is right for you, I can arrange a ride along as helper so you can get an idea of the experience.

The holidays are coming up and the White Center Food Bank would like to provide the fixings for holiday meals for about 600 families each of the next two months. You can help by providing turkeys, boxed stuffing, canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, whole olives, canned yams or sweet potatoes, and pudding or jello mixes or by donating online at www.whitecenterfoodbank.org and designating your donation for holiday food.

Your help is important to be able to provide clients with good customer service and holiday food. Email or call me to get involved.

Audrey Zemke
Operations Manager
White Center Food Bank
(206) 762-2848

Extra help at the White Center Food Bank today – volunteers from Bentall Kennedy are there on behalf of the United Way of King County‘s “Day of Caring.” Countywide, more than 11,000 volunteers are working on projects at more than 500 sites.

P.S. Got your ticket for the WCFB’s 10th annual Harvest Dinner and Auction yet? It’s just four weeks away – on October 18th.

Spring is here, and that means it’s time to dig in. Mara Bernard, White Center Food Bank garden coordinator, has a message to share:

Just wanting to get the word out again for this year, that community garden beds are available in White Center Heights Park. Anyone interested should contact gardens@whitecenterfoodbank.org to get more information. Signup ends April 9th.

P.S. Check out the White Center Giving Garden Facebook page!

We’ve already mentioned that this year’s White Center 5K is on the way – but tonight, the official announcement has arrived, including word that you’re invited to dress up like a superhero!

The White Center Community Development Association (CDA) is partnering with the YES Foundation of White Center and the White Center Food Bank to host the second annual White Center 5K Walk & Run. This community event will take place on March 22, 2014 from 9:00am to 11:00am at White Center Heights Park. The theme of this year’s 5K is a Superhero Run, all participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite superheroes.

The 5K has an official start time of 9:00 am, with registration beginning at 8:00 am. Following the completion of the race there will be an award ceremony to recognize the fastest runners. The cost of participation is $25 for people aged 11 through 18, $30 for people between the ages of 11 and 54, $25 for those aged 55 and up, and free for children 10 years of age and younger. All proceeds from the event will benefit the White Center CDA, the YES Foundation of White Center, and the White Center Food Bank.

Almost 400 people participated in 2013 and similar numbers of participants are expected to walk and run at this year’s event. “I can’t wait for this year’s race,” says Tony Vo of the WC5K planning committee. “It was amazing seeing how everyone came together last year and our second 5K will connect this community even more with the addition of the White Center Food Bank.”

In addition to a free White Center 5K T-shirt, this event will provide attendees with free DubSea drip Coffee and a light breakfast. Also on site there will be music and informational booths from local organizations including Hope Heart Institute, Child Care Resources, United Health Care, and the three partnering organizations. Following the race, 5K attendees can receive discounts at participating local businesses if they wear their White Center 5K T-shirt.

Those interested in attending can sign up by visiting the White Center 5K registration page at whitecenter5k.brownpapertickets.com or visit facebook.com/WhiteCenter5kWalkRun for more information.

The mission of the White Center Community Development Association is to promote a vibrant neighborhood and high quality of life for White Center residents and stakeholders through the development of authentic leadership opportunities and community-led, neighborhood initiatives. This is accomplished through three lines of business: neighborhood revitalization, family development, and community building.

The YES Foundation of White Center exists to address the social, economic, educational, physical, and spiritual needs of youth in the White Center area. By developing programs and partnering with other organizations, they provide kids with positive role models and powerful life experiences to encourage their hope and vision for the future.

The White Center Food Bank (WCFB) began in the mid-1970’s as an emergency response to assist struggling families and individuals in the greater White Center and Highline areas during a major economic downturn. The Mission of the White Center Food Bank is to minimize hunger, while nourishing community, nurturing self-reliance and embracing our rich cultural diversity.

For more information please contact Tony Vo at Whitecenter5k@gmail.com

As part of the annual regional Mayors’ Day of Concern for the Hungry, White Center Food Bank ‘s Audrey Zemke tells us that Key Club members from the Evergreen Campus will collect food, money, and gift-card donations 10 am-2 pm today at Roxbury Safeway and North Burien Albertson’s on SW 128th. Drop by and give!

Can you share some time to help the White Center Food Bank fight hunger? Here’s what we were asked to share:

We are in desperate need of a driver on Thursdays from 9 am-noonish for our grocery recovery program. Must have a clean driving record.

We are still also very short on regular volunteers during the week.

Contact Audrey Zemke at 206-762-2848 or audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org

If you have a child in Highline Public Schools and can donate money and/or food to local food banks – the district-wide food drive’s second and final week starts tomorrow (Monday, April 22nd). As is pointed out in the official announcement, beneficiaries include White Center Food Bank – and one dollar donated to a food bank can have the spending power of up to four! Plus, donations before the end of April count for more at food banks such as WC that are participating in the Feinstein Challenge.

From new garden manager Mara at the White Center Food Bank:

Been looking for garden space? The White Center Food Bank’s new garden manager Mara is “wanting to get the word out about the availability of garden beds for community use. These beds are FREE, with only a commitment to care for the space as it’s provided. Tool checkout available.

Anyone interested, or with questions, can contact Mara at gardens@whitecenterfoodbank.org to find out more.

(Photo by Lena Eivy)
You’ve heard about the beautiful glass apples that West Seattle’s Avalon Glassworks sells as a fundraiser for White Center Food Bank – now, WCFB sends word the ongoing benefit has achieved another milestone:

In May 2011, Avalon Glassworks’ Feed the Core apple series hit the $10,000 donation mark for White Center Food Bank – an achievement and goal that many artists might never be able to accomplish. Now, less than two years later they hit the $15,000 mark with apple #375 just last week. Luckily, photographer Lena Eivy was on hand to snap a shot, as she was already at Avalon in the middle of another event benefiting the food bank, Headshots at the Hot Shop.

The premise of the project is simple. Each apple is $80; half of that covers Avalon’s production expenses and the other half goes directly to White Center Food Bank, providing approximately 200 pounds of food, translating to 75,000 pounds of food generated by the project.

Shannon Felix, Avalon’s co-owner, says, “We get a lot of acknowledgement from White Center Food Bank. The director, Richard Jump, is always so graciously appreciative. It lets us know that we are really making a difference.” Headshot’s photographer Lena Eivy, who snapped the landmark shot, said, “I believe strongly in the benefits of helping everyone in a group to be successful in order to strengthen the group as a whole. The White Center Food Bank makes our community strong by helping those who need it most.” Headshots garnered another $420 for White Center Food Bank that day.

Avalon Glassworks has created for White Center Food Bank an extended community that draws together fellow professionals and art lovers to create something truly magical.

Avalon Glassworks is in West Seattle’s Luna Park business district, on Avalon Way just south of the West Seattle Bridge, and its owners just celebrated their 10th anniversary of running the business.

If you’re heading south today, consider lunch and/or dinner at the Empty Bowls benefit in Burien, helping food banks including White Center FB – full details here!

From West Seattle’s Avalon Glassworks – their always-popular glass apples to raise money for White Center Food Bank are back:

Support White Center Food Bank with your purchase of a limited-edition glass apple. Support small business by shopping locally!

We open Friday at 10 am with a fresh crop of green apples (and a few red ones). When you purchase just one apple, we give enough cash to White Center Food Bank to purchase 200 pounds of food for the community.

Buy yours online here or call 206-937-6369, or visit our West Seattle gallery, 10 am-6 pm weekdays and 10 am- 5 pm weekends.

They’re at 2914 SW Avalon Way, in the Luna Park mini-business district just south of the West Seattle Bridge.

Just in from the White Center Food Bank:

Do you have time next week to pass out food to clients at the White Center Food Bank at 10829 8th Ave SW? We need volunteers on the following shifts:

Monday, November 19 (9:30 to 12:30)
Tuesday, November 20 (9:30-12:30, 12:30-3:30 & 3:30-6:30)
Wednesday, November 21 (12:30-3:30 & 4:00 to 8:00)
If you can help, contact Audrey Zemke at audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org or 762-2848. Families and kids welcome.

The Food Bank also needs donations of the following foods or money to buy them:

Turkeys
Canned Pumpkin
Canned Sweet Potatoes or Yams
Pickles
Cake Mixes
Crackers

Donations are accepted Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 to 5:00 at 10829 8th Ave SW.

If you are in West Seattle: Turkeys can be dropped off on Sunday, November 18 at Fauntleroy UCC [9140 California SW] starting at 11 am. We will be onsite with our refrigerated van to accept donations.

Two event reminders:

DAY OF CARING FOOD DRIVE: As part of the United Way of King County Day of Caring, there’s a food drive for the White Center Food Bank today, 10 am-1 pm, at Westwood Village QFC in West Seattle (26th and Barton). You can contribute food or money!

WCCDA DINNER: As previewed here last week, trailblazing King County Councilmember Larry Gossett is the featured speaker at tonight’s White Center Community Development Association‘s 10th annual dinner/auction, 6-9 pm at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center (south end of the campus at 6000 16th SW in West Seattle). Ticket info here.

One more big event Tuesday night besides Night Out – thousands of people invited to the annual hunger-fighting summertime mega-barbecue at Greenbridge Plaza, with partners including the White Center Food Bank and the Vertically Integrated Partnership to End Hunger.

The menu included summer-barbecue favorites, even corn on the cob:

The partnership includes food-service companies, distributors, farmers, processors, and others collaborating to fight hunger in ways big and small – and as with the previous two years, this was definitely big, with fun as well as food:

This gets bigger every year; here’s our coverage of the first one back in July 2010.

It’s so big now, KING 5 even sent a crew Tuesday night! Here’s photojournalist Lorenzo at work:

(Here’s the online version of their story.)

(Also posted to partner site West Seattle Blog)

ou too can make friends with the fabulous fowls of the White Center Food Bank. Both named Henrietta. That’s Linda, in our photo, with one of the Henriettas. They’re both meeting visitors right now during the WC Food Bank’s summer open house – and they’re the inspiration for a program that you can be part of, to provide fresh eggs to more of WCFB’s clients. Till 2 pm, you can meet the H’s, tour the demonstration gardens, and get to know some cool people, at 10829 8th SW.

We’re now less than a week away from the White Center Food Bank‘s next open house – which, WCFB notes, will star its chickens The Henriettas:

White Center Food Bank would like to invite everyone in our community to Meet the Henriettas, our food bank chickens. at our Summer Open House on August 4, 2012 from 11 am until 2 pm. It will be an opportunity to learn about volunteering, tour our facilities and demonstration gardens, which should be in full growing glory.

We love our Henriettas even though they only lay one egg a day per girl – we enjoy the delight on children’s faces when they see where eggs really come from. We will also be launching Team Henrietta – a new giving program to assist us in providing eggs to all our clients. Open to all, no RSVP required. For more information, contact Ann Kendall at ann@whitecenterfoodbank.org.

The food bank is at 8th and 108th in White Center.

Volunteers and staff are always busy at the White Center Food Bank, but Tuesday brought something extra to keep them hopping – a big delivery from the national nonprofit Feed the Children. Boxes with food and personal-care products, destined for 400 families, arrived via FTC’s “Americans Feeding Americans Caravan”:

Along for the occasion was Feed The Children media liaison Mark Opgrande:

White Center is one of three stops FTC is making this week – tomorrow they’re in Bremerton and on Thursday, in Des Moines.

From Audrey at White Center Food Bank:

White Center Food Bank has the following opportunities for volunteers this summer. Come help provide food to hungry families:

Tuesday, July 24 (9:00 am to 2:00 pm) Distribute food to hungry families. 15-20 volunteers needed to unload trucks, hand out food and clean up.

Saturday, July 21 (10:00 am to 1:15 pm) Distribute food to hungry families 5-10 volunteers needed to set up, hand out food and clean up.

Saturday, August 18 (10:00 am to 1:15 pm) Distribute food to hungry families. 10 – 15 volunteers needed to set up, hand out food and clean up.

Whether you have a group or are an individual, contact Audrey Zemke at (206) 762-2848 or audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org. Other projects available.

This afternoon, we found Mike on duty behind the counter at Full Tilt Ice Cream in White Center – on the fourth anniversary of the shop’s grand opening. And once again on this birthday, Full Tilt is giving the gifts rather than receiving – making donations to White Center Food Bank based on your purchase/s. (For a trip into the past, here’s our June 2008 story from grand-opening day – White Center Now was launched shortly afterward, but wasn’t even in soft-launch yet, so the story was on our partner site West Seattle Blog.)

From the White Center Food Bank:

If you’ve been waiting to do a food drive for the White Center Food Bank until you heard we really needed help, now is the time. Food donations are down 100,000 pounds in the first 5 months of this year. We are continuing to see record numbers of families. Won’t you help? Contact Audrey Zemke at audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org or Rick Jump at rick@whitecenterfoodbank.org or 762-2848 to help. Most needed foods are canned meat, canned fruit, cereal, peanut butter and pinto beans. We can give you a complete list of suggested items.