The White Center Eagles are asking area residents to step up and “Be A Hero” by taking part in their Pint for Pint Blood Drive on Tuesday, July 13th, where blood donors will receive a coupon good for a pint of beer or a spaghetti dinner.

Here’s what they say:

“Imagine saving a life. Donate with the White Center Eagles on July 13th and you can be a hero. Donate one pint of blood and you can help 3 people. One organ and tissue donor can help over 50 people!

Registered blood donors will receive a coupon good for a pint of beer or a spaghetti dinner from the White Center Eagles*. Sign up to be an organ donor with the Living Legacy Registry, or donate a package of diapers for WestSide Baby, and get a spaghetti dinner too*.”

*Coupons for pints and spaghetti limited to one per person. Other restrictions may apply. ($5.00 per plate without donation)

For details, or to schedule a donation: 206-248-1400.

Here are the details:

WHAT: White Center Eagles “Pint for Pint” Blood Drive

WHEN: Tuesday, July 13th:

• Blood Drive: 2:00pm–7:00pm (closed 3:30pm–4:30pm)
• Spaghetti Dinner 5:00pm–7:00pm

WHERE: White Center Eagles Hall, 10452 15th Ave SW; Call 206-248-1400 to make an appointment.

INFO: Benefits Puget Sound Blood Center, Donate Life Today and WestSide Baby.

More info at www.whitecentereagles.org.

Our friends at the White Center Food Bank report on their blog that they’re working with the White Center Community Development Association, as well as with Lee’s Produce and Samway Market to create the “White Center Healthy Food Gift Certificate Program,” which will provide $5 gift certificates to food bank customers so they can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at local produce vendors.

This program will be launched May 6th at Samway Market, which is located at 9811 15th Ave SW as well as at Lee’s Produce, located at 9435 Delridge Way SW.

Here’s the full scoop:

The White Center Food Bank, in partnership with the White Center Community Development Association, along with Lee’s Produce and Samway Market, is pleased to announce implementation of the White Center Healthy Food Gift Certificate Program. This unique program will provide $5.00 gift certificates to food bank customers that will allow them to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables through local produce vendors.

“Food bank customers often lack adequate access to fresh fruits and vegetables because of their high cost. As a result, low-income people frequently have higher rates of a variety of diet-related health problems such as type 2-diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease and stroke,” said Rick Jump, Executive Director of the White Center Food Bank.

“We’re excited to work with the White Center Food Bank to also support our two goals with our Fresh Marketplace Initiative: to increase access to healthy food options locally for residents as well support the economic development of our small businesses in White Center, “said Aileen Balahadia, Executive Director of the White Center Community Development Association.

Samway Market and Lee’s Produce were selected to participate in this pilot program because they specialize in produce that suits immigrants’ desires for traditional fruits and vegetables which are not always readily available in local supermarkets. The White Center Food Bank currently provides food for approximately 1,500 families each month, many of them immigrants and refugees.

This pilot project is funded by the WCFB, and donations to sustain it would be greatly appreciated. To make a donation online or for more information about the White Center Food Bank’s many programs, visit www.whitecenterfoodbank.org or contact Rick Jump at (206) 762-2848. Donations may also be mailed to WCFB, 10829 8th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98146.

This program will be launched on May 6, 2010 at 10:00am at Samway Market located at 9811 15th Ave SW and at 10:30am at Lee’s Produce located at 9435 Delridge Way SW.

More info on the WCFB website here.

King County Councilmember Julia Patterson donated a “retired” eight-passenger van to Sea Mar Community Health Centers Wednesday (Jan. 20th), in an effort to help South King County’s growing Latino community.

There are 50 non-profit, community Sea Mar locations in King County, with two in White Center, including a medical clinic at 9650 15th Ave. SW and a dental clinic at 9650 15th Ave SW. There are also clinics in Burien, and a recover clinic in Des Moines.

Patterson was greeted by a crowd of grateful volunteers and staff who were eager to take a look inside the shiny, blue, van and welcome her to Sea Mar (see pic below).

“I am very touched by the work of Sea Mar Community Health Centers and their commitment to providing quality, comprehensive care to individuals and families across King County,” said Councilmember Patterson. “Their Des Moines location serves an incredibly diverse, low-income population, which will benefit greatly from having this new mode of transportation to and from much-needed medical and dental appointments.”

Sea Mar Community Health Centers was established in 1978 with a single medical clinic serving Seattle’s South Park neighborhood. Today, Sea Mar, a private, non-profit community health center, operates nearly 50 medical, dental and behavioral health clinics and centers in 10 western Washington counties. Sea Mar is committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive health and human services to diverse communities, including low income, underserved and uninsured populations. Sea Mar specializes in services to Latinos and is an innovative leader in the delivery of bilingual and culturally appropriate healthcare and social services. For more information, visit Sea Mar’s website here.

”We are pleased that the County has selected our inpatient, long-term treatment program as a beneficiary of its van distribution program,” said Rogelio Riojas, Sea Mar’s Chief Executive Officer. “We intend to make the van available to any resident or person who comes to the treatment center for care and services. It will be a great resource for our program.”

Since 1995, the King County Council has donated vans to nonprofit groups to help meet the transportation needs of low-income, elderly, youth, or people with disabilities in King County. The vans are part of a fleet of county vehicles that have been ‘retired’ after accruing a certain number of miles. This is the eighth year that each member of the council has been able to donate vans.

The vans were donated through an annual application process.

For more information about applying for a van, contact Councilmember Patterson’s Office at (206) 296-1005.

The White Center Blog, along with our sister site The B-Town Blog, look forward to seeing as many of our Readers and Neighbors as possible this coming Saturday, Nov. 14th, at the White Center Albertsons for a special Thanksgiving-related food drive: our 2nd Annual Turkeys N’ Diapers Fundraiser!

It’ll run from 10am to 4pm, and all donations will go to the White Center Food Bank (food) and WestSide Baby (diapers & baby stuff).

Albertsons is located at 16th Avenue SW and SW 106th Street in White Center.

We’ll be collecting turkeys and diapers (yes, that’s correct: turkeys and diapers!).

Important note about the diapers – says Nancy Woodland, Executive Director of WestSide Baby:

“We only need diapers in large sizes, Size 5 or 6 or Pull-ups in size 4T. Thanks!”

Stuffing and canned vegetables and other Thanksgiving-related food items would be greatly appreciated.

Donations in the form of cash and checks (made out to “White Center Food Bank”) will also be gratefully accepted.

The crew will be lead again this year by the blog’s own Bart Bryan, host of the recurring interview segments “Whaddaya Think?”

“We raised over $1,100 last year. Let’s double that this year!” said Bart. “Folks around here can really use the help!”

The White Center Food Bank will make available the food, as they do year-round, to nearby families in need.

The Food Bank works hand-in-hand with WestSide Baby, a nonprofit organization that collects previously-owned items for children and babies and distributes them free of charge to South King County families in need.

In 2008 WestSide Baby served more than 12,000 children.

“See you all Saturday at the White Center Albertsons!” says Bart.

Here’s year-round contact information:

White Center Food Bank
10829 8th Ave SW
Seattle WA 98146
www.whitecenterfoodbank.org
Phone: 206-762-2848

And:

WestSide Baby
10032 15th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98146
(206) 767-1662
www.westsidebaby.org

Click image (or here) to download a printable PDF poster (feel free to print & post!)

The White Center Community Development Center’s annual fundraiser dinner event is coming Saturday, Aug. 29th, from 4pm to 8pm, with a “Luau In The Park” theme at White Center Heights Park.

Here are the details:

WHAT: “Luau In The Park” fundraiser/party for White Center CDA

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 29th, from 4pm to 8pm

WHERE: White Center Heights Park, located at SW 102nd and 7th SW

TICKETS: $37 pre-pay, $45 at the door; purchase tickets online here.

INFO: From their poster:

“Join us for an evening of island style merriment with a real pig in the “imu” (pit).

There will be cultural and island entertainment, as well as island cuisine for your feasting pleasure.

Join in on the Dessert Auction and Live Auction (wanna win a trip?) where the highest bidder gets first pick! Satisfy your creativity and create your own Tahitian skirt, learn how to make an Hawaiian flower lei or just come to taste and experience the islands the “White Center Way.”

Connecting People & Place to Build Community.

So come one, come all!”

For more information, visit the White Center Community Development Association’s website here.

As homelessness grows with tough economic times, a White Center-based non-profit organization, Light Under The Bridge Homeless Ministry, is successfully affecting homelessness one person at a time.

Light Under The Bridge began last October by husband and wife founders, Kevin and Hope Kerkof.

“It began with us just making 6 sack lunches and going to Occidental Park on a Saturday morning. We just wanted to remind the homeless they are not forgotten. To look them in the eye and treat them with respect as human beings,” Kevin explained. “We had no idea what a mission this would become.”

What began as 6 lunches, has now become a team of volunteers and about 40 lunches every Saturday. “The need is overwhelming,” Hope explained, “With approximately 1,900 unsheltered people in Seattle, its easy to get discouraged and think what difference can one person make? However, our strategy is to affect the lives of the homeless by establishing relationships built on trust and respect, one person at a time. We bring them food, clothing, supplies…and as we build relationships with them, we continue to visit them when they are sick or injured in the hospital, and visit them in jail. And through our networking with other ministries, we are able to help get the homeless off the streets and the help they need when they’re ready.”

Light Under The Bridge goes where most charities will not go – under the freeways, bridges, and into the woods looking for the homeless that are not involved with the missions, shelters, and soup kitchens. These are the homeless that indeed feel forgotten, that is until they meet the volunteers from Light Under The Bridge.

Light Under The Bridge goes out every Saturday morning, on the same route-thereby visiting the same people, at the same time. The homeless look forward to their visits as one homeless man, William Johnson tells, “I’ve lived in 49 states, and in all those states, meeting Hope & Kevin is the first time I’ve ever been shown real love. Everyone out here on the streets is always asking me when the Christians are coming back out.”

As a result of Light Under The Bridge and their volunteers building relationships with the homeless, some have left the streets and are getting the help they need. Part of Light Under The Bridge’s mission has been to establish networking relationships with other faith based programs that offer rehab, housing, food, clothing, job skills, and eventually integrates them back into society. One such program that Light Under The Bridge has partnered with is The Freedom House.

The Freedom House is located in Des Moines and is a year long faith-based program that provides a discipleship program for men and women suffering from addictions. There are three phases of discipleship. During Phase I Temporary housing is provided which occurs in the first 30 days. During this time men and women are able to stay in a drug and alcohol free facility. Those that are committed to change continue into phases two and three and provided permanent housing. The program is an inclusive program, providing lodging, food, clothing, biblical teaching, life skills and an alternative life to drugs and alcohol abuse. At the end of the year, these men and women will have established a job, been taught how to budget and have savings, and will have a place to rent. Several of Light Under The Bridge’s success stories have sought treatment and are now residing at The Freedom House.

Kevin & Hope Kerkof compare Light Under The Bridge to a search and rescue team, and The Freedom House as a hospital with long term care.

“It’s a fantastic system which is affecting lives one person at a time.”

Both ministries operate from donations. 100% of all donations received by Light Under The Bridge help the homeless.

Hope adds:

“We are in great need of donations. Tangible items such as clothing or groceries can actually be left off at our church office at Shorewood Foursquare Church marked for Light Under The Bridge. We need socks, gloves, hats, and jackets are most in need, especially since the weather will begin to cool off very soon.

We get help and donations from The Freedom House in Des Moines, and Hope Fellowship Community Church in Burien which has a community outreach clothing closet every Sunday. Volunteers are always welcome. We ask them to give us a call first and to check out our website www.LightUnderTheBridge.com.”

You can also donate by sending checks to:

Light Under The Bridge
224 SW 153rd St #146
Burien, WA 98166

For further information, you can visit their website at www.LightUnderTheBridge.com.

On Saturday May 2nd, Holy Family Elementary is holding its 21st annual R.E.A.C.H. (Reinforcing Education And Catholic Heritage) Fiesta Auction and Dinner.

Here are the details:

WHAT: 21st Annual R.E.A.C.H. Fiesta Auction and Dinner for Holy Family Elementary

WHEN: Saturday, May 2nd with Silent Auction starting at 5pm and Dinner at 7:30pm and Live Auction at 7:45pm

WHERE: Holy Family Elementary School, located at 9615 20th Ave SW in Seattle (map below)

INFO: All proceeds go to the school for operational costs, deferring costs for teachers and scholarships, providing an excellent Catholic education to everyone in the community regardless of their ability to pay.

Hosting the evening will be Master of Ceremonies Joe Budde and Auctioneer Jeff Stehr. There are more than 220 items available that guests can look forward to winning.

Live auction items include:

• Donated by E.B. Foote Winery: Private 2 hour evening wine tasting which includes hors d’oeuvres & wine for winner & 40, plus a gift basket to take home that night, value $635
• Donated by Tellit Productions in Burien: The Evergreen Package which is a video interview of family member & production of a DVD with music & photographs to preserve family history, valued at $1000
• Dinner for 8 with Fr. Bloom the Pastor at Holy Family Parish at Salty’s a $500 value
• Donated by Christine Gregoire: Gift certificate for Washington Wine & hors d’oeuvres at first mansion on December 8, 2009 for a meet & greet with the governor & first gentleman value $100
• And much more

Some of the 267 silent auction items include;

• Donated by Dunville Gallery in White Center: $50 gift certificate towards custom framing of your choice
• Donated by Seattle Art Museum: SAM admission for 2 value $30
• Donated by the Garage (in Seattle): Evening at the Garage for 2 including 4 course dinner and 1.5 hrs of bowling or pool, value $85
• Donated by West Seattle Karate Academy: month of Karate lessons for one adult or child includes registration, dues, month of classes, uniform & autographed book by Sensei

Silent auction tables will be open from 5-7pm. All auction items can be purchase in cash, check or credit card.

The night of the auction, donations toward scholarships will be accepted through the Randy Terlicker Endowment Fund. Started by Colleen Terlicker, the endowment fund was started in honor of her son Randy a Holy Family Graduate & Firefighter whose life was taken in the Pang Warehouse Fire.

Dinner, donated by Las Margaritas Catering, includes tasty options of Steak A La Chicana, Pollo Con Crema Portuguesa and Seafood Enchiladas. There will also be a no-host bar. Sit down dinner starts at approximately 7:30pm, with the live auction at 7:45pm.

Individual tickets and corporate sponsorships can be purchased in advance by contacting Sandy Cavazos at 206-248-2728 or e-mailing her your name, address, phone number and dinner choice at scavazos@comcast.net.

The cost per person is $50 or $500 for a table of ten and accepted in cash or check.

Holy Family Elementary is located at 9615 20th Ave SW (map below).

For more information contact Sandy Cavazos at 206-248-2728 or download and view the auction catalogue (PDF file) at:

http://www.hfseattle.org/school/documents/auction09.pdf

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The White Center Blog’s favorite group of ass-kickin’ women is of course the one and only Rat City Rollergirls, who originated at the Dub-C’s own Southgate Skating Rink way back in the day.

Coming up Saturday, Jan. 31st is their annual “Black & Blue Tie Auction,” which should be just about as kick-ass as one of their skating competitions:

Hosted by renowned Auctioneer/Host Laura Michalek, this should be a fun night full of action, giving, and of course, bargains.

Here’s a blurb from their website:

This will be our largest and most important fundraiser of the year.

With the funds generated from this event, we can continue to send our All-Star Team to represent Seattle in Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) sanctioned competitions both regionally and nationally.

Bidding rules will be provided. The silent auction will run from 6:00 p.m. when doors open to 7:30 p.m.

The live auction will run from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. All bids are binding.

Please bring a form of payment to the event (cash, check, credit card) as all bids are to be settled that evening.

There are no refunds for this event, but tickets are transferable.

For additional questions please feel free to contact Skate Trooper at ticketing@ratcityrollergirls.com.

WHAT: Rat City Rollergirls Live and Silent Auction

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 31st from 6 to 10 p.m.

WHERE: South Lake Union Naval Reserve Building, located at 860 Terry Ave. N., Seattle (map below)

TICKETS: Brown Paper Tickets: Click Here to Order Online!

HOST: Auctioneer, Laura Michalek

Some of the auction items up for bid include products/services from:

• Alexis Hotel
• Alki Kayak Tours
• ART
• Artcore Tattoo
• Big Dipper Waxworks
• The Big Picture
• Big Wheel Bingo
• Bike Works
• Circa
• Custom Crash Cut Ducati
• EB Foote Winery
• Fado Irish Pub
• Fast Girl Skates
• Fifth Ave Theater
• Fresh NW Designs & Wine Girl Wines
• Gold Class Cinemas
• Hitchcock
• iClick
• Il Terrazzo Carmine
• Ivars
• Jones Soda
• Lightform USA
• Museum of Flight
• Old Thyme Aviation
• Personal Services
• Pole For The Soul
• Pop Cap Games
• Seattle Ski Shuttle
• Second Use
• Sin In Linen
• Sports Memorabilia
• SubPop Records
• Three Dollar Bill Cinema
• Tiger Tail
• Wahine Sport
• Wing It Productions
• Zulu Nyala

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Burien’s El Dorado West Retirement Community is playing Santa for the White Center Food Bank this month by placing a “Giving Tree” in their front lobby.

Everyone is invited to pick a card from the tree and purchase a gift or give cash donations for that person, then bring the gift back to be placed underneath it.

El Dorado is also partnering with White Center’s Evergreen High School Football Team’s “Wolverines” to be Santa’s Helpers.

The “Giving Tree” will be in the front lobby of El Dorado West through December 31st, so everyone has plenty of time to participate. You can stop by El Dorado during business hours – they’re located at 1010 SW 134th Street, at the corner of Amnbaum and SW 134th in Burien (map below).

“The Wolverines” will be delivering the gifts to the Senior Patrons of the WCFB on January 8th.

In March of ’08 the WCFB implemented a “Seniors Only Day” for those over 60. Senior clients can receive food that helps them meet their unique dietary needs and builds in special social time.

Every month residents of El Dorado West volunteer during this time by serving coffee in what they call “Seniors Helping Seniors.”

And remember, food banks are really feeling the pinch of the recession, so any donation you can make is most appreciated, especially by your hungry neighbors.

Here’s how to reach both of our local food banks:

• White Center Food Bank
  10829 8th Ave SW
  Seattle WA 98146
  (206) 762-2848
  Donate directly online here
• Highline Area Food Bank
  18300 4th Ave S
  Burien, WA 98148
  Phone: (206) 433-9900

Just a reminder to everyone that tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 22nd) is our first-ever “Turkeys N’ Diapers” holiday fundraiser for both the White Center Food Bank and WestSide Baby!

It will take place from 11am to 4pm at the White Center Albertsons, which is located at 10616 16th Avenue SW in White Center (map below).

We’ll be accepting food donations, diapers and baby items, etc. as well as cash and check donations to benefit hungry and needy White Center and Burien-area families who are served by the White Center Food Bank and WestSide Baby.

These are wonderful non-profit groups that help people, year round, who could really use a hand.

We are kindly asking for the following donations, which can be purchased at Albertsons (or elsewhere) and left with our crew outside the front door:

• Turkeys and Hams (or Tofurkey, etc.)
• Chicken or Turkey Broth
• Gravy Mixes
• Stuffing Mixes
• Fruit Cocktail
• Whole Olives
• Jello or Pudding Mixes
• Canned Pumpkin
• Canned Cranberry Sauce
• Condensed or Evaporated Milk
• Canned vegetables
• Canned yams or sweet potatoes
• $5 or $10 gift certificates to Albertsons
• …and Diapers and other baby items (formula, baby wipes, etc.), of course!

Cash and check donations are also welcome.

See you there!

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Monday night’s Blog Party 2.0 Food Bank Fundraiser was a rockin’ success, bringing in 166 distinct food items and $280 in cash/checks, split evenly between the Highline and White Center Food Banks!

Two large food barrels were filled, and all donations will go to hungry and needy neighbors in the White Center/Burien areas.

We at the White Center Blog would like to shout out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who braved the weather and showed up at Elliott Bay Brewery in Burien!

Some highlights of the evening:

• Local comic Winlar did a hilarious set of original musical comedy
• Skwish’s Luke did a rousing (yet very grungy) solo acoustic set
• Lost in the Bamboo finished the night with a killer set
• And sadly, WCB Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer was forced to sing “Folsom Prison Blues” live (and yes, there’s video of this so stand by…)

We’ll be posting more photos and exclusive videos soon, so please check back in…and again, THANKS EVERYONE for helping to feed your hungry neighbors!

This just goes to show that a neighborhood blog needn’t be just about how quickly you can post local news – it can also be about serving the community as a resource for change.

Just a gentle reminder to all WCB Readers – our Food Bank Fundraiser is this Monday night, Aug. 25th, from 6pm on, at Elliott Bay Brewery, which is located at 255 SW 152nd Street in downtown Burien (map below).

This event is co-sponsored by our sister website, The B-Town (Burien) Blog, and will serve as both a lively “Blog Party” featuring local talent (two local bands and a local comedian will be playing, starting at 8pm), as well as a fundraiser for both the White Center and Highline Food Banks.

There is NO cover charge, but a suggested donation of two cans (or boxes) of food would be appreciated (there will be at least one large barrel visible and ready for donations throughout the night).

From the White Center Food Bank website:

The White Center Food Bank serves more than 1,200 hungry families each month. In 2007, we provided enough food for more than 53,000 individuals including 21,000 children under the age of 18. We could not provide these services to the White Center community without the generosity of our donors and volunteers. However, more help is needed to meet the overwhelming demands of this community!

If you can’t make it to the party, you can donate online directly to the WCFB by clicking here.

For more insight into how the current recession is affecting food banks in the northwest, read this Seattle Times article; here’s a snippet:

As more residents struggle with the rising price of gas and food, the organizations that are their safety net are beginning to falter. Providers are running seriously over budget on fuel. Volunteer drivers are quitting. Staff members who commute are finding jobs closer to home. Demand is up as much as a third at some food banks — and donations are down that much or more.

We will be “blogging live” from the event, but hope to see (and meet) you there in person!

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