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!)

Delila Leber, a teacher at White Center’s Mt. View Elementary School, sends us this notice about their Jan. 21st informational meeting on their dual language program.

Here are the details:

Local families are invited to attend Mt. View Elementary School’s informational meeting about the new dual language program we will be starting next year in Kindergarten.

If your children speak Spanish or English and you are interested in a program where they would become bilingual, please arrive by 6:00 p.m. on January 21 for more information.

Snacks and childcare will be provided.

Mt. View Elementary School is located at 10811 12th Ave SW (see map below).

Please call (206) 631-4500 with any questions.

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[From our sister site The B-Town Blog comes this story about how and where you can help needy neighbors in the White Center/Burien area this holiday season:]

Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department’s Lt. Inspector John Zilke is at it again!

As in years past, John is coordinating the very large and important Christmas Outreach Program in the Burien and White Center areas. Our very own Burien Fire Department (King County Fire District 2, Burien & Normandy Park) has been helping needy families during the holidays for over 20 years.

This translates to thousands of families enjoying a happy holiday because of Burien’s generosity.

This year, with the help of the White Center DSHS, 73 local needy families have been identified to be recipients of Burien’s largess. Thirteen local businesses have volunteered to be drop-off locations and are accepting NEW toys, canned food, gift cards and cash. Thanks to both our local Fred Meyer and your cash donations, each family will also receive a turkey dinner.

All donations must be made by the morning of December 22. Upon final collection, John and our firefighters match the gifts with the families’ needs at Sunnydale School, where they will be loaded up and delivered by Santa Claus and others on December 23.

To help out our fire department, eleven departments within Highline Medical Center have each adopted one family. Sylvester Middle School students and teachers will be conducting in-school food drives as part of this community effort.

John knows that this is a particularly tough year to ask for donations, but adds. “Your donations bring light to the holidays for a needy family.”

Following are the local businesses where you can donate to the Christmas Outreach Program:

• Albertson’s—15340 1st Ave S. & 12725 1st Ave S.
• Boulevard Park Place Seniors Community—2805 S. 125th
• Burien Fire Department—15100 8th Ave. SW & 135 S. Normandy Rd.
• Burien Chevrolet—1440 1st Ave S.
• Burien Toyota—15025 1st Ave S. & 139 SW 150th St.
• Collins Chiropractic—619 SW 152nd
• Curves—17824 1st Ave S.
• Dooley’s General Store—625 SW 152nd
• Frenzi—218 SW 153rd
• North Highline Fire Department—1243 SW 112th & 1606 S. 128th
• Highline Medical Center—16252 Sylvester Rd SW
• Highline Medical Center—Riverton Campus 12844 Military Rd. S, & 23030 Military Rd
• North Highline Fire Department—1243 SW 112th & 1606 S. 128th
• Red Apple Market—96th & Des Moines Memorial Dr.
• YB Tubless/Economy Wiring—633 SW 148th

Our “Turkeys N’Diapers” Fundraiser Saturday (Nov. 22nd) was a resounding success, with an impressive final tally of $1,170 in cash and food/baby item donations raised for the White Center Food Bank and WestSide Baby.

All of us here at the White Center Blog and B-Town Blogs send a huge THANKS to everyone who helped out!

Some details:

• Cash & checks donated: $201.00
• Food donations: huge rush at the end, with folks bringing shopping carts full of food; total # of food items donated approx. 606lbs (between 400-500 cans/packages) from Thanksgiving food items to soup to sugar to marshmallows and more – equal to $969 worth of food!
• $1,170 total donations for the day!

If you’d like to donate to the White Center Food Bank, you can do so directly online here anytime.

To donate to WestSide Baby, please click here.

We know that many hungry and needy families in the White Center/Burien areas will most certainly be thankful, and this couldn’t have been done without our loyal and generous Readers!

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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When Shorewood Foursquare Church learned about the food shortage at the White Center Food Bank, they decided to take action and offer a Food Drive.

Sue Cross, Administrator for Shorewood Foursquare Church, explains:

“When we became aware of this food shortage crisis, we just had to get involved. We want to help get the word out to everyone in the community, to build awareness, and are asking everyone to bring food donations.”

According to the White Center Food Bank, they are in a time of extreme need – client numbers are increasing dramatically; they served 1,690 families last month, which is a 66% increase over last year at this time; that includes over 6,000 people fed.

Obviously, the White Center Food Bank needs help.

The Food Drive begins Thursday Nov. 13th, and continues through Dec. 21st. It will be located at Shorewood Foursquare Church & Christian School, which is located at 10300 28th Av SW, Seattle, WA 98146.

There will be a food bin available 24/7 located just outside the entrance to the building for the public to leave their food donations. Shorewood Foursquare Church will also accept monetary donations made out to “White Center Food Bank” in their office.

White Center Food Bank is asking for donations of holiday foods for the food drive, including:

• 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 gift certificates to QFC, Albertsons or Safeway

For further information you can contact Shorewood Foursquare Church & Christian School at 206-932-0186.

In these tough and uncertain economic times, our friends at the White Center Food Bank would like to remind everyone of their upcoming Fourth Annual Harvest Dinner and Auction.

It’ll be Saturday, Oct. 18 at South Seattle Community College’s Brockey Center (map below).

“This Harvest Dinner and Auction is more important than ever for us,” said Rick Jump, Executive Director of the White Center Food Bank. “The economy is impacting many of our donors as well as our clients.

“We have had a fifty-percent increase in the number of clients in need as compared to this time last year.”

To reserve a ticket or table, contact Rick or his volunteer staff at the Food Bank at 206-762-2848

Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be Enrique Cerna of local public television station KCTS.

Rachel Glass will lead the live auction.

“I saw Rachel at a another event recently,” Rick said. “And she is a darn good auctioneer.”

Who does the White Center Food Bank help, exactly? They help Human Beings: infants and girls and boys. Grandparents and moms and dads, neighbors just down the street.

Details:

• Doors open at 5:30pm, when the first of two silent auctions begin
• There will be a Dessert Dash, and dinner (choice of sirloin steak, northwest salmon or cheese ravioli, or marinara/vegetable medley) will be served at 7:30pm
• There will be great local entertainment as well: “Dances of the World” with international dancers from Mexico, Vietnam & Cambodia
• Call the Food Bank right away, please, to reserve your seat or table: 206-762-2848
• Seats are $60 each and can be held with a Visa, Mastercard or Discover card

If you can’t make it to the auction, you can also easily donate directly online here.

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


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Here’s an interesting video from Seattle Pacific University that focuses on White Center’s Neighborhood House and how it helps children and families in need:

More info on Neighborhood House:

Since 1906, Neighborhood House has helped immigrants, refugees and low-income people overcome economic, educational and employment challenges. They learn to rely on themselves and each other to fulfill their dreams and to become active members of a free and democratic society. From the moment of their birth to the twilight of their years, people depend upon Neighborhood House for hope and opportunity.

Neighborhood House was founded by the National Council of Jewish Women, Seattle Chapter in 1906 as a settlement house that provided services to Jewish immigrants from Turkey, Greece and other European countries. Not long after, Seattle and King County began developing low-income housing, and Neighborhood House began providing a range of services to families moving into public housing.

Today, our programs are located in public housing communities in Seattle and King County, WorkSource centers and public schools. Our services are based on extensive experience and deep understanding of the role language and culture play reaching out to multilingual communities. We provide first language services in Vietnamese, Cambodian, Oromo, Tigrinya, Amharic, Somali, Spanish, Russian and several other languages.

Each person who comes to Neighborhood House has unique service needs, and many receive a combination of intensive services. Any number of events in a person’s life can merit a new strategy for self-sufficiency. A pregnancy can delay job training, family arrangements for childcare can fall through, an immigrant’s sponsor may ask them to leave the house. For most people we serve, needs are not easily addressed separately, but rather require a “wrap around” approach that considers the individual, the family and the community. Our main program areas each represent a fundamental piece of our mission and complement our goal of promoting self-sufficiency, financial independence and community building.