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!)

Sustainable Burien’s Food Pod is seeking volunteers for a “Tree Gleaning” this Sunday, Oct. 12th at 2pm.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Personally, we hadn’t heard of “gleaning” relating to food before (pardon our ignorance folks but hey, at least we’re honest) so we looked it up; here’s how Wikipedia defines it:

Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. Some ancient cultures promoted gleaning as an early form of a welfare system. For example, ancient Jewish communities required that farmers not reap all the way to the edges of a field so as to leave some for the poor and for strangers.

As for this particular gleaning, it’s a large apple tree with lots of apples, and is located near SW 128th and SR-509.

According to Suzanne Greive of Sustainable Burien:

One of our goals was to identify fruit-bearing trees that could be gleaned and donated to local food banks.

I have been working with the West Seattle gleanit.org group since we don’t have an organized group for Burien yet.

We had one successful gleaning experience in Burien and gathered 232 lbs of apples from one of my neighbors.

I did start a blog just for our small food pod group and here is the link if you want to check it out: http://sustainableburienfoodpod.blogspot.com/

I also am a extreme couponer and take advantage of free or nearly free items for the food banks with the use of coupons and local sales. You can check my blog out out at http://suzdeals.blogspot.com/ In particular the post about couponing basics. It’s a rewarding hobby and contributes to our food banks and community.

I am a big fan of both the B-Town Blog and the White Center Blog (I live right between the two).

To volunteer or get more info, please email Suzanne Greive: suzgreive@yahoo.com

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.

We’re only one week away from our special Food Bank Fundraiser/Blog Party, which is scheduled for MONDAY, AUG. 25th, starting at 6pm at Elliott Bay Brewery, located at 255 SW 152nd in downtown Burien.

Aside from being a fun and festive gathering, this event will also serve as a Fundraiser for both the Highline and White Center Food Banks, and while there’s NO COVER CHARGE, we kindly ask that you bring at least two cans or boxes of food to help feed your neighbors in need.

So come on out and have some fun while helping a great cause, and mark your calendars for what’s sure to be a night full of:

• NO COVER CHARGE (suggested donation of 2 cans or boxes of food is asked)
• Fundraising for Highline and White Center Food Banks!
• Live Blogging!
• Live Comedy from local Comedian “Winlar”
  
• Live Music from area band “Lost in the Bamboo”
  
• Food courtesy Elliott Bay Brewery!
• Fun!
• Drinks!
• Humor!
  
• Much more, just show up!
  

We’ll see ya then!

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