West Seattle Blog...

WSB Forum » Open Discussion

(24 posts)

Nicklesville items

Started 3 months ago by SKB
Latest reply from miws

SKB
Member Profile

The Rocksport has a bag of jackets that have been in lost and found for an extended period of time. If someone is heading to NV & would like to pick it up for them, we'll hold it for you!

Posted 3 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

Can the Rocksport hold on to them for a few more days?

We should be able to find, among the Nickelsville Volunteers, someone that could pick them up by the end of Sunday.

Thanks for thinking of Nickelsville!

Mike

Posted 3 months ago #
gregor131
Member Profile

F.Y.I. I,m a w.sea carpenter. My wife put together a donation (blankets,sweaters,new jockeys,winter coats.etc.. & food. She had me deliver to N-ville after reading a request in this forum. since I have access to LOTS of left over wood scraps & wood debris. I added a truck load & delivered it all tonight. (my 1st time to visit but not are last) I will be making bi-weekly visits to drop off at least wood.(It was very well recieved) If junction area readers would like me to p/u donations or wood please send me a note to Gregor131@comcast.net I will gladly help.I would like to thank whom ever the sweet w-sea person is who requested donations for nv.. seeing the way the folks are getting along in the COLD. breaks my heart & makes me thankful for the little I have. perspective matters.

Posted 3 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

Thanks, Gregor!

All of the items you donated are important, and very much needed down at Camp! I'm especially glad to hear that you'll be able to provide ongoing wood donations.

Next to water, that's probably the most important need at NV, especially this time of year.

Mike

Posted 3 months ago #
Betty T
Member Profile

gregor131

Yeah! Bet they all love you for your help. Everything you mentioned is needed by them. It's good for a person who donates at Nickelsville to go there and see for themselves. Its good to even chat with a few if you can hang out a bit. They work very hard to make the best of their circumstances. There are some very diligant donors who do whatever they are able to do. I'm sure that in time if you continue, you'll eventually meet some of the busy people. Maybe I'll see you some Saturday, my day to take lunch. They'll give you a tour if you'd like.

A "Needs" list should be posted here soon by another of us donors.

Posted 3 months ago #
celeste17
Member Profile

I can stop by tomorrow afternoon around 4pm and pick them up. I have to go downtown to my volunteer job about 11 and usually am back in WS about 4.

Posted 3 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

Yay Celeste!

Mike

Posted 3 months ago #
SKB
Member Profile

We will have it here, come by any time!

Posted 3 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

Yay SKB!

Mike

Posted 3 months ago #
JoB
Member Profile

The "official" Wish List 2/15/2012

Money to pay fundamentals: Honey Bucket, trash/recycling, camp phone, gas for generators

Wood: firewood (no green wood or treated wood), pallets, plywood, framing lumber

Water

Tents and Tarps (all sizes)

Tools and Supplies: nails (16d, 8d, tack nails), duct tape, rope/twine/nylon, hammers, hand saws, axes, framing squares, propane, super glue,hatchets

Food: canned goods, meat, canned meats, soups, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, etc...

Clothing: sleeping bags, blankets, coats (esp L to 4XL), socks, hats, gloves, shoes (esp rubber boots), underwear, clothes ranging in sizes XXL-4XL (plus sizes)

Medicine: cold medicine, hand sanitizer, peroxide, neosporine, tums, band-aids, hygiene products

General Needs: Batteries (AA, AAA, D) flashlights, trash bags (30+ gallons), can opener, toilet paper, paper towel, rubber/latex gloves, pens, permanent markers, dry erase markers, highlighters, paper for printer, notebooks.

Posted 3 months ago #
JoB
Member Profile

ok.. that was the official list

as a regular volunteer i would like to add my own comments...

the smallest things make a huge difference at Nickelsville... warm, dry clothing, blankets, tarps, dry boots, hats, gloves, antiseptics, antifungals, bandaids, cold and flu medications and batteries... lots of batteries.

without batteries, life ends at dark.. which is around 5 or 6 these days.. and stays silent.

without warm dry socks, foot fungus and frostbite become hazards, especially in the winter...

without adequate clothing, layering to stay dry and keep warm isn't possible...

when you walk into camp and see the donations tent, it seems that there is plenty of clothing donated to Nickelsville...

and that might be true if you don't happen to be a plus size.. plus size everything is desperately needed at Nickelsville

Your donor's group has started a new program to help extend sock life at Nickelsville. when it is wet, it isn't uncommon for residents to change socks 4 or 5 times a day and that adds up to a lot of wet socks. We have placed a red sock recycling can at the front of the donations tent where residents can deposit wet socks which are then laundered and returned to the donation tent.

but they still need more socks of every size and description... preferably not wool since they tend to become smaller and smaller with each washing... and sock washing is all hot water wash.

they would prefer that you not bring them green wood.. but the green wood from older downed trees during the latest windstorms has been a lifesaver for Nickelsville... it can be mixed with seasoned wood.

please make an attempt to deliver all downed wood in 18" chunks. The wonderful owners of Burien Bark delivered a wood cradle (i know it has a name) and a saw that makes cutting wood down to usable chunks easier.. but cutting anything by hand is time consuming and all that wood still has to be split and stacked before ends up in fires.

during the last storms, your donor's group posted a plea for downed wood, offering to come cut it and pick it up if necessary. One man and his wife have done the majority of that work for months now and we are looking for more volunteers with trucks and chainsaws and time they are willing to donate... you don't have to provide all three to be helpful...

an couple of anonymous donors provided new propane stoves for Nickelsville and they are once again cooking with propane... but the generous propane donation one of the forum participants gave to the donor's group is nearly gone.

You can provide filled propane tanks directly to Nickelsville...
you can pick up an empty tank and use the propane exchange program to donate a full tank for $15-20 at local groceries and drug stores
you can pick up an empty tank and take it to be filled for $12-16
or you can contact me to add a contribution to the propane fund and a volunteer will pick up tanks and get them filled for you..

Your donor's group is in the process of filing as a registered charity in Washington and are currently operating as a legal charitable organization but does not have and does not expect to have in the near future a 501c3 designation.

However, you can still contribute towards propane, gas for generators or other essential services through us and get a receipt for a charitable contribution through the Nickelsville project by Jam for Justice, a registered 501c3..

we will be glad to provide you with the documentation to send to them to get a verification receipt as part of our transparency agreement with Nickelsville.

if you would like to provide money directly to Nickelsville for essentials, porta-potties, sanitation station, garbage, recycling, camp phone or gas for the generators and want to be sure your money is used for those purposes, i suggest putting a notation on the tag line on your check that this is for the essential service you wish to support.. or simply for essential services.

You can send the check to Nickelsville's post office box PO Box 2548, Seattle, Wa 98111 along with a request for a 501c3 donation verification.

There are also a few fundraisers coming up for those who prefer more informal donations...

The next is a pancake breakfast in West Seattle.

It will be held at The West Seattle Church of the Nazarene at 42nd and Juneau on from 8AM till 11AM Saturday February 25.

The West Seattle Church of the Nazarene has been generous to Nickelsville, providing a large percentage of their water for the past few months and now the first West Seattle Pancake Breakfast fundraiser.

your donor's group will be placing change jars for essential services at Nickeslville around town.

I will let you know where they are as soon as we are able to place them. I am hoping to place the first one at Nickelsville this weekend.

the donor's group has also taken on meal coordination at Nickelsville.

We are currently looking for individuals who would be willing to cook if the burden of the cost was taken by donations
and for organizations who want to deliver a hot meal to Nickelsville's residents.

they currently receive a hot meal at lunchtime monday through friday at around 1 PM from Operation Sack lunch
BettyT cooks for them on Saturday afternoons
and her daughter cooks for them most Sunday afternoons
camp cooks are currently cooking friday night dinner based on donations from St Vincent De Paul's food bank and local donations
local churches and individuals deliver meals on an occasional basis.. sometimes without prior notice.

we are hoping to set up a more regular meal schedule and post links to an online calendar where individuals can check to see when a spontaneous meal donation would be particularly appreciated.

we will be setting up an email for the donor's group and a phone number in the next week ..
with a web page and a link to the meal calendar to soon follow.

in the meantime, if you want to donate to your donor's group's propane fund or gas for generators fund or essential services fund .. which are up and running.. or want to ask questions.. or want to learn more about your donor's group...you can contact me at joanne@brayden.org

i will do my best to answer your emails promptly

as individual donors, we have managed to create miracles at Nickelsville.
Working together we can focus more on individual projects that improve living conditions and helping individuals make the transition from homelessness to productive citizens.

Posted 3 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

Yay JoB!

(You hottie, you! ;-))

Mike

Posted 3 months ago #
Jrichtback
Member Profile

Ok can someone tell me how to get to NV? I have a box of food and I want to bring them down but not sure how to get there.

Posted 3 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

Hi Jrichtback.

Nickelsville is at 7116 W Marginal Way SW, at W Marginal and Highland Park Way SW.

The parking lot is at the southeast corner. There is a gate there, and usually someone on Security Duty at that gate. If you get there, and the gate is not open, and you have a cell, you can call the main Security Desk at 206-450-5268.

Thanks for thinking of my friends at Nickelsville!

Mike

Posted 3 months ago #
JoB
Member Profile

The sock recycling program at Nickeslville is working.

I walked into camp yesterday with a bag of clean dry sorted socks and was an immediate sensation.

Still.. they could use more socks... new socks, used socks without holes even mismatched socks...
every sock finds a home at nickelsville..

when you are wearing two pairs of socks to insulate your feet you care a little less whether the under pair exactly matches... the same size and basic style works just fine.

there is one exception as of last night. The good news is that there are currently no small children needing socks at Nickelsville.

that will change as families fight to find a safe place to stay with their children ..

but for one night at least, i believe that every small child who once lived at Nickelsville was sleeping under a roof last night:)

A big thanks to all of the people who worked to make that happen.

Posted 3 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

Thanks for the update, JoB!

Mike

Posted 3 months ago #
jissy
Member Profile

I noticed gloves at Target yesterday, a two-pack of knit gloves for $0.60/each pack on Clearance ... grabbed as many as I could. They also had the travel size, Colgate toothpastes on clearance for $0.48/each. I was thinking since the gloves are knit, one-size-fits-all, that they might be able to go in with the sock recycling program. There were LOTS left on the racks if any one is heading over there.

Posted 3 months ago #
Jrichtback
Member Profile

I was able to finally get that box dropped off with sone tp and water. Seeing the faces of everyone made me feel so much joy that I know that all of the items will be used for everyone. I did not get a chance ti let anyone know that refried beans ( that are in the brown bags) are vegitarian or at least one or two are.

When we left this afternoon my daughter aaked me if she could make so.e cookies for everyone as well. So we will be dropping off cookies if anyone can let me know if they will take them :)

Posted 3 months ago #
JanS
Member Profile

I'm pretty sure they love cookies :)

Posted 3 months ago #
westcoastdeb
Member Profile

This is just the inspiration I need to FINALLY clean out my sock drawer.

Posted 3 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

I can speak from experience, that Jan is quite correct! ;-)

Thanks, Jrichtback, jissy, and everyone!

Mike

Posted 3 months ago #
Jrichtback
Member Profile

Great we will be back over there next sunday with peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that are gluten free but wonderful

Posted 3 months ago #
waterworld
Member Profile

JoB or anyone with the knowledge: what is the most useful size of container for donated water? Small bottles, gallon jugs, 2-3 gallon containers with spouts, million-gallon standpipe(s)? I assume that any size or shape might be accepted, but I bet that some sizes are better than others. Any wisdom on this?

Posted 3 months ago #
miws
Member Profile

waterworld, the million gallon standpipe!

But, since we know that ain't gonna happen soon, as far as refillable jugs, the 2-3 gallon, or even up to 5 gallon, with spouts would probably be best. It all depends on what any given water donors are able to lift and maneuver when they are full, and the amount of space available in their vehicle.

The Camp was using and refilling quite a few of the one gallon milk/water jugs last Summer. The problem with them, is that Campers would occasionally drink straight from them, especially on the hotter days, and when doing physical work requiring keeping hydrated. The jugs had to be bleach water rinsed just before each refill, which was quite time consuming.

Of course water in any size container is much appreciated, and the smaller ones can be recycled by the Camp.

Mike

Posted 3 months ago #