More updates on how West Seattleites are reaching out to help their neighbors: The nearly 300 employees of Nucor have just sent two tons of food to the West Seattle Food Bank. Thanks to Tricia at Nucor for sharing the news:

Each year Nucor Steel Seattle holds a food drive to support the West Seattle Food Bank. We ask our employees to donate food or cash to help others in our community. This year we were facing a down economy and employees whose hours and pay were cut by 33% or more – but they still came through.

Donations from employees totaled $3,083 in cash plus 4,400lbs of food! Nucor matched $2 per $1 donated and $2 per pound of food donated, totaling $14,966. The total donation to the West Seattle Food Bank was $18,049 in cash plus 4,400lbs of food!

On top of the donations to the Food Bank, some staff also collected jackets, coats, and sweaters to donate to West Seattle Helpline‘s Clothesline. These coats will be given away to West Seattle residents to help keep warm over the holiday season and into 2010. We think this is a testament to everyone’s generous spirit even in a down economy.

Happy Holidays from everyone at Nucor Steel Seattle.

We have updates coming up about both Helpline and our area’s other food bank, White Center FB. P.S. WS Food Bank president Pete Spalding told WSB a little while earlier – we’re both at the Alaskan Way Viaduct South Portal Working Group meeting downtown – that the agency is SO grateful for EVERYONE who’s reached out to help.