West Seattle help for Haiti – and closer to home: New food drive

| High Point | How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from December 2009 by Christopher Boffoli)
Every Sunday, Restoration Worship Center meets at High Point Community Center. The photo above shows its leader, Bishop Deborah Dinkins, from the day we met her during a pre-Christmas toy drive which almost didn’t happen – till many bighearted people reached out (here’s our story). Starting today, Bishop Dinkins has a new effort, and hopes you will help:

I have this heartfelt mission to do a canned/ non perishable food drive event to help Haiti and our local community in need. The Launch date for this event is starting Sunday February 7, 2010 until we reach our goal of 17,000 canned goods and 17,000 dry goods/nonperishable food items.

We need monetary donations to cover the cost of storage containers and transportation cost of shipping to those less fortunate as a result of this catastrophe. The local community will also be helped because we need to support our neighbors as well for food help or essential needs based on what we receive.

The location to drop off the food and monetary donations will be High Point Community Center
between 11:30 am and 3:00 PM on Sundays. The address location is 6920 34th Avenue SW [map].

The Church is nonprofit 501c3; any donations are tax deductible. Any questions and information, contact Bishop Deborah Dinkins for more information at 360-440-4428. or Susan McKinney at 206-618-3657.

cjboffoli February 7, 2010 (10:48 am)

With all due respect to Bishop Dinkins, they do not need canned goods in Haiti. In fact, most of the NGO’s are telling people NOT to send them as they do not have the means of receiving and distributing them. What the aid organizations on the ground need most is money. Alternately some have been asking for rice, dried beans, powdered milk and vitamins.

Yep February 7, 2010 (4:28 pm)

This is true. The flood of things sent to Aceh province after the tsunami was known there as the second tsunami.

If you must send it, it needs to be palatalized, and Oxfam or the Red Cross should be contacted. If they require it they will handle the logistics of getting it there.

It would be much better to donate this to local food banks, as they can use these provisions immediately and to their greatest effect.

MargL February 7, 2010 (6:00 pm)

It’s a wonderful idea to help the folks in Haiti! However, I have to second (third?) what cjboffoli and Yep said. If you’re collecting canned goods they’d be best used here in the local community at the food banks and the money you would spend on -storing- and -shipping- food should instead be sent directly to agencies that already have the logistics and means figured out to purchase and distribute food to the folks in Haiti.