(WSB photos)

Over the past decade-plus, hundreds of residents of the Arrowhead Gardens senior-living complex in southeastern West Seattle have “warmed up a lot of feet,” as resident council president Diane Radischat describes it, donating more than 12,000 socks to people in our area. At a party tonight, they hosted this year’s recipients:

25 members of the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps came to Arrowhead Gardens to enjoy pizza, cookies, cocoa, and cider, and to choose presents for their families – not just some of those socks, but also hand-knit blankets, handmade jewelry, and other items geared for all ages so they could find something for everyone in their families.

The gift items for the youth to choose from were all donated by residents – including almost 1,000 socks – donated at a recent Christmas brunch, Radischat explained (she’s second from right below, with, from left, some of the other organizers, L-R, Joe, Diana, and Marty):

Over the years, the Arrowhead Gardens residents’ donations have gone to shelters, tiny-house villages, and the West Seattle Food Bank‘s Clothesline. This year’s recipients, the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, are deeply involved in their community too, with the program including outdoor work from tree planting to raingarden construction.