Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Admiral neighbors met on Tuesday night for a general gathering of the Admiral Neighborhood Association to hear from special guests, discuss community issues and get a preview of events for 2025. The meeting was facilitated by president Joanie Jacobs, at Admiral Church. 

After approval of meeting minutes and opening business, the agenda kicked off with an update from SPD Officer German Barreto, representing the Southwest Precinct: 

Barreto shared some crime trends for Admiral, for the prior calendar year: Decreases in motor vehicle theft, sexual crime offenses, and robberies, and increases in aggravated assaults, burglaries and theft. Barreto said that he didn’t have isolated data available for just the past month (which he often does have), but that SW Precinct staff are working hard on the key areas of concern. He then took questions from attendees:

•  Q: What about the issue of copper wire theft? While doing neighborhood cleanups under the West Seattle Bridge, it’s clear that thieves are doing wire-stripping in that area to prepare the wire for sale, and it’s frustrating because they wouldn’t bother doing this if there wasn’t financial incentive (namely, being able to take it to West Seattle Recycling).  A, from Barreto: Others have also mentioned that, including neighbors from Pigeon Point. But the reality is that for us to be able to do anything about it, we have to catch them in the act. We are short-staffed, and usually by the time we’re able to respond, the thief is gone. Follow-up Q: Isn’t there more that can be done when the theft causes local utilities (such as internet service) to go down? A: It would be up to the company (such as Comcast, or other provider) to call it in as a 911 theft call, but yes, that would potentially be a way to handle it. 
• Q: For unhoused people living outside – what can we do? If people are somewhere they aren’t supposed to be, sometimes they will move if asked, but is it appropriate for that to be a 911 call? A from Barreto: Yes, if there is a crime occurring such as open drug use.  If you feel like you’re not getting the response that you want when you use 911 services, ask to speak to a supervisor, and (Barreto put major emphasis on this) be sure to make note of the case number (aka event number) that you’re given during the call. You can also follow up afterward via e-mail to care_info@seattle.gov or directly to him at german.barreto@seattle.gov, and provide the case number, and they’ll try to look more deeply into the issue.  Barreto added that when you call 911, you also have the option of having an officer call you back.

Next on the agenda was Joe Everett, board president of West Seattle Food Bank, which was also accepting donations onsite on the night of the meeting: 

Everett is a native of the Pacific Northwest and has lived in West Seattle with his family since 2013, and had been vice president of the board for West Seattle Helpline when it merged with the Food Bank in 2020.  

He said that the food bank’s goal is to “meet people where they’re at” and to be a positive force for neighbors helping each other. “We run off of community support,” he said, with a holistic approach that involves food, clothing and financial assistance. 

Everett provided some statistics, but emphasized that “behind all of these numbers are real people that we’re helping:”

• Food: Last year the food bank provided more than 2 million pounds of food to 25,000 individuals, and was able to help target issues with “food deserts” in areas like High Point and Delridge.  Everett said they try to innovate and provide access to everyone, with 8 mobile-food-bank sites, 400 households that receive home delivery, and assistance for the homeless and disabled.  The group also partnered with 13 schools to provide 9,000 “weekend packs” of food for families who need extra support when school isn’t in session. He said the group takes donations at their main site at 3419 SW Morgan St. on Monday-Friday from 9 am-3 pm (until 7 pm on Wednesdays) or by appointment, and donors can also find a list of non-perishable donation sites (such as grocery stores) on the food bank’s website. 
• Clothing: The group distributed 84,000 clothing items last year, including about 500 items per day when the Clothesline facility is open. The goal is to not only provide clothes to help people stay dry and warm, but also to provide quality clothes to support things like job interviews.  The Clothesline is located at 4425 41^st Ave SW and is open Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am-1 pm, or people can drop items off at the main food bank location. Everett said that during winter, unsurprisingly, gathering warm coats is a big priority. 
• Rent and utility assistance: This is part of the WS Helpline effort, providing $1 million annually to help provide help and stability for families in the form of rent, utilities and preventing eviciions. Everett said that statistics show that preventing homelessness is much more efficient than trying to help people reverse course after they’re already homeless.

Everett said the group is seeing an increase in need, in recent years, such as a 65% increase in demand for food, and that state statistics show that 1 in 4 households rely on food assistance.  How can the community help, and do the most good? Everett said that in the new year, their primary goal is to get financial donations (typically via their website or via mail), but that of course they’ll accept physical food donations as well. 

The group’s annual gala and primary fundraiser (called “Nourish and Flourish,” formerly “Instruments of Change”) will be May 3rd, and Everett said they need sponsors and auction donations. He encouraged ANA and other neighborhood groups to consider sponsoring tables and challenging each other to make donations. 

Everett then took questions from attendees:

• Q: Do you take donations of household goods?  A from Everett: We mostly take food, clothing and financial donations. We do have a pet corner, for pet food and supplies. If you have items that you think families may really need, you can bring them in to see if we can take them, or give us a call.  Follow-up question: What about children’s books?  A: Generally speaking, items for kids and pets could be of interest, particularly at the Clothesline facility.
• Q: Do you get assistance from grocery stores? A: Absolutely, we have great relationships with the grocery stores in West Seattle, and with community partners like Nucor. We are so lucky to live in such a generous community. Even during the pandemic, we were pleased and astonished which how much donations increased. 
• Q: Is it true that giving you money is most helpful because you can purchase in bulk and get discounts? A: Yes, definitely, this has been carried over from our longtime executive director Fran Yeatts, who did strategic food pricing and helped stretch every dollar.  We still welcome physical donations, of course. For finanical gifts, there are ways to sign up for recurring donations to us, and we really like those because it helps us with planning.
• Q: What can a small business do to support the food bank? I don’t have space for a big food bin, at my business, but a small container for cash and sign on my counter could help. Everett said that business can feel free to collect donations however they’d like, but encouraged them to reach out to development director Robbin Peterson, who helps lots of businesses with doing that.

Next on the agenda was ANA business such as the treasurer’s report, followed by introductions of the group’s leaders for 2025:

• President: Joanie Jacobs
• Vice President: Cheryl Lea
• Secretary: Meagan Loftin
• Treasurer: Bridgett Markille
• At Large: Phil Frick
• ​Communications: Dan Jacobs
• Placemaking: Ryan Crompton
• Fundraising and Programming: Mike Adams

Jacobs offered special thanks to the community for its support during the year. This was followed by an overview of ANA’s 2025 calendar of events (and brief remarks about each event), which includes:

• Saturday, May 17th: Adopt-A-Street Cleanup, same day as One Seattle Day of Service cleanup.  
• Friday, July 4th Kids Parade in North Admiral. The group is still looking for a volunteer coordinator for this popular annual event. Please reach out to ANA if you’re interested!
• AMP concert series. These will be held on three consecutive Thursday evenings in July. They were a big hit last year, and although the format of “rotating locations” as opposed to having all of the concerts at Hiawatha was initially a concern, the group said it turned out to be “a blessing in disguise” because it helped raise visibility for area park like Belvedere and California Place that many neighbors weren’t familiar with.  
  • July 17th: Belvedere Park
  • July 24th: California Place Park
  • July 31st: Hamilton Viewpoint Park 
• Saturday, August 23rd: Admiral Block Party.  Was bigger last year than the year before, and keeps growing.
• Friday, October 24th: Admiral Business Trick or Treating.  The addition of having crossing guards was very popular last year.
• Saturday, December 13th: Winter Wonderland  Very successful last year, with plans to keep growing.

Dan Jacobs then discussed ANA’s efforts to increase membership, which are described on their Become a Member web page. There are various tiers of membership for households and for businesses, and Jacobs encouraged attendees to promote the benefits of membership to neighbors they meet.  Because all ANA leaders are volunteers, every dollar of membership fees goes toward funding ANA’s activities. 

Joanie Jacobs then reminded attendees that ANA will bestow a 2025 neighborhood service award in honor of WSB co-founder Patrick Sand. She said that the criteria for choosing the winner is still being finalized, and that the group is looking for help with identifying great candidates: If you’d like to help, please contact info@connecttoadmiral.org.  Jacobs said that the winner will likely be announced and presented at one of the AMP concerts or at the Admiral Block Party. 

Then, attendee Cindi Barker, known for her work with West Seattle’s emergency communication hubs, gave a plug for that organization’s work in helping neighbors prepare for a natural disaster response in the region. She volunteered to speak with the ANA group at a future meeting regarding how Admiral neighbors can get involved.  

The group closed the meeting with a raffle, and thanked attendees for coming. 

The next general gathering of the Admiral Neighborhood Association will be held Tuesday, February March 11, at 7 pm at Admiral Church. The group can be contacted at connecttoadmiral.org.