West Seattle, Washington
11 Monday
Three more school-fundraiser announcements from the WSB inbox:
ALKI ELEMENTARY PTA VALENTINE’S PACKAGES: From the Alki Elementary PTA:
Valentine’s Day Packages are now available and include Cupcake Royale cupcakes, Jones Soda Shirley Temple Kits (sponsored by Mission Cantina), Cobb’s Popcorn (Pike Place Market favorite) and games for the whole family! Add a beautiful bouquet of roses or locally designed Valentine’s Day and PNW cards from Brush & Mallet (as seen at NW Art & Frame)! Pick up available Sunday, 2/14 from 12-2 at Genesee and 54th.
Want to have a dozen roses delivered to someone special? Have an Alki volunteer cupid porch-drop a beautiful bouquet the morning of Valentine’s Day with your own personal message!
Any of the above can be ordered online, here.
LAFAYETTE ELEMENTARY PTA: They’re selling Krispy Kreme donuts through February 10th:
Buy a “Digital Dozen” for $10. Digital gift cards will be delivered via email after the fundraiser ends to be redeemed ANY time at ANY Krispy Kreme. The new contactless Digital Dozens are a fast and convenient way to put Original Glazed Doughnuts virtually in your hands. We collect donations and distribute the Digital Dozens by email, then you redeem it for an Original Glazed Dozen the next time you visit a shop or the drive-thru. Digital Dozens will be emailed to you after the fundraiser ends. We have a created a special link to share with our community who may want to support Lafayette and buy a Digital Dozen. They can use the Store Locator to find a nearby store for pickup. Thank You for supporting the students of Lafayette in this sweet way!
The one nearest West Seattle is in SODO, but the offer might be appealing if you have family/friends in other communities who are KK fans.
ALKI CO-OP PRESCHOOL @ MOD PIZZA, FEBRUARY 25: You have a few weeks to plan for this one:
Alki Co-op Preschool is hosting a Dine Out Fundraiser at MOD Pizza (Fauntleroy location only) on February 25th. Part of SSC’s West Seattle Preschool program, Alki Co-op Preschool is a non-profit preschool that enriches our community through positive discipline education. Please use our code (GR176595A) or mention Alki Co-op Preschool in store. NO THIRD PARTY OR PHONE ORDERS PLEASE!
Here’s the flyer.
Got a fundraiser the whole community can support? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Want to volunteer, outdoor and distanced? You have two chances to help with neighbor-organized cleanups in the next two weekends:
ALKI CLEANUP: Jessica continues organizing first-Saturday cleanups at the beach. Next one is 10 am-2 pm Saturday, February 6th. To RSVP or ask a question, text Jessica at 206-769-6330.
UNDER THE BRIDGE: Conrad is working – with Jessica’s help – to organize volunteers “to clean up trash under the West Seattle Bridge and ultimately along West Marginal Way.” 1-4 pm Saturday, February 13th. Sign up here.
(Photo courtesy BAKED)
Back during the holiday season, BAKED in Admiral raised money for the West Seattle Food Bank by donating part of the proceeds from what turned out to be a very popular gingerbread-house kit. Now BAKED has two Valentine’s Day offers, with 10 percent going to Mary’s Place, a nonprofit that works to get families out of homelessness (with a White Center shelter among its locations): A DIY cupcake-decorating kit, or a cupcake/cookie combo (in partnership with Jenn’s Cookie Jar). You can order now – before they sell out – and choose pickup on either February 12th or February 13th. BAKED is at 2604 California SW.
(WSB file photo)
One month ago, we reported on Grillbird Teriyaki‘s crowdfunded ‘pay it forward’ concept – customers buying gift cards that are in turn given to people in need. Now proprietor Matt Parker has a new idea, and sent us this announcement:
Our Pay It Forward program has been so successful by gifting out warm meals to those in need this Winter. Just in the last month we have already given out over $3,000 in gift cards! This gave me an idea how we can continue this generosity from our amazing customers.
COVID-19 has proven to be a disruptive force in every manner of life. We cannot overlook how this is affecting educators, the ones who are teaching our youth even in these challenging times. Teaching, a very social and interaction-based profession, has been forced into an isolating experience. Educators are working through the struggles, finding ways to adapt their virtual classrooms to fit our new reality and shifting the goal of teaching.
We want to give a meal to every teacher in West Seattle. We will be gifting out these meals to one teacher a day, but if you would like to help us out so we can reach more teachers, you can purchase a gift card in the available amounts on our online store. At checkout, provide the name and email of the teacher you would like this to go to in the NOTES section, and we will send them a e-gift card in that amount.
Alternatively you can email us the name and email of a special teacher in your life that you would like us to send a gift card to and we will add them to a list that we will send out to over time. matt@grillbird.com
If you haven’t been to Grillbird, it’s at 35th/Morgan.
If you can give – here’s a chance this Sunday (January 24th), as announced by Alki UCC:
Alki UCC Winter Food Drive and Call for Socks
Sunday, January 24, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Front courtyard/6115 SW HindsPlease bring donations of non-perishable food items and supplies including:
Canned Meat/Soup/Fruit (pop-top cans, if possible)
Rice, Noodles, Peanut Butter, Oats, etc.
Toilet Paper
Diapers/Similac Formula/Baby Wipes
Can Openers
Cleaning Supplies
Hand Sanitizer
Clearly labeled packets of pet foodThe following items are especially appreciated and rarely donated:
Boxed Milk
Tea Bags and Coffee
Sandwich Bread
Sugar & FlourDonations of Men’s Casual/Work Clothes are also being taken, as well as NEW socks — the clothing item most requested by our neighbors experiencing homelessness.
Masks required; social distancing observed.
(WSB file photo)
Here’s another tqsty way to help local students. Received from the Genesee Hill Elementary PTA:
January Dine Out for Genesee Hill – Mission Cantina
The Genesee Hill Elementary Restaurant of the Month is Mission Cantina! This is a two-day fundraising event taking place on January 24 and 25 (next Sunday and Monday)! Mission Cantina will generously donate 20% of ALL sales that the restaurant makes on those days. This includes all food, alcohol, gift cards, and Mission Cantina’s “Whole Enchilada” take-and-bake kit. To order regular menu items, please call Mission directly at 206-937-8220. The restaurant will begin to take phone orders starting at 11 am both days. Please note, we are trying to encourage families to work with the restaurant directly rather than use 3rd-party apps such as GrubHub and Ubereats to help the staff get more of the funds from tips and orders.
“The Whole Enchilada” Take-and-Bake Kit
This delicious kit gives you all of the items below for ONLY $60 plus tax (gratuity not included). We are taking orders in advance for this awesome deal until January 21. Please click on the Signup Genius so that you can reserve your dinners for pick-up on one of the two days, with payment at pickup.
· Chips and salsa
· Child-sized black bean and cheese enchiladas
· Potato, carnitas, chicken, green chili enchiladas
· Red rice and Black beans
· Cheese and three different enchilada sauces
In addition to takeout/pickup, Mission Cantina (a WSB sponsor) also has outdoor dining.
(WSB photo, December 30th)
On December 30th, we reported on that mid-afternoon crash at Fauntleroy/Oregon. SPD sent out the Traffic Control Investigation Squad to investigate, as one driver was seriously hurt and taken to the hospital. Here’s what has happened since then: The 36-year-old woman driving the white vehicle was cited for a red-light violation, and faces $190 in fines. For the driver she hit, the crash’s aftermath is far more costly. The victim’s daughter Emily, a local grocery-store worker, says that her mom is “struggling with broken ribs, a head injury, and deep bone bruising. We found out from my mom’s doc that she has a severe concussion from the accident and her cognitive thinking has been altered, affecting her energy, movements, and moods greatly. The total recovery time is about 6 to 8 months!” She started a crowdfunding account for any community members interested in helping.
We’ve already mentioned two West Seattle events of note for tomorrow’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day – here’s another, thanks to a tip from Marlo: Join other community volunteers in a cleanup at Alki Beach, starting at 10:30 am Monday. Details are here. (Anything else? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!)
Today is the 92nd anniversary of the birth of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday is the federal holiday in his honor. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here are two things you can do in West Seattle (please let us know if there are others we can add to this list):
HIGHLAND PARK: Co-sponsored by Highland Park Improvement Club and HP Action Committee:
We have some opportunities to work on demo of the HPIC ceiling, plus trash grabbers and bags for folks to do socially distanced neighborhood cleanup at large. And if you have your own tools and projects at home, join us in spirit!
Tools available at 10 am at Highland Park Improvement Club, 1116 SW Holden. Return pickup tools and collected trash by 3 pm.
Free SDOT traffic mitigation signs available day of event or email HPACtraffic@gmail.com to request alternate pickup.
‘UPROOTING RACISM’: Monday brings the first session in Admiral Church‘s two-track year-long study of “Uprooting Racism” by Paul Kivel. The first track is for “individual introspection,” with monthly meetings, while the second is for organizations, meeting every three months starting in March. For details about timing, course content, book ordering, and registration, go to admiralchurch.org/uprootingracism.
We’ll add anything more we hear about for Monday!
ORIGINAL REPORT: You can support a local school and a local business while simplifying dinner prep – all by getting in on this month’s benefit pickups at Dream Dinners-West Seattle (WSB sponsor). Until we’re further along in recovery phases, Dream Dinners is basically in “take and bake” mode – so if you sign up for one of two special meal-pickup times this week or next, you get dinner for three nights, $50 total, with $10 of that being donated to Denny International Middle School. Limited spots, and they request 36 hours’ lead time, so please order ASAP for 6:30-7:30 pm pickup this Wednesday (January 13th) – here’s the link – or by January 19th for a 6:30-7:30 pm January 21st pickup – here’s the link. Dream Dinners is at 4701 41st SW (lower east side of Jefferson Square).
ADDED TUESDAY: One more pickup time’s been added – Wednesday, January 27th, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – order via this link.
(WSB file photo)
Ever wonder how many stones cover the historic bungalow at 1123 Harbor SW? Now we know, as the first of four “Finding the Story Stones” events ends, and the others get new start dates. Here’s the announcement from Save The Stone Cottage, the volunteers working to save and relocate the little house:
Congratulations to Tanya Johnson from the Lake Stevens area, the winner of our first event ‘Count the Stones.’ Tanya’s guess was just 274 stones shy of the actual number of stones on the front facade of the Stone Cottage, which is 3,774. Tanya says, “I think it’s magical that you are working to save this cottage.” By completing the “Count The Stones” challenge, Tanya has unlocked the “Story of Eva,” the free spirit who built the Stone Cottage.
‘Count the Stones’ is the first of four events the “Save the Stone Cottage” committee is hosting, a series of educational, entertaining and inspiring events called “Finding the Story Stones,” to raise awareness about the GoFundMe Charities fundraising drive. A total of four fun activities will be held this month, in which individuals, virtual teams of friends, and families with children all can participate. Finding the four “Story Stones” will unlock elements of the unusual stories surrounding the Stone Cottage, Eva Falk, and the early history of Seattle and Alki.
Finding Story Stone #2: ‘Search for the Lost Stone’ launches January 16, 2021. This second contest is a clue-based Twitter search in which clues to the whereabouts of the second Story Stone will be tweeted out over six hours. Finding this Story Stone will unlock stories and secrets about the Stone Cottage itself.
We previewed all the contests a week and a half ago; the third one, “Walking in Eva’s Shoes,” now starts January 23rd, and the “Stone Cottage Karaoke Rock Concert” is set for January 30th. More details are on the this page of the Save The Stone Cottage website, where the newly unlocked “Story of Eva” will be posted this week, along with a photo of the “story stone.” Meantime, the crowdfunding campaign continues here, with $52,440 of the $110,000 needed for the move, as of this morning.
If you can donate blood, Bloodworks Northwest invites you to make an appointment at its upcoming pop-ups in West Seattle. Here’s the announcement, along with an update on the most recent pop-up here:
Bloodworks Northwest is so grateful to everyone who attended our pop-up @ The Sanctuary at the end of December. 166 units of blood were collected over 4 days. Since one unit of blood can potentially help up to 3 patients, this means almost 500 local patients will benefit!
If you missed the Sanctuary pop-up but are still interested in donating blood, we have another West Seattle pop-up happening January 26 & 27 and February 2 & 3 at Salty’s on Alki (1936 Harbor Ave SW) in the lower-level Alki Room. And January is National Blood Donor Month, so what better time to make a donation and impact someone’s life!
Please use this link to sign up: schedule.bloodworksnw.org/DonorPortal/GroupLanding.aspx?s=437B
Your donation could put you in the driver’s seat! When you donate blood between now and March 17, you will automatically be entered for a chance to win a car! The lucky winner will have their choice among 9 pre-selected new vehicles from Haselwood Auto Group. There’s a Jeep for the adventurer, not one but TWO hybrids for the ecologically minded, a Mazda for the sportier types, and more! More info at www.bloodworksnw.org/winacar
All donations are by appointment only. The one-hour donation appointment is a safe and essential action to support local hospitals and patients. The pop-up centers are being conducted in accordance with social distancing guidelines. No walk-ins, guests, or people under age 16 are permitted onsite. All donors are required to wear masks during their appointment. Bloodworks has posted information addressing questions and concerns for blood donors at bloodworksnw.org/coronavirus. For questions about eligibility and to make your appointment, call 800-398-7888 or e-mail schedule@Bloodworksnw.org
(WSB photos)
Ten months have passed since most in-person learning was suspended, and getting online – reliably and affordably – is still a challenge for some students. Help is on the way to hundreds more, thanks to HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor). More than 220 laptops that HomeStreet no longer needed have just been given to InterConnection, a Seattle nonprofit that will refurbish them for reuse.
After HomeStreet’s IT team extensively prepared the computers for the donation, InterConnection visited the bank’s operations center Wednesday morning to pick them up. (Here’s how their donation process works.) HomeStreet also gave InterConnection $1,000; that’ll help with InterConnection’s costs to prepare the laptops for their new owners.
From left in the photo above are HomeStreet’s Vicki Foege, Mickey Pierce and Abraham Mears from InterConnection, Bob Livingston from HomeStreet, InterConnection president Cheryl Roe, Caly Jellum and Jay Bhuller from HomeStreet, a Puget Sound-based bank whose branches include one in the West Seattle Junction (4022 SW Alaska).
The holiday season is over, but community needs – and giving opportunities – are not. Here’s a way you can help – the annual Combat Arts Academy donation drive for the West Seattle Food Bank and its Clothesline, which help thousands of your neighbors in need.
From the CAA announcement:
In the early years, CAA collected about 1,500 pounds of food each food drive; in 2020, we collected 6,000 lbs of food! In light of the pandemic and all of the challenges it has posed, we want to encourage donations of any kind, instead of setting a specific weight goal. Currently, financial contributions are highly encouraged by the WSFB due to the pandemic, but we (CAA) will collect any of the following items:
Clothesline – Gently used or new items for any age (infants, kids, teens, adults), including:
Underwear (New only)
Gloves, Coats, Scarves (think Seattle winter-wear)
Blankets, Sleeping Bags, Linens
Diapers & Formula
Any clothing
Visit https://westseattlefoodbank.org/clothesline/ to find more requested items.WSFB – any non-perishable, canned, or packaged item is welcome
Shelf-stable milk
Juice (individual servings)
Canned Meals (soup, chili, Mac and Cheese, etc.)
Healthy snacks (granola bars, raisins, fruit leather, dried fruit, etc.)
Individual Snack packs (peanut butter, tuna, etc.)
Applesauce/fruit cups
Visit westseattlefoodbank.org/donate-food to find more requested food items.Financial Donations:
– Drop off a check (made payable to the West Seattle Food Bank) at the front desk for the drive, or contribute online at westseattlefoodbank.org/donate-money. If you choose to contribute online, please add a note that it’s on behalf of the CAA Drive.
The amazing thing about the WSFB is how they strengthen the West Seattle community through the power of neighbors helping neighbors; their mission is so important in this current time of need.
Donations accepted at Combat Arts Academy (5050 Delridge Way SW), Monday-Friday 8 am-8 pm. For questions or comments, contact us at welcome@caaseattle.com or 206-420-1834
One of many New Year’s Eve traditions … nonprofits inviting you to donate one more time before the calendar turns. If you still have giving capacity, the West Seattle Junction Association is inviting you to consider the Small Business Relief Fund, It was launched last spring, and donations through the fund have brought more than $120,000 in support to local independent businesses working to keep serving the community safely. The WSJA explains that “you can make a donation through the Junction (501c3) directly to your favorite business or to the Junction fund where the money is used for special programs and grants that support the small-business engine. It’s kind of a perfect note to end the year.” Scroll down this page for the donation form.
Earlier this year, we introduced you to Jessica, who was organizing a monthly volunteer cleanup at Alki. She’s renewing her call for volunteers as 2021 starts, with the first cleanup set for this Saturday (January 2nd):
ALKI BEACH AND NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUP
1st Saturday of every month, 10 AM to 2 PMPick sticks and buckets provided – RSVP to reserve one. Feel free to bring your own. Supervised kids welcome. Behaved dogs welcome off beach. We spread out to cover most surface. Stay as long as you desire; go as far as you would like. The goal is to collect the garbage before it enters the beach and ocean. We can gather after for a distancing coffee if time allows. We meet at 10 am outside, between Blue Moon Burgers and 56th on Alki Ave SW
If you can’t make it Saturdays, consider starting your own group that meets another day. Looking forward to meeting you.
To RSVP or ask a question, text Jessica at 206.769.6330.
(Photo by Stewart L.)
Two weeks after launching a crowdfunding campaign, Save The Stone Cottage is almost halfway to its fundraising goal. The group of local preservation advocates and volunteers is aiming to raise $110,000 to move the stone-studded beach bungalow off its site at 1123 Harbor SW before a redevelopment project starts construction. As of today, the campaign has passed $47,000. Save The Stone Cottage is working with building-moving experts Nickel Bros to move the century-old structure to a temporary site next month – likely storage at a Port of Seattle site nearby – until a new permanent site is found. More backstory is in our previous coverage here and here; donations are welcome here.
(December 17th)
Earlier this month, as reported here, an overnight windstorm destroyed the canopies that Arthur’s in The Admiral District had put up to facilitate outdoor dining. Some asked how they could help the restaurant recover. Rosemary Orr, mom of Arthur’s proprietor Rebecca Rice, has set up a crowdfunding account to facilitate that. Rosemary tells WSB, “She has worked so hard since Spring to keep her business open and viable, and the windstorm and destruction of the canopies was just the worst in a string of challenges. She will need new covers to make enough money to survive another few months.” The GoFundMe page is here.
(WSB photo, Summer Fest Eve 2017)
This year without events and live performances has left many performers struggling. Among them, a West Seattle festival fixture – The Bubbleman. Among the countless cancellations this year were events presented by the Morgan Community Association and West Seattle Junction Association, which want you to know about crowdfunding for him, writes Phil Tavel, vice president of MoCA:
The Morgan Community Association and the Junction Association want to say THANK YOU to the Bubbleman for all of the good cheer that he has brought to West Seattle over the years.
This is a year when those in the crowd can give back a little something to help the performers who have given so much to us.
Here is a link to give whatever you can to the man with the purple beard, the rainbow car and a million bubbles and a million and one bubble jokes.
Happy Holidays to Everyone!
MoCA and the Junction Association!
This is a big week for the volunteer organization known as The Christmas People. They’re planning to feed hundreds around the area for the holiday. They’re now stocked up with volunteer help, but they need two things:
HOMEMADE COOKIES: Bake them and drop them off in boxes or carefully placed in bags. Volunteers will take it from there. Dropoff times and location – 9 am-4 pm each of the next five days, Wednesday through Sunday – Christmas Day included – at Alki Masonic Center, 4736 40th SW. (Use the Dining Room entrance that faces the parking lot.)
NEED A HOLIDAY MEAL? Call or email The Christmas People by Thursday (Christmas Eve) to order free meals if you’re in need – “shut-ins, seniors, veterans … people who need a nice meal at Christmas.” Call Fred at 206-719-4979 or email pialley@jps.net.
With three days to go until Christmas, maybe you’ve already heard the Mariah Carey version of “All I Want for Christmas” a hundred times. Here’s an alternative: Listen to the Leyva Family Band version! Michelle Leyva emailed to tell us about their downloadable Christmas music album, fundraising for Keep Music Live Washington, an advocacy group fighting for the future of live-music venues shuttered during the pandemic. Proceeds will go to that group; the Leyvas are offering their Christmas collection for $5, or anything more you want to pay, explaining, “We miss live music and so look forward to hearing it again soon with all of YOU.” You can find the album, and preview it, by going here.
If you can give blood, now’s the time. You can do it right here in West Seattle. Here’s what we just received from Bloodworks Northwest:
Bloodworks Northwest is back at The Sanctuary in West Seattle (2656 42nd Ave SW) next week!
The Sanctuary will host its 2nd pop-up donor center in the Grand Room on December 23, 26, 28 & 29.
All donors will automatically be tested for covid-19 antibodies through (at least) Dec 31. Result mailed within 2 weeks of your donation. More info here.
Give the best gift of all this holiday season – the gift of life! We have lots of open slots! Please sign up here.
Donation is by appointment only. Masks required. Questions? E-mail schedule@bloodworksnw.org or call 800-398-7888.
(WSB file photo)
From Matt at Grillbird Teriyaki (35th/Morgan):
Every day we are giving out a gift card to a random customer; however, the gift card is not for them to use but for them to pass on to an individual or family in need of a hot meal. We hope to extend the generosity of our customers outward to our community so that no one goes hungry this winter. Many have asked us how they can contribute as well, so we have also come up with a way for customers to add a “Pay It Forward” gift card to their order online. The response has already been incredible.
Here’s how you can contribute.
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