B-Town Blog Advertiser Market Place Salon and Day Spa recently went a cut above to help raise money for the Highline Area Food Bank.

Owner Daniel Keane (pictured left, holding some freshly-cut locks) and staff were invited to do haircuts to help raise money for Albertson’s holiday bucks promotion. They set up a chair and cutting station right in the front of the store.

“All day long they were cutting hair for donations,” said Rashelle Lee, Albertson’s Customer Satisfaction Manager. “We had a fantastic time and helped out the food bank as well.”

$500 in donations was raised over seven hours to help Burien’s needy neighbors!

Here are some pics from the event:

The B-Town Blog, along with our sister site The White Center Blog, look forward to seeing as many of our Readers and Neighbors as possible today, Saturday, Nov. 14th, at the White Center Albertsons for our special Thanksgiving-related food drive:

Our 2nd Annual Turkeys N’ Diapers Fundraiser!

It’ll run until 4pm today, and all donations will go to the White Center Food Bank (food) and WestSide Baby (diapers & baby stuff).

Albertsons is located at 16th Avenue SW and SW 106th Street in White Center.

Come by and say Hi!

by Ralph Nichols

While the number of families seeking help from the Highline Area Food Bank in Burien increased by 17 percent during the first six months of 2009, food donations are down by more than 30 percent.

“In this recession, we’re hurt the most by the lack that kind of giving,” said Mike Werle, executive director of the Highline Food Bank. “At every food drive for the past year and a half, the poundage of donated food has been going down.”

Werle notes that 380 pounds of food were donated during Prudential’s food drive in Burien on Oct. 1, compared to 780 pounds last year.

Yet, he adds, “We’re doing better than some food banks.”

This fall, the Highline Area Food Bank has been serving about 850 families a month.

Located at 18300 4th Ave South, the bank distributes food to clients on Tuesdays from 12 to 2:30 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the second Tuesday of each month from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The value of donated food distributed last year topped $1,042,980. Food donations come from supermarkets, smaller stores and food outlets, and individual donors. Day-old and damaged goods come from:

• Fred Meyer
• Safeway
• Albertson’s
• Three Starbucks
• Little Ceasar’s
• Mud Bay pet store
• Bartell Drug in Burien
• QFC in Normandy Park
• Safeway and Gai’s Bakery in SeaTac

In addition to financial donations from individuals, businesses and churches, the food bank receives grants from federal, state and city governments, King County, United Way, and FEMA.

Financial donations, which Werle said “are way up” even as food donations are down, are essential to the food bank’s mission. “The purchase of food is essential to our ability to give out a nutritionally balanced unit of service to our clients.”

The Highline Area Food Bank serves clients north of 192nd Street and south of 116th Street, from Pacific Highway/International Boulevard/Military Road west to Puget Sound. Of those served, 42 percent are adults, 18 percent are seniors, 38 percent are children, and 2 percent are infants to age 2.

Clients come from Burien (65%), SeaTac (20.5%), Normandy Park (4.5%), and unincorporated King County (4%). Six percent say they are homeless.

The food bank negotiated a 25-year lease at its present facility, the former Manhattan Community Center, which Werle calls “a heck of a deal.” It opened there in 1996 and since has added 40-foot and 20-foot insulated containers and a 12 foot by 24 foot walk-in cooler and freezer for an on-site storage capacity of about 60,000 pounds of food.

“On average,” he says, “we go through 50,000 to 65,000 pounds of food a month.

The large storage capacity gives the Highline food bank the ability to accept large donations and then give some to other food banks if they can’t use all of some items.

Werle says Highline and other area food banks adopted in 2001 a list of foods, which was reviewed and revised slightly by nutritionists from the University of Washington, to provide clients a “standard minimum unit of service.”

Clients self-select from a standard list of items at the food bank, with the variety depending on what has been donated. Once a month their minimum unit includes milk, meat, peanut butter, cereal, soup, canned fruit and vegetables, rice, beans and Jell-o.

Once a week they can get fresh fruits and vegetables, potatoes and onions, bread and other baked goods, baby food, nutritional supplements – and pet food when it’s been donated.

For Thanksgiving and Christmas, which Werle describes as “special giving,” more than 400 families will be served before each day with holiday foods as well as some of the regular food items that are distributed.

At Christmas, donated toys will be given to the children of clients at the John Knox Presbyterian Church fellowship hall in Normandy Park.

After the holidays, he says, “the need continues,” but donations decline sharply from early January until May, when the U.S. Postal Service holds its annual carrier food drive at “the best time of year for that to happen.”

In addition to providing food for clients in need, the Highline Area Food Bank also serves new people from outside the area for that day and refers them to the food bank closest to their home, helps people sign up for DSHS services and rental and energy assistance.

Twice a month, a United Way worker comes in to help them sign up for food stamps and summer nutritional programs for kids.

There’s no question that the Highline Area Food Bank could use some help this season; here’s how YOU can lend a hand:

• Send checks made out to Highline Area Food Bank and mail to:

Highline Area Food Bank
P.O. Box 66427
Burien, WA 98166

(you can also place checks into the drop box located at the Normandy Park QFC)

• Drop by the Burien Albertsons any Saturday or Sunday between 10am and 2pm and buy some “Turkey Bucks,” which come in $1, $5 and $10 denominations. Turkey Bucks are converted in to actual, hot Complete Holiday Meals for people in the Highline community to enjoy on Thanksgiving Day (which, by the way, is Thursday Nov. 26th).

• Drop non-perishable food off at Page2Books (15706 1st Ave South; 206-248-7248‎) which delivers to the Food Bank every Tuesday. Also, on Saturday (Nov. 14th) they are donating ALL proceeds from their $1 Book Cart to the Food Bank.

• Come to The B-Town Blog’s “Food Bank Blog Party” on Tuesday night, Dec. 8th at The Tin Room in Olde Burien! Stay tuned for more details soon…

For more information, visit the food bank’s website here.

During the Burien Art Walk on Sept. 12th, if you make a purchase of three Partylite products, 50% of all sales will go directly to the Highline Area Food Bank.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Fundraiser by Partylite for the Highline Area Food Bank

WHEN: During the Burien Art Walk on Sept 12th from 10an to 6pm

WHERE: Diane Ball, the Fundraising Chair will be located out on the sidewalk in front of The Mark Restaurant 914 SW 152nd Street in Old Town Burien.

INFO: 50% of all sales go DIRECTLY to the Foodbank. You can purchase, or help sell. Three Partylite products to choose from makes it simple & easy to raise dollars for those in need.

Place an order or collect orders from friends, family and co-workers. With one single sale; you can raise as much as $7.50 in CA$H for the Highline Food Bank.

Pick-up and drop off your Fundraising packet during the month of September 2009 at the following locations:

• PAGE 2 BOOKS September 1st thru the 15th 2009
  15706 1st Ave. S. M-Sat 10am-6pm Wed 9am-7pm
  Burien WA 98148
• Highline Food Bank Tuesday September 8th 4:30pm-7pm 18300 4th Ave. S Diane Ball the Fundraising Chair will
  Burien Wa 98188 be there.
• The Mark September 12th 2009 10am-6pm Restaurant & Bar September 16th thru 28th 914 SW 152nd St. September 29th & 30th drop off only. Burien WA 98166 M-Thur 11am-11pm F-11am-1am Sat-9am-1am Sun-9am-11pm
• Burien Farmers Thursday September 24th 1pm-till close
  Diane Ball the Fundraising Chair will be there
  152nd Street between 5th&6th SW

Additional information on this event is available here. For more info on the Highline Area Food Bank (including how you can donate or volunteer), click here.

West Seattle’s Lafayette Elementary School, where the BTB’s own Mark Neuman attended school, recently held a very successful food drive for the White Center Food Bank (which serves parts of Burien) with over 2,100 items donated last week.

Here’s more from their press release:

The Lafayette Elementary student council had a new idea this year while planning their annual food drive for the White Center Food Bank. They held a competition to see which class could collect the most items and kept track of the donations by teacher on a bulletin board in the front lobby. The donations quickly filled the collection barrel and started to fill the school’s front lobby.

All of the classes participated, but two classes led the competition: Ms. Rollin’s class collected the most items (251) and Mr. Beal’s class (203) came in second place.

Over 2,100 items total were collected school-wide.

Last week, the White Center Food Bank team had to make two van trips to transport all of the collected food down to their facility in White Center.

Lafayette’s student council sponsors two community service projects a year–one in winter and one in spring. James Morrison, Macy Crooks and Shelby Walker (in the photo) were the student council officers in charge of promoting the drive, keeping track of how many items were brought in, and updating a bulletin board daily to monitor our success. A huge thank you to these student leaders, Mimi Armistead (staff lead for Lafayette’s student council) and to all the generous Lafayette families who donated food.

Since this effort was so successful, Lafayette is going to continue collecting food for the White Center Food Bank (with a goal of a barrel a month) for the rest of the school year.

Lafayette Elementary is a Seattle Public School located at 2645 California Ave. SW. in West Seattle. For more information about Lafayette or their ongoing partnership with the White Center Food Bank, please contact Virginia Turner at 206-252-9500. For more information about White Center Food Bank, check out their web site at: www.whitecenterfoodbank.org; you can also donate directly online here.

Way to go kids!

As part of Normandy Park’s Winterfest this Saturday and Sunday (10am-3pm, Dec. 13-14), the Highline Area Food Bank will be collecting food donations at a table in front of the Normandy Park Athletic Club.

The event goes from 10am to 3pm at the Normandy Park Towne Center, located at First Ave South and SW 199th (map below).

View Larger Map

by Janet Grella

Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department’s Lt. Inspector John Zilke is at it again!

As in years past, John is coordinating the very large and important Christmas Outreach Program in the Burien and White Center areas. Our very own Burien Fire Department (King County Fire District 2, Burien & Normandy Park) has been helping needy families during the holidays for over 20 years.

This translates to thousands of families enjoying a happy holiday because of Burien’s generosity.

This year, with the help of the White Center DSHS, 73 local needy families have been identified to be recipients of Burien’s largess.  Thirteen local businesses have volunteered to be drop-off locations and are accepting NEW toys, canned food, gift cards and cash.  Thanks to both our local Fred Meyer and your cash donations, each family will also receive a turkey dinner.

All donations must be made by the morning of December 22. Upon final collection, John and our firefighters match the gifts with the families’ needs at Sunnydale School, where they will be loaded up and delivered by Santa Claus and others on December 23.

To help out our fire department, eleven departments within Highline Medical Center have each adopted one family. Sylvester Middle School students and teachers will be conducting in-school food drives as part of this community effort.

John knows that this is a particularly tough year to ask for donations, but adds. “Your donations bring light to the holidays for a needy family.”

Following are the local businesses where you can donate to the Christmas Outreach Program:

• Albertson’s—15340 1st Ave S. & 12725 1st Ave S.
• Boulevard Park Place Seniors Community—2805 S. 125th
• Burien Fire Department—15100 8th Ave. SW & 135 S. Normandy Rd.
• Burien Chevrolet—1440 1st Ave S.
• Burien Toyota—15025 1st Ave S. & 139 SW 150th St.
• Collins Chiropractic—619 SW 152nd
• Curves—17824 1st Ave S.
• Dooley’s General Store—625 SW 152nd
• Frenzi—218 SW 153rd
• North Highline Fire Department—1243 SW 112th & 1606 S. 128th
• Highline Medical Center—16252 Sylvester Rd SW
• Highline Medical Center—Riverton Campus 12844 Military Rd. S, & 23030 Military Rd
• North Highline Fire Department—1243 SW 112th & 1606 S. 128th
• Red Apple Market—96th & Des Moines Memorial Dr.
• YB Tubless/Economy Wiring—633 SW 148th

The Seafair Pirates not only have the ability to scare the livin’ bejesus out of any B-Towner, they also have the ability to help needy families, especially during this time of year.

That’s why they’ve brought in their Holiday Treasure Chests to the following two Olde Burien businesses, where they’ll be on display and awaiting donations until Wednesday, Dec. 24th:

• Dan the Sausageman’s shop, located at 923 SW 152nd Street
• Goodie Gumdrops Toy Shop, located at 816 SW 152nd Street

Generous B-Towners can donate:

• Non-perishable food items (cans, boxes, etc.)
• Toys

Text from the Seafair Pirate’s P-Arrrrgh:

While we’re a notoriously scurvy bunch, we Pirates have big hearts and simply can’t stand the thought that there will be children that wake up Christmas morning with nothing to open. With that in mind, in 1996, we began the Holiday Treasure Chest program.

We discovered that far too many families were going without a Christmas because they were unable to find assistance. The Seafair Pirates heard the need, and met the challenge to help these deserving folks. That is how our program was born.

Since the creation of our program, with the help of local businesses and “Pirate Santa’s” throughout the community, we have served thousands of individual families; have provided countless tons of food and goods to local service providing charities and distributed tens of thousands of new gifts to children throughout the Puget Sound region.

We distribute throughout the Puget Sound area. We are constantly on the lookout for donated warehouse space as the holidays approach. As soon as we have established a “home base”, we begin filling it with our collections from the community and the purchases that we make. We create two areas within the warehouse. One holds the “treasures” where our clients can come and choose gift s for their children and the other holds our foodstuffs.

The families will receive enough food for the holidays and countless days after the holidays have passed. With greater resources and more diligence, we know that we could have served an even greater number of deserving families. For this reason, we have begun our eff orts even earlier this year. We began organizing immediately following the Torchlight Parade and are currently accepting donations as well as taking names of individuals interested in volunteering. In order to make this program a success we spend countless hours acquiring the necessary goods and funds. It doesn’t end there however. If at all possible, we spend individual time speaking with each family and ascertain their needs. If we find that there is a special request, we will network within the community to fulfill it if at all possible.

We need to give credit where credit is due, and thank you for the role you play in making our program possible. We would not be able to continue our work without your kindness and generosity. You are truly a tribute to compassion and we value each and every one of you.

Our “Turkeys N’Diapers” Fundraiser Saturday (Nov. 22nd) was a resounding success, with an impressive final tally of $1,170 in cash and food/baby item donations raised for the White Center Food Bank and WestSide Baby.

All of us here at the B-Town and White Center Blogs send a huge THANKS to everyone who helped out!

Some details:

• Cash & checks donated: $201.00
• Food donations: huge rush at the end, with folks bringing shopping carts full of food; total # of food items donated approx. 606lbs (between 400-500 cans/packages) from Thanksgiving food items to soup to sugar to marshmallows and more – equal to $969 worth of food!
• $1,170 total donations for the day!

If you’d like to donate to the White Center Food Bank, you can do so directly online here anytime.

To donate to WestSide Baby, please click here.

We know that many hungry neighbors in the Burien/White Center areas will most certainly be thankful, and this couldn’t have been done without our loyal and generous Readers!

Our “Turkeys N’Diapers” fundraiser ends at 4pm today, and so far we’ve raised over $400 in both cash and food donations for both the White Center Food Bank and WestSide Baby!

Here’s a little video shot by Mark Neuman and featuring Bart “On the Street” Bryan as pitchman, along with BTB friend Steve Costanzo and Rick Jump of the White Center Food Bank:

Some details:

• Our donation table is in front of store doors
• We’re there until 4pm, so come on down!

View Larger Map

Just a reminder to everyone that tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 22nd) is our first-ever “Turkeys N’ Diapers” holiday fundraiser for both the White Center Food Bank and WestSide Baby!

It will take place from 11am to 4pm at the White Center Albertsons, which is located at 10616 16th Avenue SW in White Center (map below).

We’ll be accepting food donations, diapers and baby items, etc. as well as cash and check donations to benefit hungry and needy Burien and White Center families who are served by the White Center Food Bank and WestSide Baby.

These are wonderful non-profit groups that help people, year round, who could really use a hand.

We are kindly asking for the following donations, which can be purchased at Albertsons (or elsewhere) and left with our crew outside the front door:

• Turkeys and Hams (or Tofurkey, etc.)
• Chicken or Turkey Broth
• Gravy Mixes
• Stuffing Mixes
• Fruit Cocktail
• Whole Olives
• Jello or Pudding Mixes
• Canned Pumpkin
• Canned Cranberry Sauce
• Condensed or Evaporated Milk
• Canned vegetables
• Canned yams or sweet potatoes
• $5 or $10 gift certificates to Albertsons
• …and Diapers and other baby items (formula, baby wipes, etc.), of course!

Cash and check donations are also welcome.

See you there!

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Just a quick note from our friends at the Highline Area Food Bank: Turkey Bucks are available at the Burien Albertsons to help hungry neighbors who might otherwise not have a hot Thanksgiving Day meal to enjoy this year.

Here’s how it works: when you shop at Albertsons (the one just north of 160th on 1st Ave South) simply tell the cashier on your way out that you’d like to purchase some Turkey Bucks.

They come in $1, $5 and $10 denominations.

The great staff and crew there will gather up the funds raised and convert them to actual, hot Complete Holiday Meals for people in the Highline community to enjoy on Thanksgiving Day (which, by the way, is Thursday Nov. 27th).

Distribution of the meals is assisted by the folks at the Highline Area Food Bank.

Needless to say, the demand on food banks nationwide is considerably higher than at this time only a year ago. Last year this program served 107 needy families in our area, and we can almost guarantee that there are even more this year.

So every little bit helps.

Turkey Bucks will be on sale at Albertsons until Nov. 24th.

Questions? Here’s the number for the Highline Area Food Bank:  206-433-9900

Albertsons is located at 15848 1st Ave South, Burien (map below):

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The staffers from both the White Center and B-Town Blogs look forward to seeing as many of our readers and neighbors as possible on Saturday, Nov. 22nd at the White Center Albertsons for a special Thanksgiving-related fundraising drive.

It’ll run from 11am to 4pm.

Albertson’s is located at 16th Avenue SW and SW 106th Street, White Center.

We’ll be collecting turkeys and diapers (yes, that’s correct: turkeys and diapers!)

And stuffing and canned vegetables and other Thanksgiving-related food items.

And baby blankets and strollers and high chairs.

The folks at the White Center Food Bank will make available the food (as they do year round) to nearby families in need.

The Food Bank works hand-in-hand with WestSide Baby, a nonprofit organization that collects previously owned items for children and babies and distributes them free of charge to South King County families in need.

In 2007 WestSide Baby served more than 7,000 children.

As always, at any time, here’s how to contact the Food Bank:

White Center Food Bank
10829 8th Ave SW
Seattle WA 98146
www.whitecenterfoodbank.org
Phone: 206-762-2848

You can also donate online directly here.

WestSide Baby:

WestSide Baby
10032 15th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98146
(206) 767-1662
www.westsidebaby.org

View Larger Map

When Shorewood Foursquare Church learned about the food shortage at the White Center Food Bank, they decided to take action and offer a Food Drive.

Sue Cross, Administrator for Shorewood Foursquare Church, explains:

“When we became aware of this food shortage crisis, we just had to get involved. We want to help get the word out to everyone in the community, to build awareness, and are asking everyone to bring food donations.”

According to the White Center Food Bank, they are in a time of extreme need – client numbers are increasing dramatically; they served 1,690 families last month, which is a 66% increase over last year at this time; that includes over 6,000 people fed.

Obviously, the White Center Food Bank needs help.

The Food Drive begins Thursday Nov. 13th, and continues through Dec. 21st. It will be located at Shorewood Foursquare Church & Christian School, which is located at 10300 28th Av SW, Seattle, WA 98146.

There will be a food bin available 24/7 located just outside the entrance to the building for the public to leave their food donations. Shorewood Foursquare Church will also accept monetary donations made out to “White Center Food Bank” in their office.

White Center Food Bank is asking for donations of holiday foods for the food drive, including:

• Chicken or Turkey Broth
• Gravy Mixes
• Stuffing Mixes
• Fruit Cocktail
• Whole Olives
• Jello or Pudding Mixes
• Canned Pumpkin
• Canned Cranberry Sauce
• Condensed or Evaporated Milk
• Canned vegetables
• Canned yams or sweet potatoes
• $5 gift certificates to QFC, Albertsons or Safeway

For further information you can contact Shorewood Foursquare Church & Christian School at 206-932-0186.