The Des Moines Area Food Bank has announced that it will be offering area low-income children FREE lunches through a mobile summer meals program, beginning Thursday (June 24) and continuing through Sept. 3rd at two different locations.
They will be serving any child ages 1-18 (Monday through Friday) at the following locations:
- Madrona Elementary School, 11:15-11:45 am
20301 32nd Ave South - Midway Park, 12:15-12:45 pm
So 221st St & 29th Ave South
Through the generous support of the Des Moines Legacy Foundation, the City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation will be providing activity time at least two days per week at the Midway Park location.
As we first alerted our Readers April 7, Highline Public Schools participated in a district-wide food drive for the first time this year, bringing in 6,365 pounds of food and over $2,400 in cash, with all proceeds going to three area food banks: Des Moines, White Center, and Highline Food Banks.
“It’s a great start,” said White Center Food Bank’s Resource Coordinator Audrey Zemke. “Now that we have the basics in place, I’m excited to see what we can do next year!”
And, according to the Highline School District, they definitely will do it again next year.
Here is a breakdown of the results, by area:
The Des Moines Area Food Bank received a total of 1,384 pounds of food and $2,003.93.
- 1,384 pounds of food from Parkside Elementary.
- $1,805.00 from Des Moines Elementary’s penny drive
- $140.00 from ERAC
The Highline Area Food Bank received a total of 2,684 pounds of food and $365.00.
- 943 pounds of food from Gregory Heights Elementary
- 461 pounds of food from CHOICE
- 239 pounds of food from Highline High School
- 511 pounds of food and $160.00 from Transportation
- 530 pounds of food from Facilities
- $205.00 from ERAC
The White Center Food Bank received a total of 2,297 pounds of food and $39.00.
- 561 pounds of food from Cedarhurst Elementary
- 320 pounds of food from the Honor Society at Evergreen High School
- 1,237 pounds of food & $15.00 from Hazel Valley Elementary
- 100 pounds of food & $24.00 from ERAC
- 79 pounds of food from Shorewood Elementary
| Apr | Apr |
| 26 | 30 |
The Highline School District will be holding a food drive the week of April 26 – 30, with donations going to both the White Center and Des Moines Food Banks.
According to a release, each school will set a goal, in pounds, for their individual food drive.
With the Feinstein Foundation Challenge still active, donations could effectively be doubled through April 30th.
“This is an exciting opportunity to make an impact on the needs of our community members,” said Audrey Zemke of the White Center Food Bank. “The Alan Feinstein Foundation splits one million dollars in matching funds for all monetary and food donations through April 30.”
Here are the details:
WHAT: Highline School District food drive.
WHEN: The week of April 26 – 30 (Mon-Fri).
WHERE: All Highline Public Schools.
INFO: From a release:
Help fight hunger! Did you know one in five families with children in our region does not have enough money to buy food?
During the week of April 26 – 30, you have a chance to help change that! Highline Public Schools will partner with the Des Moines and White Center Food Banks to raise food and funds for the hungry.
Each school will set a goal, in pounds, for their individual food drive.
We can do this! Stamp out hunger in our community!
Bring non-perishable items…
OR
CASH! ($1 = $4 buying power!)
- www.myfoodbank.org (Des Moines)
- www.whitecenterfoodbank.org
Or send donations to:
Highline Food Bank
P.O. Box 66427
Burien, WA 98166
| Feb |
| 13 |
| 6:30 pm |
The Des Moines Area Food Bank is holding a fundraiser Italian Dinner this Saturday, Feb. 13th, beginning at 6:30 pm at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, which is located at 15226 21st Ave SW in Burien.
The Des Moines Area Food Bank serves the city of Des Moines, most of the city of SeaTac and parts of Normandy Park and the West Hill of Kent.
Here are the details:
WHAT: Des Moines Food Bank Italian Dinner
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 13th beginning at 6:30pm
WHERE: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, which is located at 15226 21st Ave SW in Burien
COST: $25 per ticket; call for reservations: (206) 878-2660.
INFO: Here’s what to expect on the menu:
- Antipasto
- Salad
- Penne pasta with red sauce & meatballs
- Coffee
- Tea
- Dessert
- No host bar (beer and wine)
For more information, visit the Des Moines Area Food Bank website: www.myfoodbank.org.
The annual Chili Cookoff was held at the final Farmers Market on Saturday, Oct. 31st, where fun (and good eats) was enjoyed by hundreds, and over $1,000 was raised for the Des Moines Food Bank!
Here are the official results of the cookoff:
- Team Nutting – Down and Out Demolition (market sponsor)
- Hot Pepper Mamas – Des Moines Rotary
- SOS – Save Our Swimming
- Peoples Choice: Dave Markwell – 10th Ave Chili Dogs
- Within one point of winners: South King County Fire and Rescue
Oddly, The Waterland Blog’s special “Great Pumpkin” chili failed to impress enough, but that’s okay, because we’ll be back next year!
Oh, and on that note, be sure to look soon for our next political blockbuster story sure to raise the cockles of everyone: “Was the Chili Cookoff Judging Rigged?” which will be published tomorrow.
According to DMFM’s Debra Jackaon:
In my opinion…..Pumpkin Chili and Lavender Chili were great…but that’s just me!
Over $1,000 was collected for the Des Moines Food Bank with $119.00 of that coming from bribes to the judges (which had no effect on the outcome).
Here’s a Photo Slideshow of the event by Photographer Michael Brunk:
| Oct ’09 |
| 31 |
| 10:00 am |
Come on down to South Marina Park this Saturday (Oct. 31st) from 10am-2pm to shop the very final Des Moines Farmers Market of the 2009 Season. All the city council candidates will be on hand to judge the third annual chili cookoff.
Just bring a canned or bagged non-perishable food donation for the Des Moines Food Bank, or $3 to sample the nine competing teams’ chili.
And be sure to vote for team WaterlandBlog’s chili…errr, your favorite chili, for the People’s Choice Award (we’ll be taking pics so be sure to wear a costume just for fun – maybe you’ll get on the blog!).
It’s sure not too early to think about buying the talented crafter’s wares for holiday gifts. Check out Greg Fox’s handcrafted and uniquely carved wood products. We especially like the pens and bottle stoppers. Or the basket lady’s colorful baskets. Then there’s soaps and jewelry, all handcrafted for unique gifts for your friends and family. And all-natural honey makes perfect little stocking stuffers.
And it’s not too late to bake a pie or two with fruits from one of our many fruit vendors. And how about taking a bouquet of flowers or two to your Halloween events later that night? Stock up your freezer with organic meats…the shopping opportunities are endless at the market.
Share a crisp late fall afternoon with your friends and family at the market. We sure feel like we’re going to miss our new friends that we’ve made this season. There’s the bird lady…the kids at our neighboring Kiawanis tent…the gals serving up hot and cold drinks from the latte stand, the European and Chinese eateries…and of course Rikki the market manager, Debra her able-bodied assistant and Wayne Corey, DMFM board president, who seems to always have a story or two for us.
We’ll see you all down at the Chili cookoff stand, and again next year, starting in June. Well, hey, that’s only seven months away. But until then keep on reading www.waterlandblog.com for all your local news, arts, events, politics, entertainment and more.
At least nine gourmets chefs teams will face off at the third annual Halloween Chili Cookoff at Saturday’s final Farmers Market at South Marina Park, but there’s room for one more entrant.
If you’re interested in joining in the chili-cooking fun, the fee is just $30 and you can download an application here.
The chili cookoff cooking begins at 8:30am, with judging at 11am and tasting beginning at Noon on Saturday, Oct. 31st. Each team is required to provide four gallons of chili for judging and eating.
Tasters are asked to bring non-perishable food donation(s) or a $3.00 cash donation (all proceeds will go to the Des Moines Food Bank). Costumes are encouraged, and there will also be a “Giant Pumpkin Guess” contest.
A record number of entries have been rounded up by your Des Moines Farmers Market personnel and volunteers. DMFM Board President Wayne Corey and event organizer Debra Jackson even guilted, err, encouraged your intrepid Waterland Bloggers to sign up for the ‘pole’ position of this year’s event.
This year’s Chili Cookoff Teams will include:
- Waterland Blog: Team Captain, Janet Grella
- Spicy Frogs: Team Captain, Kim Richmond
- DM Rotary Team 1: Team Captain, Brian Snure
- DM Rotary Team 2: Team Captain, Lisa Meinecke
- Team Nutting: Team Captain, Yvonne Nutting
- 10th Avenue Chili Dogs: Team Captain: Dave Markwell (defending champ)
- South King County Fire and Rescue Team, Captain: Assistant Chief Ed Plumlee
- Chris Kennon & Team
- Team SOS! (Save our Swimming) Team Captain: Nancy Kuehnoel
- ??????? it’s not too late to sign up!!!
Prizes are First Place, Second Place, Third Place and People’s Choice.
City Council candidates running for election and re-election have stepped up to judge the gourmet delights from the teams. Judges include:
- Melissa Ponder, candidate
- Matt Pina, candidate
- Dave Kaplan, re-election
- Anne Farmer, candidate
- Lelant Scott, husband of Carmen Scott, re-election
- Melissa Musser, candidate
- Del Rivero, DMFM Board Member
We understand that bribing an elected, or soon to be elected official by teams is not legal during this contest.
All proceeds of the event will benefit the Des Moines Food Bank.
Executive Chef Freddie Detore II of Emerald Cove Catering will be the “chief chef”at this year’s event. He’s the person that makes sure that temperature of the food is up and that clean cooking practices are being used, etc.
“This satisfies the health department for events like these as they are certified food handlers,” said Debra Jackson, event organizer. “We always have a local restaurant chef as the official. This year we asked Emerald Cove Catering because they were the ones that supplied our box dinners for the Wednesday night market/concert series. We always try to support our vendors when the opportunity presents itself.”
On Thursday (Sept. 24th), the Des Moines Senior Center delivered a truckload of snacks to the Des Moines Food Bank they have been collecting for the past two months as part of a new “Weekend Backpack” program.
The Senior Center sponsors an event giving back to the community each summer and fall; some previous events have included:
- School supplies for local children
- Homeless teen backpack supplies
- Emergency kits for seniors
- And now the Weekend Backpack program
“I found out that children were going without food on weekends,” said Sally Kearny, Volunteer Coordinator for the event. “So I got the list from the food bank and decided to choose this project.”
Not only did they collect food, but local seniors also donated $250 in cash to purchase more!
Senior Center Office Manager Charisse Gregory added:
“My daughter Amber and I had so much fun loading the carts up with this food! People were stopping us in the aisles asking what we were doing. It was great to be able to promote this great program in the aisles of Fred Meyer!”
Everyone can help this important aspect of the food banks mission – here’s some info on this program from the food bank’s website:
Of the 5,000 children in the elementary schools in our service area, almost 3,000 qualify for the federal free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs? For some children, these are their only two meals of the day.
The Des Moines Area Food Bank has partnered with the Highline School District to distribute backpacks of food to children at risk of hunger over the weekends. Hungry children suffer from health problems such as unwanted weight loss, fatigue, headaches and frequent colds. They are more likely to be ill and absent from school and typically cannot concentrate or do as well as others when they are at school. With this new program, backpacks filled with 6 kid-friendly meals are delivered to the schools for check-out on Fridays and are returned by the students on Monday.
The backpack program represents a new and innovative way of providing families with additional resources to meet the basic food needs of their children. Currently, we are serving over 250 backpacks per weekend through 3 local elementary schools and plan to expand into additional schools in the future.
The Des Moines Area Food Bank is grateful to United Way for giving us Venture Funds to get this program started. In order to sustain and expand this program, however, your help is needed.
1) We need donations of money and/or kid-friendly foods to be able to fill the backpacks on a weekly basis. A donation of $5.00 will feed one child for one weekend.
A. 100% Juice Boxes-any fruit flavor
B. Fruit cups
C. Granola bars
D. Cup of Noodles
E. Cup of Soup
F. Easy Mac
G. Oatmeal Packets2) We need volunteers to pack backpacks with food each week. Why not consider giving time on a weekly or monthly basis to help with this project? Daytime and evening hours are available. Contact us at dmafb@bigplanet.com .
3) We need cash donations to pay for other costs of this program, such as backpacks, plastic bags and gas to transport the backpacks to and from the schools each week.
Cash donations (checks) can be mailed to:
The Des Moines Area Food Bank
PO Box 98788
Des Moines, WA 98198Or donate online at http://www.myfoodbank.org/donations.
| Oct ’09 |
| 31 |
| 12:00 pm |
A few Saturdays ago your intrepid Waterland Bloggers were innocently sitting in our booth at the Famers Market, when Debra Jackson, assistant market manager, dropped off THE CHALLENGE.
Da dum, da dum, da dum… (or for all you Swedish Chefs out there: Bor-bork, bor-bork, bor-bork…)
We’re talking of course about the dreaded Chili Challenge, the one that nobody can refuse, and the one that requires your team to actually cook Chili for the Farmers Market Chili Cook-Off coming Halloween day, Oct. 31st.
This past Saturday, The Waterland Blog not only accepted their challenge, but we were the first to actually pay the $30 entry fee!
We have it on good authority that there’s others in the Waterland Community that will be challenged. According to Wayne Corey, president of the DMFM board, there’s some teams from Rotary and others who’ve said they’re on, but nobody’s in until they pay. There’s only room for 10 teams,
Like a six-gilled shark swimming off the Marina, Debra has a bead on various Des Moines organizations and individuals to issue the cookoff challenge. Hide, we tell you hide. Especially if you’re with the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Lions, the Odd Fellows, the Yacht Club, or local churches.
She’ll find you.
Believe us, she’ll find you!
The Des Moines Food Bank needs your help. To sign up before you receive THE CHALLENGE click here for our previous coverage, or here to download the registration PDF.
DMFM has room for just 10 teams…so sign up now. Help the Food Bank, have some fun…and vote for The Waterland Blog team!
Bork Bork Bork!
If you thought this summer has been hot, just wait ’til Saturday, Oct. 31st when the 3rd annual Chili Cook-Off happens at the Des Moines Farmers Market from Noon-2pm!
The Farmers Market is currently seeking sponsors, contestants (teams and individuals) and tasters for Halloween day chili cook-off.
Entry fee is $30, and the tasting fee is $3. Proceeds benefits the Des Moines Food Bank.
Visit the market information booth on any Saturday from 10am-2pm or go to www.DMFM.org for details.
First 10 teams receive entry!
Here’s the flyer:
| Aug ’09 |
| 13 |
| 7:00 pm |
by Janet Grella
In their 4th annual Mid-Summer Social, members of the Three Tree Point Yacht Club are raising money for Hospitality House.
“We hope to raise $8,000 which will support four women through the three month program,” said organizer and fellow racer Pat Waters.
On August 7th, with only one race week to go “we’re over the half-way mark,” Pat reported to The Waterland Blog.
Racers, crew and guests have also been asked to bring food and/or money for the Des Moines Food Bank. Organizers estimate a “van-full of food” has been raised to date.
According to their website, this invitation went out to members and non-members:
Join other sail boaters for fun, food and prizes, Thursday evenings, July 9th through August 13th. The race will start at 7:00 pm, conducted by The Three Tree Point Yacht Club. Social hour with food, beverages and prizes will begin shortly after the race on the Guest Dock in the Marina, with one or two boat/s serving as host.
Any boat finishing the race by 8:30 pm will be eligible for prizes. There won’t be many rules but there will be lots of fun. Come join your friends for some sailing, food and prizes. No entry fees and the after race social is also free.
For further information contact the Des Moines Marina at 206-824-5700 or Pat Waters at 253.529.2873.
Sue Waters, race committee member, told us “we have been averaging about 17 sailboats out every week. Any boater can join in the festivities. Since it is a sailboat race, powerboats have not joined in. However, they could – and be chase boats or just go around cheering and encouraging the sailboats, especially when there is no wind!”
According to Pat Waters, the boat that raises the most money will win a boat bailout and pressure wash from CSR Marine. The winner will be announced by a former resident of Hospitality House after the final race on August 13th.
Hospitality House is located at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church in Burien. From their website:
Hospitality House shelter is a caring environment, providing case management and safety to homeless single women in order to foster empowerment that leads them toward a permanent home and self-sustainability.
Short- and long-term outcomes include:
Meeting of basic needs to allow residents to focus on larger stability issues
Referral to affordable transitional or permanent housing as they prepare to leave our shelterIndividualized case management services with professional staff who assist residents in overcoming barriers to stability
Client assistance funds that are used to remove certain financial barriers
Hospitality House is open 365 nights a year. We are largely supported by a diverse and committed volunteer corp. We are always recruiting new volunteers and have new volunteer orientation several times a year. Other ways to serve Hospitality House are through financial contributions and in-kind professional services.In King County’s 10-year plan to end homelessness: “A Roof Over Every Bed”, South King County is recognized as underserved. Keeping Hospitality House open and viable, as one of the only single women’s shelters in South King County, is an important part of serving the needs of homeless women.
We strive to successfully move women of South King County into stable lives and homes. While the organization was founded by area churches, supported by volunteers from area churches, and housed at no cost in the education building of a church, Hospitality House is an independent non-profit organization that does not proselytize in any way.
Supporting Organizations:
Des Moines United Methodist Church ~ John Knox Presbyterian Church ~ Lake Burien Presbyterian Church ~ Normandy Park United Church of Christ ~ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ~ Prince of Peace Lutheran Church ~ Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church ~ Southminster Presbyterian Church ~ St. Bernadette Catholic Church ~ St. Elizabeth Episcopal Church ~ St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church ~ St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church ~ Soroptomist International of Seattle South
Story by Janet Grella
Photos by Gene Achziger
CorkyCellars has announced that their ninth annual CorkyCrush raised nearly $1,000 to help stamp out hunger in Des Moines.
The team that brought in the most pledged money was “Heritage Hash” (Karen Anderson and Eddy Duggar) – they raised $280!!!!!
Fourteen teams competed this year, including:
- Fine Whines
- Heritage Hash
- Grapes Toe Ya
- Mr. & Mrs. Smoothie Smashers
- Chardonnay Divas
- Grapecrush Grapplers
- Happy Feet
- Masquerading Merlots
- Edwina’s Crushers
- Suckers! (learn to say no)
- Grapeful Dead
- Grape Nuts
- Grapezilla
- And the winning team name “Got Wine?”
Diane at CorkyCellars told The Waterland blog:
“The teams managed to get about 91 pounds of juice out of the 266 pounds of grapes that we tossed in the barrels. There was a real close race for the highest weight – the Grapeful Dead guys got 8 pounds 2 1/4 ounces and the Got Wine? girls got 8 pounds 2 1/2 ounces. Even our youngest crushers, 3 and 6 years old got 3 pounds 13 1/4 ounces so you can tell that everyone was in there giving it their all.”
Ric and Diane, owners of Corky’s want to recognize their event helpers:
- Jason Hardt
- Steve Swank and grandson Noah
- Bob Birgenheier & Chris Jacobson (Barrel Boys with Ric the Barrel King)
- Michelle Reynolds (Pictures & Barrels)
- Russ Lent (Timer)
- Candice Hardt (Weigher/Recorder)
- Susan Goegebuer (Sound System)
- Ashely & Shawna Jacobson (Trophy Girls)
| Jun ’09 |
| 20 |
| 10:00 am |
Calling all dirty cars across Des Moines! Waterland Blog Advertiser Bjorneby’s CARSTAR Des Moines is looking for cars – and their drivers – to help the company set the Guinness World Record for the “largest car wash in history” on Saturday, June 20th from 10am to 3pm.
Bjorneby’s will join in the Soaps It Up! Car Wash held across the U.S. and Canada as a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis in Canada and the Make-A-Wish Foundation® in the U.S., as well as The Des Moines Food Bank, locally. More than 200 CARSTAR stores throughout both countries are expected to participate in the one-day event. Tickets are being sold at Bjorneby’s store and the Des Moines Food Bank for $10, with 100 percent of the ticket purchase benefiting the selected charities.
To set the Guinness World Record for “Most Cars Washed – Multiple Venues”, CARSTAR will need to wash more than 4,000 vehicles during an eight-hour period at all of the participating locations. Local scouting troops, charity volunteers and CARSTAR staff will be on hand to wash the vehicles as well as a Guinness World Records® official to validate the feat if successful.
“We are encouraging Des Moines car owners to come out on Saturday, June 20, to support this great cause and help us set the Guinness World Record,” said Bj Bjorneby owner of Bjorneby’s. “It’s going to be a fun event where we can raise funds for The Des Moines Food Bank and mark our place in history.”
Bjorneby’s is located at 22001 Pacific Hwy. South in Des Moines near the intersection of 220th and Pacific Hwy (see map below). The Soaps It Up! Car Wash will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets for the event are available at Bjorneby’s Carstar Des Moines or the Des Moines Food Bank for $10. All of the proceeds from the ticket sales will benefit Make-A-Wish and The Des Moines Food Bank
“We want to help drivers across the United States and Canada get their cars ready for the summer driving season while giving back to the communities where our stores are located,” said Dick Cross, Chairman and CEO of CARSTAR. “We are hoping to set the Guinness World Record with our effort. Our stores probably wash more vehicles on a daily basis as they repair consumers’ cars than anyone else in North America, so we’d love to have bragging rights to the world record.”
| May ’09 |
| 30 |
| 12:00 pm |
On Saturday, May 30th, Jerry Miller, one of the greatest guitarists of all time (actually he’s #68, according to Rolling Stone Magazine), will return to The Reuben for another free concert that will also serve as a fundraiser for the Des Moines Food Bank.
The show starts around Noon and goes until around 2pm. There is no cover charge, but attendees are kindly asked to bring non-perishable food donations (like canned goods, rice, etc.) to help our hungry neighbors. The Reuben is located at 21904 Marine View Drive South (map below); (206) 824-6672.
Jerry was the lead guitarist for “Moby Grape,” a famous 1960s rock band, was friends with another guitarist named Jimi Hendrix (considered by Rolling Stone as the #1 greatest guitarist of all time) and is a gracious and giving musician.
Photographer Michael Brunk was one the scene at Miller’s April 25th Reuben performance, and he took these great pics:
by Janet Grella
As the sun sets on the last day of National Volunteer Month, The Waterland Blog wanted to highlight some of our local volunteer efforts in the community.
These unsung heroes deserve a pat on the back, as well as the ongoing praise and thank-you’s for their volunteer efforts that keep such entitities running as our own regional hospital Highline Medical Center, the Highline School District, Des Moines Senior Center and Des Moines Food Bank.
Highline Hospital recently celebrated their 300 volunteers at a luncheon at the Normandy Park Cove. One hundred were able to attend the party, which was catered by Emerald Cove Catering.
“One of our volunteers has supported us for 31 years….and has given more than 13,500 hours of service. Incredible!” noted Mara Burke, Director of Community Relations and Volunteer Services.
Mara called the hospital volunteers “a tremendous resource, and quite the gift. Over-all these volunteers contributed nearly 51,000 hours to the running of hosptial services in over 40 divisions at their Main Campus in Burien and their Speciality Campus at 16251 Military Road South in Tukwila. As a matter of fact, WLB was advised that over 16 percent of the hospital workforce is comprised of volunteers.
“As you can tell, we are extremely appreciative of all that our volunteers do to support our patients, staff and community, ”
If you are interested in joining the army of loyal volunteers at the medical center click here. There are positions for adults and teen volunteers, and they currently have 59 teen volunteers who work after school.
Highline Public Schools tells us that for the 2008-09 school year (through March ’09) they’ve had over 2,700 volunteers working over 30,000 hours.
Catherine Carbone Rogers, Director, Communitcation and Community Engagement told WLB “We have many volunteer activities available in schools. Suffice it to say that every school can use volunteer support.”
“We welcome community volunteers in all our schools. We have recently begun some work to bring more of a community focus to our schools in SeaTac and White Center, with funding from the Stuart Foundation. Fourteen of our schools in SeaTac and White Center now have “community schools” programs, which provide academic and enrichment opportunities for students outside the school day. We have partnered with Community Schools Collaboration, a local non-profit organization, to coordinate these programs, which are often created by and staffed by community volunteers and community-based organizations,” Catherine told WLB.
To volunteer at our local public schools stop by any school to fill out an application. You will have a Washington State Patrol background check to qualify for school volunteering.
“As funding becomes available, we want to expand community schools programs to all our schools district-wide. This will provide many more opportunities for community members to be involved in schools” she continued.
Des Moines Senior Activity center celebrated their 167 volunteers with a luncheon party at the Activity Center. Eighty volunteers were in attendance. Sue Padden of the Senior Activity Center told WLB that “My volunteer hours for 2008 from the senior activity center were 22,000. We have over 50 program areas where volunteers are involved, from coordinating, managing and planning the program, to helping out with driving residents to medical appointments, helping deliver a meal to a homebound senior.”
Sue went on to say “It’s not how many candles…it’s how BRIGHT the flame!!! I have the pleasure of working with the most dynamic, caring, active, joyful, committed older adults. Our senior activity center is ONLY as good as the people who support, plan and participate in our programs…SUPER volunteers!! To volunteer give the Senior Center a call 878-1642.
Our local food bank could use your help. Understaffed but working hard, the Des Moines Food Bank is serving more and more people. Generous donations, fundraisers and smart buying help them keep the food stocked. Volunteers help keep the merchandise flowing to people in need.
Barb Shimizu, DMFB Program Coordinator, explains that “Volunteers are the heart of the food bank. They are involved in everything we do–picking up food, sorting food, greeting clients, serving food, running our backpack program, helping with statistics, serving as board members and innumerable other special projects.”
Here’s a few facts about the DMFB:
- In 2008, the food bank was able to serve over 1.2 million lbs of food to almost 10,000 different individuals throughout the year with only 2 employees.
- This is possible because volunteers provide us with the equivalent of over 23 full-time workers.
- Thanks to volunteers, they are able to run a business worth over $2 million per year on less than $250,000.
- This is a true community effort and a safety net that works.
- To find out more about volunteering for DMFB click here or call 878-2660.
When you volunteer you give the gift of your time to those less fortunate than you. Be there for them. Volunteer!
The Waterland Blog's Bart Bryan, left, and Mark Neuman, manned the food bank donation station at Butler Bar & Grill Wednesday night.
Our first-ever “No Foolin’ Fundraiser” for the Des Moines Food Bank at Butler Bar & Grill raised nearly $600 in donations!
We’d like to send a special shout-out to everyone who showed up, donated food or cash, chatted with us, hung out and had a great time in a great bar/restaurant.
We’ll post final results when we get them from the food bank, including total weight of donated food items and what that translates to in total families fed, but our preliminary totals are:
- Nearly 200 food items
- Over $3o0 in cash donations
For a current total of nearly $600 raised!
The Waterland Blog's Janet Grella shows Leslie Newman of ReMax of Burien elements of our website at our "No Foolin' Fundraiser" at Butler Bar & Grill.
It’s been less than one hour since the start of our “No Foolin’ Fundraiser” for the Des Moines Food Bank at Butler Bar & Grill, and so far here’s what has been collected:
- $295 in cash donations
- 100 food items
For an estimated total value of $445, all in about one hour!
We’ll be here all night, so come on down anytime, and please bring either 2 cans or boxes of non-perishable food or a $5 donation to help your hungry neighbors.
REMINDER: Our first-ever blog party and “No Foolin’ Fundraiser” for the Des Moines Food Bank starts at 6pm tonight at the Butler Bar & Grill, so please make sure to at least drop by and say hi anytime (we’ll probably be there until they kick us out)!
We kindly ask that you also bring two cans or boxes of non-perishable food items to donate for your hungry neighbors.
We’ll be blogging live throughout the night, so come in and find the geeky comedy nerds near the computer and LCD monitor!
Butler Bar & Grill is located at 22341 Marine View Drive South on the main strip in Des Moines; phone: (206) 429-3709.
And remember, if you can’t make it tonight, but still want to help the food bank, you can donate online here.
| Apr ’09 |
| 1 |
| 6:00 pm |
We’re having our first-ever “No Foolin’ Fundraiser” Blog Party on Wednesday, April 1st (appropriately it’s April Fool’s Day) at Butler Bar & Grill, and it’s going to serve as a fundraiser for the Des Moines Food Bank.
You’re invited to come – just bring two cans or boxes of non-perishable food (or $5 cash) as your donation to help feed some hungry neighbors.
Here are the details:
WHAT: The Waterland Blog’s “No Foolin’ Fundraiser” for the Des Moines Food Bank
WHEN: Wednesday, April 1st, from 6pm on
WHERE: Butler Bar & Grill, located at 22341 Marine View Drive South in Des Moines (map below); phone: (206) 429-3709
COST: 2 (or more) cans or boxes of non-perishable food items, or $5 cash donation
Some of the evening’s fun will include:
- We’ll be demonstrating this here blog by doing “Live Blogging”
- Meet the staff of The Waterland Blog!
- Fun, friends and most importantly…Fundraising for the Des Moines Food Bank!
Please spread the word by forwarding this page, and/or downloading a PDF of our poster, printing and posting it around town.
We hope to see you there!
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