The Phinney Ridge Gospel Choir is a true ecumenical choir with voices from the Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic traditions standing side by side with members who have no church affiliation. Focusing on Black Gospel Music, Spirituals, and South African Freedom Songs, the 35 voice choir is a high-energy chorus that sings throughout the Phinneywood community. The Greenwood Food Bank is at 9041 Greenwood Ave. and serves over 1000 individuals each month.
The Feinstein Foundation has pledged to partially match all cash and food donations to Volunteers of America Western Washington’s (VOAWW) food bank programs, including the Greenwood Food Bank, from March 1 to April 30. The foundation is donating a total of $1 million to various hunger programs.
You can drop off canned goods in donation barrels at Gainsbourg Lounge, 8550 Greenwood Ave. N.; Chocolati Café, 8319 Greenwood Ave. N.; Curves, 10033 Holman Rd. NW.; Ken’s Market, 7231 Greenwood Ave. N.; and Walgreens, 8701 Greenwood Ave. N.
You can also donate money online, through the VOAWW website. (Be sure to select “Feinstein Challenge” from the drop down menu under “Gift Designation.”)
Volunteers of America’s Greenwood Food Bank is in urgent need of drivers and delivery assistants to help pick up food donations from local grocery stores. Drivers are needed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Delivery Assistants (who ride along with the driver) are needed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Requirements:
Ability to lift 50 pounds
A valid drivers’ license
Background Check
A copy of your Driver’s Abstract
Duties include:
Pick up donations from grocery stores using the food bank vehicle (a Sprinter van)
Help load and unload truck
Occasional delivery of pre-packaged food boxes to home delivery clients
Occasional warehouse help when not needed as a driver’s assistant
Fred Meyer reopened its Greenwood store on Friday to huge crowds, which continued through Saturday. The remodeled store added 55,000 square feet, for a total of 192,000 square feet on two levels.
Neighbors turned out for the grand opening ceremony, complete with hundreds of cupcakes, on Friday afternoon.
And Fred Meyer donated $5,000 each to the Greenwood Senior Center, Greenwood Food Bank, Greenwood Library, North Seattle Boys & Girls Club in Greenwood, and PAWS.
Store Director Pete Laudadio presents a $5,000 check to Greenwood Senior Center Director Cecily Kaplan (right) and PNA Board President Kris Cummings (left). (Photos courtesy of Phinney Neighborhood Association Business Membership Group.)
Just a reminder that the remodeled Greenwood Fred Meyer will reopen at 7 a.m. Friday, at 100 NW 85th St.
The parking lot was full of construction vehicles and workers making last-minute preparations this morning.
The old Greenwood Market sign on the corner of NW 85th Street and 3rd Avenue NW was finally taken down last week and has been replaced with a Fred Meyer sign.
Fred Meyer employees will serve cake at 2 p.m. Friday, and they’ll be donating $25,000 to local charities, including $5,000 to the Greenwood Senior Center and $5,000 to the Greenwood Food Bank. The store also will have a food drive for the food bank for the month of February, and will use its coin collection boxes at registers to collect donations for the food bank until May 25.
Fred Meyer also plans to donate perishable food items to the Greenwood Food Bank five days a week through the Grocery Rescue Program.
Update: Fred Meyer Public Affairs Spokeswoman Melinda Merrill just told me that neighbors are invited for a sneak peek inside the store from 4-8 p.m. Thursday. Customers can use the grand opening ad that will be in the newspaper; there will also be lots of food samples.
One of the Greenwood Food Bank‘s donors was not able to follow through on their commitment of toys and gift cards for food bank families.
VOA Greenwood will need gifts for children of our food bank families. Ideally, we’ll need them by our Holiday Party this Saturday, December 15th. Gift cards for places like Fred Meyer/Toys’r’us/Target etc (places that sell toys and/or clothes) or cash donations are welcome, though we will continue to take donations through the week. Please contact us at (206) 782-6731 or greenwoodfoodbank@voaww.org to help.
This is a LEAD Volunteer Position. Volunteer will direct all aspects of the Greenwood Food Bank Operations, which includes but is not limited to the following:
Supervision and training of volunteers in food banking best practices, safety requirements, etc.
Ensure high standards of service to food bank recipients, donors and volunteers.
Coordination of all monthly report data in an accurate and timely manner.
Accountable for the record keeping of daily cash and in-kind donations.
Responsible for food ordering, inventory control, inventory and distribution.
Cultivate the recruitment and retention of volunteers.
Correspondence with donors, partners, and community members.
Work in partnership with Outreach Manger for needs of the food bank.
Adhere to safe and proper food handling/storage techniques.
Responsible for the overall cleanliness of the food bank.
Responsible for the administration and management of the Home Delivery Program and other special programs.
Other work related duties as assigned.
More information about the position and how to apply are online.
The Greenwood Food Bank wants to provide 400 turkeys to neighborhood families in need this Thanksgiving. The food bank launched its three-week “Turkey Drive” today, asking for donations of turkeys or money.
“There are many families in need across Greenwood, Phinney, and throughout North Seattle,” Brandy King, VOA’s Development and Outreach Manager, said in a press release. “We’re doing our best to help these families – many of them single parent homes – have a fulfilling Thanksgiving meal. Greenwood and Phinney Ridge are filled with generous-hearted folks. It’s a great way to show this community’s support for one another.”
Donations can be dropped off at the Volunteers of America Greenwood Food Bank, 9041 Greenwood Ave. N., from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; and from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, now through Nov. 20.
Contributions can also be made online. For more information, call the Greenwood Food Bank at 206-782-6731.
The Greenwood Food Bank announced today that it is running critically low on food. The Food Bank now has less than four days’ worth of food.
“The Greenwood Food Bank typically has a supply of 8 distribution days of food. Right now, we have half of that in our stock,” Leann Geiger, Director of Food Bank Services at Volunteers of America, said in a press release. “Food donations have continued to decrease and we are concerned that we will run out of food.”
Food donations typically decrease in the summer, even though school-age children no longer have access to school meal programs and rely more heavily on food banks. Geiger says the food bank also has not been able to replace the 4,000 pounds of food each week that the Greenwood Market donated, before closing in early February.
Fifty-percent of the Greenwood Food Bank’s clients are children and seniors.
“If you have been thinking about making a donation, now is the time. The needs at the Food Bank will continue to increase as summer ends and we begin to approach the holiday season. A donation of just one dollar can purchase three meals, and anyone can make a difference with just a dollar,” Geiger says in the press release.
Items the food bank needs the most include canned meat, boxed meals, and kid-friendly foods such as macaroni and cheese and canned fruit. Donations are accepted at the Greenwood Food Bank, 9041 Greenwood Ave N., from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. You can also donate online or send a check to Volunteers of America, 9041 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103.
The food bank is also looking for volunteers to help with food deliveries and pick-ups. If interested, email volunteers@voaww.org.
They’re also looking for a new Warehouse Lead Volunteer:
The Greenwood Food Bank is looking for reliable and involved community members willing to volunteer part time as a Warehouse Lead Volunteer. The Food Bank has recently moved to an all-volunteer run program model, the first food bank of its size in Seattle to do so. Without the support of volunteers, we would not be able to serve the 4,000 clients that come to the food bank each month. This volunteer opportunity is perfect for someone who wants to take on a leadership role in the organization, gain experience with the internal workings of a food bank and a non-profit, and make a real, tangible difference in their community. Please contact Alice at (206) 782-6731 or amaclean@voaww.org for more information.
The annual Gumshoe neighborhood scavenger hunt is in full swing and we’ve seen lots of people strolling around Phinney Ridge and Greenwood, looking for clues.
Gumshoe organizer Mike Veitenhans sent us this 34-second video which will help sleuths solve the 30 clues. (Just don’t blink!)
First prize for winning the overall walk is a $250 Fred Meyer gift card, followed by $150 for second and $100 for third. Fourth place receives a free breakfast at Mae’s Café as well as a day at the Woodland Park Zoo for two adults and two children, and fifth place walks away with a free dinner at The Olive and Grape restaurant, paired with tickets for two at Taproot Theatre.
City Fruit is hosting a volunteer social from 6-7:30 p.m. Monday at Chuck’s Hop Shop, on the corner of NW 85th Street and 8th Avenue NW. City Fruit uses volunteers to harvest fruit from neighborhood trees to share with food banks and others in need, including the Greenwood Food Bank and Greenwood Senior Center.
The organization is hoping to harvest 5,000 pounds of fruit this summer. If you can help out with harvesting, or have a tree with more fruit than you need and would like to share, please come to the social or email phinney@cityfruit.org.
The Greenwood Food Bank, inside the Community Resource Center at 9041 Greenwood Ave. N., needs three Lead Volunteers.
Help your community and build leadership skills by joining the Greenwood Food Bank as a Lead Volunteer. The Volunteers of America Greenwood Food Bank is seeking three dedicated volunteers to take on management roles in the organization: a Food Bank Lead Volunteer, to direct food distribution and operation of food bank distribution center; a Warehouse Lead Volunteer, to manage the food bank warehouse and monitor inventory; and a Volunteer Food Bank Coordinator, to supervise the daily operations of the Greenwood Food Bank as a whole. Please contact Volunteers of America at (206) 782-6731 orgreenwoodfoodbank@voaww.org for more information.
