The Greenwood Senior Center is following Wallingford Neighbors for Peace & Justice’s success with its free movies series “Meaningful Movies,” followed by a community discussion.

Greenwood Senior Center’s next quarterly movie is “Sound and Vision” at 1 p.m. Friday. It features stories of people trying to clean up, restore and protect Puget Sound and the oceans.

Following the movie, Bill Malatinsky of the Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center will facilitate a community discussion. Refreshments will be served.

The Greenwood Senior Center is at 525 N. 85th St.

The Greenwood Senior Center is hosting an open house for The Gathering Place, a weekly afternoon program for those living with early stage memory loss (ESML).

The open house is from 3:30-5 p.m. next Wednesday, April 10, at the Senior Center, 525 N. 85th St. It is for memory loss professionals, individuals diagnosed with an early stage memory loss, and family caregivers.

The Gathering Place is a warm, inviting community for those diagnosed with ESML. Meeting every Thursday from 1 – 4 PM, the program includes activities that build on strengths and engage mind and body. The afternoon begins with a time of sharing and updates from the week. Next participants review their homework, then spend a half hour exercising through yoga, qi gong or line dancing. Participants then enjoy refreshments and informal discussion. The day concludes with creative exploration via visual arts, theatre, improvisation, poetry or music and cognitive stimulation such as games, puzzles or other activities to engage the mind.

Participants form a community that offers structure, meaning and purpose to their lives.

This program, developed by the GSC’s social worker Carin Mack, MSW and Mari Becker, MSW, has been running for two years. Screening with Carin Mack is required before participation.

For further information call 206-297-0875.

Food & Water Watch is hosting the Right to Know GE Food Forum from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N. 85th St.

The bottom line is that all consumers have the right to know what’s in the food they eat. That is why Food & Water Watch is working to pass the ballot initiative I-522 to mandate the labeling of all genetically engineered food in the state of Washington.

GE foods have been on our local grocery store shelves for over ten years without our consent or knowledge. With GE Salmon slated to hit the shelves soon, the debate over labeling has never been more urgent. The good news is that Washington voters get the chance to settle the debate this fall by voting yes on I-522.

The forum will kick off with tables set up by local groups where guests can look at informational demos and eat local food. This will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Trudy Bialic of the Yes on I-522 campaign, Micaela Preskill, State Advocate for WashPIRG, Joe Rogoff, NW Regional President of Whole Foods, and Chris Bell, Sustainability Officer at Pike Place Fish.

You can RSVP for the forum online.

The next Alzheimer’s Cafe, sponsored by the Greenwood Senior Center, is from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesday at Ampersand Pantry & Cafe, 424 N. 85th St. It’s free to attend; participants pay for their own food and drink.

The Alzheimer’s Cafe is a safe, non-judgmental place for those suffering from memory loss and their caregivers to get out and socialize.

The monthly Alzheimer’s Café, for people with memory loss and their caregivers, is moving from Mae’s Café to Ampersand Pantry and Café, 424 N. 85th St., starting on Tuesday, Feb. 12. The café is from 3:30- 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month.

Sponsored by the Greenwood Senior Center, it’s a time for those suffering from memory loss to get out and socialize in a safe environment, with no judgment or expectations. There is no cost other than your food and drink.

Parking is available at the Greenwood Senior Center across the street, or at the Bank of America lot just west of the café.

For more information about the Alzheimer’s Café, call Carin Mack at 206-297-0875.

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.

Seattle Parks Department’s Sound Steps program is for adults 50 and over, who would like to train for a 5 kilometer, 10 kilometer, or half-marathon walk. Beginning and experienced walkers are welcome.

Parks is hosting two orientation sessions. The north-end session is from 1-3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at the Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N. 85th St.,

Saturday morning training walks will take place from February through June, in south and north Seattle. Call Mari Becker at 206-684-4664 or email her atmari.becker@seattle.gov to sign up for an orientation session where you will receive your registration packet.

If you’re looking for something a little more meaningful to give as holiday gifts this year, then you should check out the 3rd Annual Local Giving Fair at the Greenwood Senior Center on Saturday.

The fair brings together 20 non-profits that represent diverse needs such as shelter, safety, education, food and more. Attendees can find out more about each of these nonprofits, make a donation for an alternative holiday gift, and receive a card and impact statement to give as your gift.

Plus, there’ll be music and treats from the Upper Crust Catering.

The Local Giving Fair is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N. 85th St.

The Greenwood Senior Center, at 525 N. 85th St., is hosting a special luncheon for seniors celebrating their 90th – and beyond – birthdays. The luncheon is at noon today. It’s free for those 90 and above, $5 for caregivers, friends and family. Call 206-297-0875 for details.

On Friday, the Senior Center invites veterans to a special Thanksgiving luncheon at noon. Cost is $5 plus a food bank donation. RSVP at 206-297-0875.

Then on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the 3rd annual Local Giving Fair brings together 20 non-profits that represent diverse needs such as shelter, safety, education, food and more. Attendees can find out more about each of these nonprofits, and make a donation for an alternative holiday gift. Plus, there’ll be music and treats.

By the way, the Senior Center is once again offering fresh baked pies for Thanksgiving. Call the GSC to order.

University of Washington Professor David Domke will discuss politics in America from 3:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the Greenwood Senior Center.

“Visions of America – Barack Obama, The Tea Party & The Soul Of The Nation” is billed as An inspirational talk and reception, as the election approaches.” The event is free, but please RSVP by calling 206-297-0875.

Americans have long viewed themselves and their nation as special, superior, even God-chosen. This view does not happen by chance; it is built on a daily basis through the messages politicians and news put forward. This lecture will consider the competing visions offered by Barack Obama and the Tea Party and how they relate to the notion of American exceptionalism. Speaker David Domke is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington and is the author of two books. In recent years, Domke has spoken about politics and communication with academic, political, media and public audiences around the country.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association’s first annual Power of Community breakfast this morning raised more than $18,000 from 125 guests for the Greenwood Senior Center.

Mayor McGinn kicked off the breakfast with a warm welcome and keynote speaker Wendy Lustbader inspired the crowd talking about the unexpected pleasures of growing older. Proceeds from the event will support GSC senior programming such as the PNA Village, caregiver support groups, the Alzheimer’s Café and the Gathering Place.

Mayor Mike McGinn, a Greenwood resident, addresses the crowd. Photo by Mike Veitenhans.