The act of giving for Thanksgiving was dealt an unexpected blow last week after the burglary of Rainier Valley Food Bank, in which more than $1,500 worth of fresh vegetables and canned food was stolen.
But this act did not diminish the spirit of giving. Instead, the theft revived the spirit of giving and spurred it on to a mega-level; the Rainier Valley Food Bank has received more than $100,000 in donations since the incident.
And in Queen Anne and Magnolia, the gift of giving continues to be widespread, too.
"I think people just want to share," said Executive Director of the Ballard Food Bank Nancy McKinney. "They're just thankful and they want to share. We see an upswing in people dropping checks off and in the food drive."
The Ballard Food Bank will give out about 300 turkeys this year, a little more than last year, which McKinney said is due to the 30 percent increase in clients.
Queen Anne Rotary donated $750 to Queen Anne Helpline which then converted the money into grocery store gift cards and distributed them accordingly to 24 families, said Helpline volunteer Donna Hegstrom.
For families who requested assistance after the $750 had been distributed, the Helpline is writing vouchers -to shop at Safeway which then Safeway bills the Helpline. Most are valued at $25 and about 12 have been issued so far. Additionally, the Helpline has assembled packages of food staples for families in need.
McClure Middle School added a twist to giving with their annual Turkey Bingo event, held Nov. 13, and its Nov. 15 Book Fair.
"It was a great turnout," said John Loacker, a McClure parent. "We believe in community building events and reaching out to families in need. The kids know they're helping an expanded community so we love to send that message out."
The event raised $500, which was matched by the Parks Department-Middle School Community Learning Centers, which gets distributed to McClure families in need.
Others spread their giving outside of the neighborhood, like Our Lady of Fatima parish, which donates nonperishable food that goes out to the Magi Project - which distributes goods and resources to impoverished children around the globe.
The drive raises "mounds and mounds," said the Rev. James Johnson of OLF. Donations are collected at the morning Thanksgiving Mass.
"When people realize their blessings, when we take stock of our blessings, we want to share those," Johnson said.
St. Anne Church also collects canned and dried food every year at its Thanksgiving Day mass. The food is donated to St. Mary's Food Bank in the Central District.
"At the same time, our school is collecting canned and dried food for Martha's Workers, a year round ministry that works with a number of homeless shelters in the area," said St. Anne's pastoral coordinator Ron Ryan.
Though there's certainly a concentration of activities during the holidays, Ryan said the parish maintains involvement with the homeless population and others in need throughout the year, too.
At the Queen Anne Baptist Church, nonperishable food is collected and then donated to Northwest Harvest - a statewide relief agency that coordinates food distributions among a network of food banks, meal programs and elementary schools. And, Bethany Presbyterian on Queen Anne Hill will host its weekly Wednesday night dinner tonight, which will have a Thanksgiving theme, too.[[In-content Ad]]
