Seattle Press on Line - Celebrate Holidays by Sharing

Celebrate Holidays by Sharing

Dec 06, 2001 -- The holidays are a great time to enjoy family and community. We can broaden our connections by sharing not only our joy but also our wealth. Wealth--it doesn't always mean money. It can mean food, used clothing, great old stuff we packed into the attic or garage long ago. Or it can mean just our presence as volunteers to help share that wealth. In the spirit of the season, here are just a few of the many opportunities available to give back to our community.

Food Lifeline Holiday Drive

Food Lifeline is the largest non-profit food bank distribution agency in Washington. Last year, the organization delivered over 18 million pounds of food to 500,000 hungry people through its network of more than 250 neighborhood food banks, meal programs and shelters. Food Lifeline is also an affiliate of America's Second Harvest national food bank network. For more information about Food Lifeline and how you can donate, call 1 (800) 404-7543 or visit www.foodlifeline.org.

Madison Park Kids Coat Drive

Dr. Mark Caggiano of Madison Park is proud to announce his second annual Madison Park Kids Coat Drive in the month of December. "I think it's vital that we all pitch in and do what we can to create a better future for our community," Dr. Caggiano says.

Between December 1 and December 25, Dr. Caggiano and Bank of America on Madison Avenue in Seattle will be collecting children's coats in good condition for donation to the New Beginnings Shelter in Seattle. New Beginnings is dedicated to helping domestic abuse survivors and their children.

Please bring coats in good condition to Dr. Mark Caggiano's office at 4000 Madison in Seattle or to Bank of America at 4112 East Madison Street in Seattle. Dr. Caggiano can be reached at (206) 323-5677. New Beginnings can be reached at (206) 783-4520.

Christmas Stockings for Homeless Children

The Coast Guard Family Association is organizing a Christmas drive for Seattle's homeless children on Friday and Saturday, December 14 and 15, at the U.S Coast Guard's Gymnasium, located at Pier 36, Seattle.

For the sixth time in this area, the association is mobilizing to sew and fill more than 750 stockings for children in the city's shelters. They will be assisted by volunteers from schools and community groups in the Seattle area. Deliveries will be made to 20 shelters in the Seattle area.

Toys, gifts and books, and hundreds of pounds of candy are being collected to meet the needs of homeless children.

To volunteer, assist, add donations, etc., please contact Mrs. Jan Maxson at: (206) 542-5956 or e-mail her at jmaxson@u.washington.edu. Volunteers will be needed to sort the items according to age groups as well as stuff the stockings, and captains to deliver them to the shelters. Volunteers are needed from 3 - 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. - noon on Saturday.

Toy Drive for Poor and Homeless Kids

This Christmas, many poor and homeless children will be without a new toy. Today, women and children comprise more than 40 percent of the homeless population in our region. In partnership with Made in Washington and several performing arts theatres, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission is conducting their annual toy drive to help the hundreds of poor and homeless children they serve. The donated toys will be distributed to homeless children living in the Mission's Women and Family Shelter and transitional housing, inner-city at-risk youth participating in the after-school program, and the sons and daughters of adults participating in the recovery and rehabilitation programs.

Bring donated new and unwrapped toys for pre-school to high-school kids to any Made in Washington retail store located in Southcenter Mall, Bellevue Square, Gilman Village, Northgate Mall, Pike Place Market, Westlake Center and on West Nickerson Street.

Holiday Pet Food Drive

Look for food barrels located at most Fred Meyer and Safeway stores in King County. Please donate pet food and clumping cat litter; donations benefit The Humane Society's Pet Food Bank, which serves low-income senior citizens and pet owners disabled with AIDS.

For more information, please call The Humane Society's Special Events Line at (425) 373-5384 or visit www.seattlehumane.org.

Seattle Animal Shelter seeks new and "like-new" dog igloos

The Seattle Animal Shelter is sponsoring its third annual "shelter drive" for dogs. The shelter is soliciting new and used, good-quality doghouses and dog igloos, which it will donate to pet owners in need.

"As we enter into the winter season, thousands of dogs are left out in the cold and rain with little or no shelter," says Animal Control Manager Don Jordan. "Although we do not advocate leaving dogs to live outside, the reality is some dog owners do not allow their dogs inside their homes, even in the winter. Our goal is to help pet owners in need provide a better living environment for their dogs."

Act fast--new and used dog igloos will be accepted at the Seattle Animal Shelter, 2061 15th Ave. W, Tuesday through Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m. through December 9, 2001. The shelter is maintaining a list of people interested in receiving doghouses, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. To be placed on the list, call (206) 386-PETS.

The shelter is open Tuesday - Saturday, noon - 6 p.m. and Sunday, noon - 4 p.m. For more information, call (206) 386-PETS.

Reader Comments

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annette turello	Sep 22, 2002	crestwood,ky	salescleck
if you ever help outside of your state,please let me know,i have resuced 19 cats & 3 dogs,several agencys have helped to spray all of them & have given them their first shots. What i need is two small doghouses that two cats need,they live in front of my house because they fight with the other cats...Have not been able to find homes for them their older cats,no one seems to want them..One is a purebreed siamse. Annette Turello If i made a decent wage i would not ask for help for them


sherrie lupi	Nov 10, 2004	Revere Mass	Homemaker/parttime employee
I"m not sure how to quite explain my situation. I don't even know if this is an approperiate thing to do. But here it goe's. I need help. I'm a single mother. I have 2 children. My daughter is 12 and I have an 11 year old son. (with learning disbilities.) who goes to a learning disabled school. last November I took in a 16 year old boy. His grandfather is 72 years old and need some help. Damien the 16 year old is a great kid, he's done a 360. I try my hardest to help others. I do have a good heart. But now I need help and I dont know who to tell or where to go for it. I've never cried poor mouth nor would I. I would just like a little help if their is any out their. Honestly, Im usto helping others, showing up at x-mas for others children, I donate, clothes, canned goods when I can, I've given to chariety's. I've even helped with fund raisers. But I've never been in this position before. When my son was first diagnosed with learning disabilities, things were of course easier. That was about 5 years ago. Unfortunately, I ended up having to leave college. A full time job. I needed to make my self available for my son's academic schooling, his doctors appointments. This really has'nt changed much. I am still needed at home and at meetings, ect. However, I have since learned how to juggle my time. ( well ) I have also had to build my family back up. We kinda had to learn how to do things all over again, their were a lot of adjustments. I have now managed to hold a part time job at my sisters business. I clean it for a little extra money, every two weeks. I've adjusted well. We all have, I shop wisely, I cut corners and had still managed to save. My big problem started about 4 years ago. (I'll explain) I bought a car at a dealership, it was an in house loan. A friend of a friend type deal. I have all the paper work thank god. Well it turns out that the car of course was a lemon. One problem after another. I could just cry. I ended up going for months on end,without a car. In their shop getting fixed. So I was told. Now I know differently. I had to file a complaint with the attorney generals office, every time I would get the car back it still had the same problems internally. back in forth I even brought others with me to the dealership they would not give me my money, they wanted to sell me another car. for a 6 year agreement paying almost 700 hundread a moth in car payments, well reguardless I am no waiting on the court proceedings. After the last straw happened. The car caught on fire with me in it, while I was driving, this is how I found out their was now work done internally their were not any signs of new parts, or work that had been done. Im hoping that the attn generals office will resolve my car situation, I had given them all my saving's. I put $2,300.00 down and $400.00 a month plus $1,000 for a warrenty that they never put thru, thank god I have the reciepts for all of this. I reallly worked so hard for this. Im sure that you must understand how I feel. However, even with all the media coverage, that has been going on about this dealership, things seem to be dragging out it's almost 4 years since I put in the original complaint. Its now been over a year since they were taken to court. Everything keeps getting postponed. Well the good thing is that I have such wonderful neighbors. Anette's my next door neighbor her mother felt so bad for all that she say us go thru that she gave me her old car that was in storage. A pontaic 6000 an 1988 to be exact. I am so greatful to the fact that I had been given this car and that she has been nothing but wonderful to me and my children ( all 3 of them) but all the extra money I had saved, once again is now being put into this car. I knew that I would hafto fix some stuff up. however, things keep piling up. I have put in oil gaskets, manifold gaskets,a new cadallaic converter, an alternator, a battery, and all new pluggs, a new tail pipe, plus something called an oc2 sensor. Last week on the way back from picking up my daughter from school,My break lines snapped, those needed to be replaced which I did the very next day, and now I find out that the transmission is slipping and needs to be replaced. Honestly, necessarly I would'nt care if I had a car or not. Except for the fact that, I need this for my son's dr apts, schooling, work, ect. I need a working or at least workable car. As I see it, this now means that I hafto use all of my christmas money. To fix the transmission. I know that christmas is about family and being together. However to an 11year old boy and a 12 year old girl christmas is also about having a little something under the tree, It expresses love and appreciation to them. It's suppose to be a special day of giving and recieving. a day that's special. I am so beside my self right now, see Id honestly ask my sister for help, but I can't. she actually needs my help. And I dont''' want her to worry any more than she has to. My sister's husband was just diagnosed in Sept with cancer, then he went in for surgery day surgery and come to find out the cancer had spread to what is known as his adnoids, glands to help you understand in his mid side area. Things seem to be tough Laureen may now loose the business . She built this from the ground up. She's amazing. This took her 10 years and she just moved and expanded her business last year. I have been watching her children 3 day's a week just so she can make an appearence at her business, and get the basic's done on the work front while I help her on the home front. Greg her husband is on bed rest he has tubes 2 of them funning down his leg and movement is quite hard for him. Greg will now be going in to chemotherapy for the next 12 nonths. This is also why I need to be able to fix this car up. (repair the transmission if possible) Zoe is 5 and Griffin is 3 My sister's children they really need me, they cant see their father go thru this they need me to help and support them. They just lost their nana (gregs mother) 2 years ago on the 18th of December, This was rough enough she lived in the same house as them. It's one thing after another. I guess I'm fortunate. I thank god Im alive every day. I sware it. When it comes to the bigger picture of life. However, it's just that so many people are depending on me. I honestly need a dependable car. to do be be able to be their for everyone's needs I know that if I take the $700 I have saved for xmas. And I fix my car, then my niece and nephew and my kids wont' have anything for christmas. If I skip the car and do christmas then I cant take my own kids to their schools. ( my sons is in a different city 3 towns away) I won't be able to make the meetings and or events and then I won't be able to watch my niece and nephew for laureen. (my sister) Then she"ll have to drag the kids with her every day for the next 3 months to his chemotherapy appointments in Boston, and then hafto go with them 3 times a week for the next 9 months. I really don't want them to see this. Our mother lives in Maine she has knee problem's driving for her is rough it's over 4 hours away. We usto visit her, because traveling for her for that lenght of time was advised againt by her physician, so Im basically the only one that she has. I have no husband. I can honestly say that the 16 year old helps out as much as he possibly can. But he has no income, and I don't want to make him feel bad for the situation. Were all in. I"m being so very honest about all of this. I wish so much that My live was not like it is. I honestly wish that this was all a dream. But it's not. And I don't know who to ask for help. Or where to go. If you know of anyone who can help me. Would you please call me 1-781-286-2776. or E-mail me at - sherrie02151@yahoo.com. I'm sorry if this seems inapproperiate or unorthdoxed. I feel foolish telling you not knowing who will be seeing reading this on the other end, however,I just figured that where your a helping agency, that you may be able to put me in the right direction of someone that may be able to help me. If not, I understand. Well thank you very much for your time. Also, for considering this letter for a referrall for outside help for xmas. yours sincerely, Ms. Sherrie Lupi