It saddens me greatly but I am going to have to put FeedSeattle on Hiatus for a month or two. My work duties have changed such that I am going to have to work graveyard shifts, weekends, and crazy split shifts (12a-5a then 2p-6p or so). I assure you all that I will still be serving the homeless on my own, I simply will not have the ability, or regular enough schedule, to coordinate a larger effort. I'm confident that y'all will continue as well, I know you are a great group of people with a deep love for the homeless.
Take care all!
ToddS
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Eleventh Feed - RSVP Time
I got a phone call from Coal Creek Chapel a few days ago, a Church in Bellevue that has partnered with us many times. The phone call resulted in me picking up hundreds, if not thousands, of brand new tshirts and polos last night ... Now we need to figure out how to distribute them. I've no idea how we are going to do it, but figuring it out is half the fun!
I'm also going to change from Tuesday to Wednesday next week, so peoples can go have some Green Beer fun on Tuesday.
So, RSVP by noon Tuesday if you are able to meet up at 7pm on wednesday to inventory and organize lots of shirts then go distribute. Also let me know if you are willing/able to drive and how many people you can take with you. should be a good time!
ToddS
I'm also going to change from Tuesday to Wednesday next week, so peoples can go have some Green Beer fun on Tuesday.
So, RSVP by noon Tuesday if you are able to meet up at 7pm on wednesday to inventory and organize lots of shirts then go distribute. Also let me know if you are willing/able to drive and how many people you can take with you. should be a good time!
ToddS
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Tenth Feed - Stories
Tenth Feed was, indeed, as exciting and fruitful as we had hoped. The event started the night before when myself and co-worker Brian went to Costco and purchased a complete flat bed cart full of snack food, about $500 worth ... and let me tell ya, the cart was hard to push around those screaming little kids. Once again I'm glad I have a pickup.
The morning started off with lots of coffee. At 10am about 7 Feed Seattle Volunteers and 9 people from Servant Church in Lynnwood showed up and we got busy. After putting snack packs together, all which included socks that were collected and donate by an 8th grade class on the East Side, we split into 3 groups and headed out; 5th Ave, Seattle Center, and Pike Market. Pike was a new location for us since we never go there Tuesday nights, but it makes sense to go there on a Saturday morning. Here are some words from one of the volunteers ...
"Met a guy coming out of the Senior Center in the bottom of Pike Place. He said his name was Nash. He was confused at first... not sure why I was being so friendly, but he saw the socks and got really excited. I shook his hand and made eye contact with him and he lit up. He was geniunely touched. Something I shared with the group I was walking with that I've found to be true, is the need to shake hands and make eye contact with the folks we are serving. It's an act to show that you recognize their dignity and pride. Nash seemed to appreciate the handshake and eye contact more than the food. I also met up with a Mexican man and his small granddaughter outside of a women's resource center. The little girl was without shoes or a coat. Grandpa had her bundled in his jacket. Her Mom was inside trying to get some help. It was very hard to keep walking after that."
At the same time Coal Creek Chapel was down at Occidental Park handing out Chicken Teriyaki and Rice, along with coffee and cloths and all sorts of goodness. Apparently they were nearly mauled for their Teri Chick Bowls; AWESOME!
About noon the guys from the Fiji house at UW came down and 16 of us put together 400 bags in about an hour, all while watching the UW basketball game on the big screen... it was quite the whirlwind of flying doritos and socks. Then they loaded up bags full of bags and headed off to distribute in many various locations
The morning started off with lots of coffee. At 10am about 7 Feed Seattle Volunteers and 9 people from Servant Church in Lynnwood showed up and we got busy. After putting snack packs together, all which included socks that were collected and donate by an 8th grade class on the East Side, we split into 3 groups and headed out; 5th Ave, Seattle Center, and Pike Market. Pike was a new location for us since we never go there Tuesday nights, but it makes sense to go there on a Saturday morning. Here are some words from one of the volunteers ...
"Met a guy coming out of the Senior Center in the bottom of Pike Place. He said his name was Nash. He was confused at first... not sure why I was being so friendly, but he saw the socks and got really excited. I shook his hand and made eye contact with him and he lit up. He was geniunely touched. Something I shared with the group I was walking with that I've found to be true, is the need to shake hands and make eye contact with the folks we are serving. It's an act to show that you recognize their dignity and pride. Nash seemed to appreciate the handshake and eye contact more than the food. I also met up with a Mexican man and his small granddaughter outside of a women's resource center. The little girl was without shoes or a coat. Grandpa had her bundled in his jacket. Her Mom was inside trying to get some help. It was very hard to keep walking after that."
At the same time Coal Creek Chapel was down at Occidental Park handing out Chicken Teriyaki and Rice, along with coffee and cloths and all sorts of goodness. Apparently they were nearly mauled for their Teri Chick Bowls; AWESOME!
About noon the guys from the Fiji house at UW came down and 16 of us put together 400 bags in about an hour, all while watching the UW basketball game on the big screen... it was quite the whirlwind of flying doritos and socks. Then they loaded up bags full of bags and headed off to distribute in many various locations
Overall it was a great time, and to think it all started with a simple phone call, from Pastor Chris, while I was home sick one day and he wanted to know how we were going to distribute the 500+ pairs of socks that were collected. A few emails later we had a plan and a total of 4 organizations coordinating to feed the homeless on the streets of Seattle on the same Satruday afternoon; THAT'S what it's all about.
Hope to see y'all on Tuesday for Eleventh Feed!!!
ToddS
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tenth Feed - Stats
approximate event stats: 55 Servers, 750 served, $695 donate by volunteers
approximate total stats: 249 servers, 2355 served, $1352 donate by volunteers
We mobilized an Army and hit the streets with a mountain of food and socks. Stories to come ...
ToddS
approximate total stats: 249 servers, 2355 served, $1352 donate by volunteers
We mobilized an Army and hit the streets with a mountain of food and socks. Stories to come ...
ToddS
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tenth Feed - RSVP time
We are trying something a bit different for Tenth Feed; going out to serve on a Saturday. I've no idea how this will turn out as I have never served on a Saturday before, but I'm fiarly certain people in need of our services will be out all around Seattle. I'm still waiting to hear from a few of the organizations that want to partner with us on this one, but I know of one that wants to bring 40 people; this should be as fruitful as it is challenging!!!
I'm likely going to have each of the groups serve on their own, as I bounce back and forth between the various groups getting them setup and coordinated. I'm looking for Feed Seattle volunteers who are not affiliated with any of the other groups to meet at my place at 10am on Saturday. We will pack bags for an hour then head out about 11am to distribute to our standard locations. I'm asking everyone to pitch in $15 for this event, since the sheer number of people is going to make it hard for me to personally cover any extra expenditures as I usually do.
So, having said all that who's in and how many people are you bringing? I need concrete RSVPs by noon on Thursday.
I fairly excited about the sheer awesomeness that is going to take place this Saturday!!! We will have our next standard Tuesday feed on March 3rd.
ToddS
I'm likely going to have each of the groups serve on their own, as I bounce back and forth between the various groups getting them setup and coordinated. I'm looking for Feed Seattle volunteers who are not affiliated with any of the other groups to meet at my place at 10am on Saturday. We will pack bags for an hour then head out about 11am to distribute to our standard locations. I'm asking everyone to pitch in $15 for this event, since the sheer number of people is going to make it hard for me to personally cover any extra expenditures as I usually do.
So, having said all that who's in and how many people are you bringing? I need concrete RSVPs by noon on Thursday.
I fairly excited about the sheer awesomeness that is going to take place this Saturday!!! We will have our next standard Tuesday feed on March 3rd.
ToddS
Friday, February 20, 2009
Nineth Feed - Stories
Nineth feed was pretty mellow. I sent out a last minute "Not many people have RSVP'd" type email. It was met with pretty good response so I planned for about 15 people. Although there were only 7 of us, we still served a lot of people.
I sent a group of 5 people to the 5th Avenue shopping area, telling them to bring as many bags with them as they could ... and they did. I think they all had at least two bags full of bags.
Meanwhile Greg and I loaded two HUGE duffle bags full of bags into my truck and headed down to the Viaduct. After walking around for a while and seeing hardly anyone, we headed back to my truck to try another spot. On the walk back we noticed a number of tents, more spread out than usual and in a slightly different spot. They all seemed pretty bunked down for the night so we just left the bags at the tent doors. We did see Gustav the Roosters' tent, so hopefully he is safe and sound.
Then we drove up to I5 near Yessler, where people often hang out mere feet away from cars driving 60+ mph. There were no individuals hanging out as there sometimes are but we did serve a number of tents that were setup in the grassy area next to the fence.
Occidental park was intersting, as we came across a church group praying with people and handing out cloths. It was a bit strange as we didn't know what was going on at first and tried to serve some of them ... as they were huddled in a group praying. I think the Peoples of Occidental Park were a bit confused by all the attention, but people were served so all is good.
Yessler park had a number of people hanging out, even one gentleman who was more interested in the bag then the food. Near there was a group of people that were waiting for the shelter to open up and they cleaned us out; all very thankful.
That's really that, fairly mellow night but fruitful none the less.
Next event is the Saturday event, how appropriate that our Tenth Feed is a big Saturday multiple group event. I have no idea how we are going to pull it off ... but that's half the fun now isn't it?!?! More on that next week
ToddS
todd@wetfoot.net
I sent a group of 5 people to the 5th Avenue shopping area, telling them to bring as many bags with them as they could ... and they did. I think they all had at least two bags full of bags.
Meanwhile Greg and I loaded two HUGE duffle bags full of bags into my truck and headed down to the Viaduct. After walking around for a while and seeing hardly anyone, we headed back to my truck to try another spot. On the walk back we noticed a number of tents, more spread out than usual and in a slightly different spot. They all seemed pretty bunked down for the night so we just left the bags at the tent doors. We did see Gustav the Roosters' tent, so hopefully he is safe and sound.
Then we drove up to I5 near Yessler, where people often hang out mere feet away from cars driving 60+ mph. There were no individuals hanging out as there sometimes are but we did serve a number of tents that were setup in the grassy area next to the fence.
Occidental park was intersting, as we came across a church group praying with people and handing out cloths. It was a bit strange as we didn't know what was going on at first and tried to serve some of them ... as they were huddled in a group praying. I think the Peoples of Occidental Park were a bit confused by all the attention, but people were served so all is good.
Yessler park had a number of people hanging out, even one gentleman who was more interested in the bag then the food. Near there was a group of people that were waiting for the shelter to open up and they cleaned us out; all very thankful.
That's really that, fairly mellow night but fruitful none the less.
Next event is the Saturday event, how appropriate that our Tenth Feed is a big Saturday multiple group event. I have no idea how we are going to pull it off ... but that's half the fun now isn't it?!?! More on that next week
ToddS
todd@wetfoot.net
Thursday, February 19, 2009
CRE
I know I owe ya'll some stories from Nineth Feed, and they are on their way I promise. But first I want to let you all know about CRE ...
"United Way of King County's Community Resource Exchange brings community members and organizations together to connect homeless individuals and families in King County to immediate services, all in one place, in one day."
Since I know y'all are passionate about the homeless I thought it might be a good volunteer opportunity. Check it out: http://www.uwkc.org/newsevents/events/cre/default.asp
I've yet to advertise another organization or effort through FeedSeattle, but this looks to be a good one. Let me know if you register to volunteer, I'm hoping to do so myself, perhaps we can head down together or grab lunch after.
ToddS
"United Way of King County's Community Resource Exchange brings community members and organizations together to connect homeless individuals and families in King County to immediate services, all in one place, in one day."
Since I know y'all are passionate about the homeless I thought it might be a good volunteer opportunity. Check it out: http://www.uwkc.org/newsevents/events/cre/default.asp
I've yet to advertise another organization or effort through FeedSeattle, but this looks to be a good one. Let me know if you register to volunteer, I'm hoping to do so myself, perhaps we can head down together or grab lunch after.
ToddS
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Nineth Feed - Stats
approximate weekly stats: 7 Servers, 150 served, $60 donate by volunteers
approximate total stats: 194 servers, 1605 served, $957 donate by volunteers
It was a fairly small group last night but despite that we still served a whole lot of people living in tents, and a whole bunch of people waiting to get into a shelter, and even ran into another group doing pretty much what we were doing; though thankfully it didn't turn into a full-on turf war. Stories to come ...
ToddS
approximate total stats: 194 servers, 1605 served, $957 donate by volunteers
It was a fairly small group last night but despite that we still served a whole lot of people living in tents, and a whole bunch of people waiting to get into a shelter, and even ran into another group doing pretty much what we were doing; though thankfully it didn't turn into a full-on turf war. Stories to come ...
ToddS
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Nineth Feed - Rethought
Through some conversation yesterday we are going to attempt a large scale Saturday Serve on February 28th. We are still in the planning stages but it's gonna be exciting.
To that end I am pushing 9th feed a week, as I feel it's best for volunteers and food prep to not serve more than once in the same week. Upcomming feeds now look like this:
Feb 17th, standard Tuesday Outreach
Feb 28th, Saturday Outreach event
March 3rd, standard Tuesday Outreach
That's that, hopefully no more rescheduling. Don't worry about RSVPing at this point, just mark your calendars.
ToddS
todd@wetfoot.net
To that end I am pushing 9th feed a week, as I feel it's best for volunteers and food prep to not serve more than once in the same week. Upcomming feeds now look like this:
Feb 17th, standard Tuesday Outreach
Feb 28th, Saturday Outreach event
March 3rd, standard Tuesday Outreach
That's that, hopefully no more rescheduling. Don't worry about RSVPing at this point, just mark your calendars.
ToddS
todd@wetfoot.net
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Large Scale FeedSeattle - Saturday February 28th
Servant Church from Lynnwood has collected over 500 pairs of socks for us to distribute and wants to do a special event on Saturday the 28th. I have a few other organizations that might want to be a part of this as well. I'm not sure how large this tide is going to swell, as it just started a few hours ago, but you know me; I'm willing to partner with anyone if it gets more food out to the streets. So if you have an office or school that might want to join in let me know.
I don't know where we will serve or what format this feed is going to take; but let me know if you are interested. Shooting for 10am - 1pm at this point, subject to change as we are still planning. We are going a bit larger than usual, so I'm hoping for $15 donations from volunteers; but as usual if you can't afford the $15 come help us out anyway. The more the merrier as always ... but i'm going to need a fairly accurate head count for shopping.
That's that for now, Nineth feed is still planned for February 10th. I sure hope we see Gustav the Rooster as well as Shadows dogs Bugs and Punkin!
ToddS
I don't know where we will serve or what format this feed is going to take; but let me know if you are interested. Shooting for 10am - 1pm at this point, subject to change as we are still planning. We are going a bit larger than usual, so I'm hoping for $15 donations from volunteers; but as usual if you can't afford the $15 come help us out anyway. The more the merrier as always ... but i'm going to need a fairly accurate head count for shopping.
That's that for now, Nineth feed is still planned for February 10th. I sure hope we see Gustav the Rooster as well as Shadows dogs Bugs and Punkin!
ToddS
Monday, February 2, 2009
Nineth Feed - Next Week
For those of you who have been asking lately, our next event is February 10th and we meet at my apartment building near 4th and Blanchard. You can contact me at the address below if interested.
I'm hoping to make it a smashing successes, hoping we can hit 6 different areas in the City, so please RSVP as soon as you can, although I realize schedules can be tricky.
A bit more information for new peoples:
What we do is get together at my apartment building downtown at 7pm. We'll spend the first 45 minutes or so putting bags together and chatting, then about 60 minutes or so on the streets distributing them; we are always done by 9pm. Volunteers bring a backpack if at all possible, and $10 to pitch in for supplies next week. This way we are fully volunteer funded. Parking can be tough, but there should be street parking and since it's past 6pm it should be free. If not there is a cheap pay lot the next block up on the same side of the street ($5). Let me know if you have any further questions, would like to be added to the email list, or will be able to join us.
Take care!
ToddS
todd@wetfoot.net
I'm hoping to make it a smashing successes, hoping we can hit 6 different areas in the City, so please RSVP as soon as you can, although I realize schedules can be tricky.
A bit more information for new peoples:
What we do is get together at my apartment building downtown at 7pm. We'll spend the first 45 minutes or so putting bags together and chatting, then about 60 minutes or so on the streets distributing them; we are always done by 9pm. Volunteers bring a backpack if at all possible, and $10 to pitch in for supplies next week. This way we are fully volunteer funded. Parking can be tough, but there should be street parking and since it's past 6pm it should be free. If not there is a cheap pay lot the next block up on the same side of the street ($5). Let me know if you have any further questions, would like to be added to the email list, or will be able to join us.
Take care!
ToddS
todd@wetfoot.net
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Promo
Work in progress, but pretty DANG not bad I think. Thanks to Joshua.F for using his mad vid skillz to help us out!
http://www.vimeo.com/3014437
ToddS
http://www.vimeo.com/3014437
ToddS
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Bag Prices
Here are the approximate prices for 100 homeless snack packs
$18 Capri Sun
$12 Chips
$24 Granola Bars
$30 Apple Sauce
$10 Fruit Jells
$10 Ziplock Bags
$27 Cheese Sandwiches
----------------------------------
$131 / 100 bags
$1.31 per bag
Add some coinage for Uncle Sam into that and we are right about our goal of $1.50 per bag. Still looking for ways to improve it, but we're on the right track.
ToddS
$18 Capri Sun
$12 Chips
$24 Granola Bars
$30 Apple Sauce
$10 Fruit Jells
$10 Ziplock Bags
$27 Cheese Sandwiches
----------------------------------
$131 / 100 bags
$1.31 per bag
Add some coinage for Uncle Sam into that and we are right about our goal of $1.50 per bag. Still looking for ways to improve it, but we're on the right track.
ToddS
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Eighth Feed - Stories
Last night was another great success. Upon Jessica's suggestion we tried putting cheese sandwich parts together. Essentially a few Costco rolls, two slices of pre-wrapped cheese, mayo packet, and a mustard packet. I'm still debating on whether it's worth doing or not. While We were able to put them together much faster than I had anticipated, and it gets something a bit more substantial in the bags, they get kinda squished and is something that we have to go through left over bags and take out, as cheese is definitely perishable. We'll see.
We sent out 11 people to our usual spots. One of the volunteers reported "The Seattle Center house was packed tonight. I was out of bags in about 5 minutes, but between the group of us, we had enough for all of them and walked around Queen Anne a bit as well. The socks were really appreciated." My sister had sent me about 60 pairs of socks from Boston which are always a big hit with the homeless as they are on their feet most of the day, often with wet shoes.
Myself, co-worker Brian, and regular volunteer Lindsey headed down to Occidental Park to meet up with Coal Creek Chapel who was back to help us again. CCC had hot coffee, food bags, cloths, soup; all kinda good stuff. Once we said 'Hey' the 3 of us went on a walk under the viaduct, to the group of tents we had success at last time. The tents had moved, and we almost missed them, but thank God/the stars/Karma we spotted 'em. It was pretty much the same as before. Shadow was not there, however I met his little sister, who reiterated that she was his "biological" sister; not sure why. She exclaimed something to the effect of "His stupid hoe girlfriend told me he was in jail, I knew he wasn't in jail so I took my dogs back". don't know the full story, but sure enough she had Pumpkin and Bugs whom we'd met a few weeks previous. We also saw the lady with Gustav the Rooster again; Gustav is alive and well!
I really want to take a few minutes and chit chat with these people, and always plan to, but then when the moment comes I am so focused on reaching as much of the streets as we can that I usually take off right away. It's a delicate balance between helping a few people a lot or a lot of people a little; our group tends to focus on the later rather than the former.
We headed back next to the stadiums, served a few cars and RVs. We approached one van, knocked, and was greeted with an open door; which is wierd as people usually just open windows. There were 3 guys inside, and when I gave them the snack packs I think I made three of the happiest stoners the world has ever seen. One guy in the back of the van kept repeating "I love you man, you're the best, thanks man, I love you".
Then we ran across Joe, from Joe's Hot Dogs, a regular pre-game meal for myself and friends before Seahawks/Mariners games. Joe is the coolest, nicest, and one of the most successful, hot dog vendos in town. Don't be fooled by others that claim to be Joe, there is only ONE Joe. After he told me about seeing Jay Buehner earlier in the evening...
Joe: What are you up to tonight man?
Me: Feeding homesless peoples, same as you
Joe: I do that all the time, don't like to throw it away. See ya during Mariners Season!
(suddenly I have 'Who are the people in your neighborhood' from Seasame Street in my head)
Once we got back to Occidental Park, Pastor Sean was ready to load us up in his van and drop us off near I5. Lindsey led us to a spot literally on the side of I5 that homeless often bed down, you've likely seen them before. Trudging out near whizzing cars was fun, we found about 6 people asleep under blankets, along with a guy/girl who were awake and huddled in a corner. In fact I didn't even know that the frail young lady was there until she moved, and she was about a foot away from me.
On the walk back to Occidental to end the night we came across some homeless shacks/tents setup near a construction site then hit Yesler park, where we were pointed toward people waiting to get into one of the emergency homeless shelters that opens at 9:30pm (and makes people leave at 4:30am). It was great serving a man who was smoking a joint; everyone was very appreciative
That's really that, our success continues and our numbers are increasing. Thanks a TON to everyone who is giving their time and money.
ToddS
todd at wetfoot dot net
We sent out 11 people to our usual spots. One of the volunteers reported "The Seattle Center house was packed tonight. I was out of bags in about 5 minutes, but between the group of us, we had enough for all of them and walked around Queen Anne a bit as well. The socks were really appreciated." My sister had sent me about 60 pairs of socks from Boston which are always a big hit with the homeless as they are on their feet most of the day, often with wet shoes.
Myself, co-worker Brian, and regular volunteer Lindsey headed down to Occidental Park to meet up with Coal Creek Chapel who was back to help us again. CCC had hot coffee, food bags, cloths, soup; all kinda good stuff. Once we said 'Hey' the 3 of us went on a walk under the viaduct, to the group of tents we had success at last time. The tents had moved, and we almost missed them, but thank God/the stars/Karma we spotted 'em. It was pretty much the same as before. Shadow was not there, however I met his little sister, who reiterated that she was his "biological" sister; not sure why. She exclaimed something to the effect of "His stupid hoe girlfriend told me he was in jail, I knew he wasn't in jail so I took my dogs back". don't know the full story, but sure enough she had Pumpkin and Bugs whom we'd met a few weeks previous. We also saw the lady with Gustav the Rooster again; Gustav is alive and well!
I really want to take a few minutes and chit chat with these people, and always plan to, but then when the moment comes I am so focused on reaching as much of the streets as we can that I usually take off right away. It's a delicate balance between helping a few people a lot or a lot of people a little; our group tends to focus on the later rather than the former.
We headed back next to the stadiums, served a few cars and RVs. We approached one van, knocked, and was greeted with an open door; which is wierd as people usually just open windows. There were 3 guys inside, and when I gave them the snack packs I think I made three of the happiest stoners the world has ever seen. One guy in the back of the van kept repeating "I love you man, you're the best, thanks man, I love you".
Then we ran across Joe, from Joe's Hot Dogs, a regular pre-game meal for myself and friends before Seahawks/Mariners games. Joe is the coolest, nicest, and one of the most successful, hot dog vendos in town. Don't be fooled by others that claim to be Joe, there is only ONE Joe. After he told me about seeing Jay Buehner earlier in the evening...
Joe: What are you up to tonight man?
Me: Feeding homesless peoples, same as you
Joe: I do that all the time, don't like to throw it away. See ya during Mariners Season!
(suddenly I have 'Who are the people in your neighborhood' from Seasame Street in my head)
Once we got back to Occidental Park, Pastor Sean was ready to load us up in his van and drop us off near I5. Lindsey led us to a spot literally on the side of I5 that homeless often bed down, you've likely seen them before. Trudging out near whizzing cars was fun, we found about 6 people asleep under blankets, along with a guy/girl who were awake and huddled in a corner. In fact I didn't even know that the frail young lady was there until she moved, and she was about a foot away from me.
On the walk back to Occidental to end the night we came across some homeless shacks/tents setup near a construction site then hit Yesler park, where we were pointed toward people waiting to get into one of the emergency homeless shelters that opens at 9:30pm (and makes people leave at 4:30am). It was great serving a man who was smoking a joint; everyone was very appreciative
That's really that, our success continues and our numbers are increasing. Thanks a TON to everyone who is giving their time and money.
ToddS
todd at wetfoot dot net
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Eighth Feed - Stats
- approximate weekly stats: 31 Servers, 350 served, $105 donate by volunteers
- approximate total stats: 187 servers, 1455 served, $897 donate by volunteers
Tonight Sean and the folks from Coal Creek Chapel were back at Occidental Park, we met Shadows' none-too-happy little sister (who had his dogs Pumpkin and Bugs), fed some people on the edge of I5, Chatted with Joe (of Joe's Hot Dogs fame) and even filmed a promo video! Oh, and the rooster is alive and well!
Stories to come tomorrow.
ToddS
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Contacts
We've only had 8 events since we started this little band of do-gooders. Already we've partnered with two local churches, a school teacher who's students collected over 500 pairs of socks, and will soon be partnering with a fraternity from UW. Most of this involvement has come through craigslist ads and simple conversations with friends.
I don't mind saying that this goes to prove my thought that most people want to help if given a chance to, they simply need a bit of instruction and motivation. Anyone you know that is interested in assisting the homeless on the streets of Seattle? I'd be more than happy to assist in getting their efforts going.
Nineth Feed on Tuesday is going to be Krazy Kool; 6pm for sandwich creation 7pm to pack bags and head out.
ToddS
I don't mind saying that this goes to prove my thought that most people want to help if given a chance to, they simply need a bit of instruction and motivation. Anyone you know that is interested in assisting the homeless on the streets of Seattle? I'd be more than happy to assist in getting their efforts going.
Nineth Feed on Tuesday is going to be Krazy Kool; 6pm for sandwich creation 7pm to pack bags and head out.
ToddS
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Eighth Feed - Next Tuesday
Eighth Feed is next week, and we will be building on the momentum that was kicked up last week (you can tell I am still excited by our experiences with Shadow and the others in his area). Some of us will be meeting ahead of time, about 6pm, to put together some assemble-yourself cheese sandwiches. So, to that end, let me know if you can:
A. Meet up at 6pm to put sandwiches together before we pack up and head out
B. Can meet up at the normal 7pm starting time to packup and head out.
The larger the group goes the more important it is for people to RSVP if at all possible, though if you have to make a last minute call then so be it. Thanks to all who came last week. I think that was the smoothest it's ever been breaking in to groups and heading out, I think I will continue to let ya'll decide where you want to go and to break into your own groups. We are also getting the snack pack assembling down fairly well, so much so that people who are stuck in traffic are in danger of missing us. From now on we will always wait until at least 7:30 before we leave, but if you arrive after that there are no garauntees that we will still be around.
A few reminders:
Volunteers bring a backpack if at all possible, and $10 to pitch in for supplies next week. This way we are fully volunteer funded. Parking can be tough, but there should be street parking and since it's past 6pm it should be free. If not there is a cheap pay lot the next block up on the same side of the street.
That's that for now!
ToddS
A. Meet up at 6pm to put sandwiches together before we pack up and head out
B. Can meet up at the normal 7pm starting time to packup and head out.
The larger the group goes the more important it is for people to RSVP if at all possible, though if you have to make a last minute call then so be it. Thanks to all who came last week. I think that was the smoothest it's ever been breaking in to groups and heading out, I think I will continue to let ya'll decide where you want to go and to break into your own groups. We are also getting the snack pack assembling down fairly well, so much so that people who are stuck in traffic are in danger of missing us. From now on we will always wait until at least 7:30 before we leave, but if you arrive after that there are no garauntees that we will still be around.
A few reminders:
Volunteers bring a backpack if at all possible, and $10 to pitch in for supplies next week. This way we are fully volunteer funded. Parking can be tough, but there should be street parking and since it's past 6pm it should be free. If not there is a cheap pay lot the next block up on the same side of the street.
That's that for now!
ToddS
Monday, January 19, 2009
Resources
This weekend some cool stuff happened with respect to our budding outreach team:
- I had someone contact me about a group of 29 people that would like to serve with us
- A friend of mine had her students collect hundreds of pairs of socks for us to give away
- My sisters gift of a mountain of socks to distribute finally arrived in the mail
- Jessica found a great deal on Cliff type bars and peanut butter crackers.
Good stuff indeed. Also, I've purchased 200 small packs of mayo and 500 small packs of mustard, so we are a go for sandwich creation next week.
ToddS
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Seventh Feed - Stories
Seventh feed saw yet another great response from volunteers, with 21 people giving of their time as well as $175 in donations.
The first 3 teams headed out to our usual 3 spots; 5th ave, Seattle Center, and Belltown. I've been noticing that we are heading out earlier than we used to, with experience we are getting the snack packs put togehter in record time.
As Jessica and I were cleaning up and getting ready to head out ourselves, Liz and Jessie showed up. Instead of sending them off by themselves we took them with us on our scouting mission. We loaded all the leftover bags in my truck and headed out.
Our first stop was the Taco Bell in lower Queen Anne, as I'd heard that there are often a number of homeless hanging out in that area. If they were there they were well hidden as we didn't see anyone. I'll likely take another pass in the future on foot.
We headed south along the water to an area in sodo I'd seen tents at during the crazy winter weather. Once we spotted the tents we parked the truck and headed over. The first person we met was later introduced to me as "Shadow, actually people call me Shadow The Protector". Shadow lead us over to an area between a few tents where a number of people were sitting in a circle, there might have been a fire there but my attention was elsewhere. Shadow introduced us to his dog and his puppy; Bugs and Pumpkin. Once we served them and were walking away the petite blonde girl lifted up her sweatshirt to show us she was pregnant, we gave her a bag for her child as well. Later in the night we came across another pregnant homeless woman; so sad.
Continuing on we served a number of tents, sometimes communicating with the person inside and sometimes just leaving the pack near the tent flap. When we called out to one tent and asked how many people were in it, what we thought was "Just me an Gustav" turned out to actually be "Just me and the rooster", which turned out to be true.
We also ran across a number of people living in vehicles. One couple with their cat and rat, another man with a huge TV in his small van (huge being relative, it was likely 27inches). Another younger gentleman in an RV with 3 dogs. When we got back to my truck we had 4 bags left and decided to walk them over to Shadow the Protector to do as he see's fit. During our previous discussion he'd mentioned that he was kind of the care taker of the group, which is where the proclaimation of "The Protector" comes from.
The person who had the most effect on me tonight was the girl that Shadow was talking to when we first came across him. She didn't "look" like she should be homeless. She looked like she should be shopping at The Gap with her friends, or enjoying a latte at Starbucks. She mentioned that her parents were in the tent next to her and I could not help but wonder if the rough economic times had recently put them on the street. From this I take away that bad things happen to everyone, and without a good support system things can get real bad; Thank God for my wonderful family and friends!
Eigth Feed is on January 28th, but I wish it was tomorrow.
That's that for now!
ToddS
The first 3 teams headed out to our usual 3 spots; 5th ave, Seattle Center, and Belltown. I've been noticing that we are heading out earlier than we used to, with experience we are getting the snack packs put togehter in record time.
As Jessica and I were cleaning up and getting ready to head out ourselves, Liz and Jessie showed up. Instead of sending them off by themselves we took them with us on our scouting mission. We loaded all the leftover bags in my truck and headed out.
Our first stop was the Taco Bell in lower Queen Anne, as I'd heard that there are often a number of homeless hanging out in that area. If they were there they were well hidden as we didn't see anyone. I'll likely take another pass in the future on foot.
We headed south along the water to an area in sodo I'd seen tents at during the crazy winter weather. Once we spotted the tents we parked the truck and headed over. The first person we met was later introduced to me as "Shadow, actually people call me Shadow The Protector". Shadow lead us over to an area between a few tents where a number of people were sitting in a circle, there might have been a fire there but my attention was elsewhere. Shadow introduced us to his dog and his puppy; Bugs and Pumpkin. Once we served them and were walking away the petite blonde girl lifted up her sweatshirt to show us she was pregnant, we gave her a bag for her child as well. Later in the night we came across another pregnant homeless woman; so sad.
Continuing on we served a number of tents, sometimes communicating with the person inside and sometimes just leaving the pack near the tent flap. When we called out to one tent and asked how many people were in it, what we thought was "Just me an Gustav" turned out to actually be "Just me and the rooster", which turned out to be true.
We also ran across a number of people living in vehicles. One couple with their cat and rat, another man with a huge TV in his small van (huge being relative, it was likely 27inches). Another younger gentleman in an RV with 3 dogs. When we got back to my truck we had 4 bags left and decided to walk them over to Shadow the Protector to do as he see's fit. During our previous discussion he'd mentioned that he was kind of the care taker of the group, which is where the proclaimation of "The Protector" comes from.
The person who had the most effect on me tonight was the girl that Shadow was talking to when we first came across him. She didn't "look" like she should be homeless. She looked like she should be shopping at The Gap with her friends, or enjoying a latte at Starbucks. She mentioned that her parents were in the tent next to her and I could not help but wonder if the rough economic times had recently put them on the street. From this I take away that bad things happen to everyone, and without a good support system things can get real bad; Thank God for my wonderful family and friends!
Eigth Feed is on January 28th, but I wish it was tomorrow.
That's that for now!
ToddS
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Seventh Feed - Stats
- approximate weekly Stats: 21 Servers, 175 served, $175 donate by volunteers
- approximate total stats: 156 servers, 1105 served, $792 donate by volunteers
ToddS
Monday, January 12, 2009
Seventh Feed- Tomorrow
Now that the Holiday Season, crazy weather, and impromptu trips to the East Coast are over it's time to get serving again. Let me know if you are in for 7pm tomorrow.
For our next event, on the 27th, those of us who can will meet a bit early and put together cheese sandwiches (with mayo/mustard packets) to put in the bags, a great idea suggested by a regular volunteer. We also have another church group from Lynnwood that is donating a whole bunch of socks they collected and will be helping us distribute at a future event
That's that for now.
ToddS
For our next event, on the 27th, those of us who can will meet a bit early and put together cheese sandwiches (with mayo/mustard packets) to put in the bags, a great idea suggested by a regular volunteer. We also have another church group from Lynnwood that is donating a whole bunch of socks they collected and will be helping us distribute at a future event
That's that for now.
ToddS
Monday, January 5, 2009
Seventh Feed - Postponed
I am pushing Seventh Feed back one week, from January 6th to January 13th. I apologize for the short notice but I'm flying out of town this week to attend a funeral in Boston.
We'll serve it up on the 13th for sure, I'm thinking sandwiches again and really want to make a big event of it; so tell everyone you know. Also. if anyone knows where to get some free/cheap Red Rider type wagons, preferably with the larger rubber wheels, please let me know.
Happy 2009 all!
ToddS
We'll serve it up on the 13th for sure, I'm thinking sandwiches again and really want to make a big event of it; so tell everyone you know. Also. if anyone knows where to get some free/cheap Red Rider type wagons, preferably with the larger rubber wheels, please let me know.
Happy 2009 all!
ToddS
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Got turned down tonight
Tonight I hung out at a friends house drinking beer and making pot stickers; actually we were not able to make pot stickers as the meat had 'turned'; but we had fun hanging out none the less. I took the bus home from lower Queen Anne to my apartment in Belltown, arriving about 12:30. A few doors away from my place I saw a lady bedding down in a doorway for the night. This same lady I have seen many times asleep in that same doorway as I bustle off to work in the morning.
I decided to approach her grabbing the only bill in my wallet, a $20. I said "Excuse me, I've seen you sleeping here many mornings and I just want to give you this for a good breakfast in the morning." Much to my suprise she would not accept it. While I didn't badger her, I did say something to the effect of "are you sure?" a number of times; to no avail.
Why wouldn't she take it? I truly have no idea. I don't think I was being too presumtive as she was obviously bedding down for the night.
So now I am sitting at home, listening to 'Better People' by Xavier Rudd, wondering "why wouldn't she take it?" After three years of street outreach I still have a lot to learn.
See ya'll next week.
ToddS
I decided to approach her grabbing the only bill in my wallet, a $20. I said "Excuse me, I've seen you sleeping here many mornings and I just want to give you this for a good breakfast in the morning." Much to my suprise she would not accept it. While I didn't badger her, I did say something to the effect of "are you sure?" a number of times; to no avail.
Why wouldn't she take it? I truly have no idea. I don't think I was being too presumtive as she was obviously bedding down for the night.
So now I am sitting at home, listening to 'Better People' by Xavier Rudd, wondering "why wouldn't she take it?" After three years of street outreach I still have a lot to learn.
See ya'll next week.
ToddS
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