Emergency Services Mission:
To provide emergency assistance for residents of zip codes 98115, 98125, 98133, 98155 and 98177 and to refer people to other agencies for additional services.

North Helpline's Lake City Food Bank Mission: To feed the hungry. Serving residents in zip codes 98115, 98125, 98133, 98155, 98177 and anyone else who is hungry.

Dear Volunteers and Friends of North Helpline and the Lake City Foodbank:

We're looking for volunteers to help, and participants to walk or run at our Big Rock Walk and Fun Run, Saturday June 30, 8 AM-noon. Entry Fee is $20 preregistration, $10 senior.

Volunteers will monitor street corners and give directions to the participants. Race starts at 9 AM with registration at 8 AM. Light breakfast, entertainment and T-Shirts provided for all. Please contact Lynda Locke at 206-367-3477 or return a message for more information. North Helpline and Lake City Foodbank 12707 30th Avenue NE [At the Fire Station] Lake City in Seattle 206-367-3477

Directors Letter

I am reminded every day how very fortunate we are at North Helpline. We work with many partners that help us perform our mission and support our efforts to meet the needs of the community. A mission of feeding the hungry and providing emergency services to thousands of people can be daunting if a non-profit was to try and do this on their own. We continually seek out the council, friendship, and financial resources that contribute to the successful management of our operation. I want to highlight just one of the partners who have been instrumental in assisting North Helpline to provide human services to this community, and offer our gratitude to each individual who has offered support.

The City of Seattle has provided our location, funding, and helpful guidance over the past 17 years. Members of many city departments and offices have offered their time and expertise in helping us reach out to the community. They recognize the challenges of working with minimum staffing, space limitations, and emergent needs of the neighborhood. When we run up against problems, they respond. When we request advice and counsel, they give thoughtful suggestions and recommendations. The Department of Human Services is committed to resolving hunger and shelter needs in Seattle. It is managed by a director who understands the challenges and demands of a non-profit program like North Helpline, and makes herself accessible and available to assist with important issues and questions. Fleets and Facilities recognize the issues we face in our specific location, and do what they can to mitigate issues with the building and grounds. The Department of Neighborhoods' Neighborhood district Coordinator is constantly working on our behalf, seeking out information and solutions through many city departments. The Mayor's office has always shown a sincere interest in North Helpline and our mission in this community. Mayor Nickels has seen our operation, knows the issues we face in meeting the needs of the poor in our community, and has offered his encouragement and leadership. The City Council has continually worked to secure funding and resources for North Helpline. Over the years, council members have taken the time to advocate on our behalf, personally respond to our inquiries and concerns. We also owe our appreciation to the Seattle Fire Department, and especially station #39 for allowing us to share this building with them over the past 17 years. They are good neighbors and champions in our community.

Comments by Rita L. Anderson, Executive Director

Your RotaCare Free Clinic has been seeing an average of 14 patients a week this year, ranging from a few slow days with six, to a high of 18 patients. Many of these we serve are working, but do not earn enough to afford health insurance. We do not see many children, but we would welcome young mothers to bring their children for health care.

Our Dental Van has been seeing 13 patients every week it comes to North Helpline. Seeing a dentist is the last thing on the priority list for those in need. We have seen several that needed emergency care, including two with abscesses and many that have not had their teeth cleaned in many years.

RotaCare, under the auspices of Northwest Hospital, is offering diabetes classes starting later in June. We are looking for participants who are willing to spend an evening once a week for six weeks with the support group. The group size will be limited, and participants will be determined by an ability to commit to the whole program.

Hold Sunday, July 8th open for a BBQ to honor North Helpline and RotaCare volunteers. It will happen at the Bouck's home from 3 to 8 pm. Directions are available by calling the office at 206-367-3477. Come and join us in celebrating all the people in our community who make North Helpline and RotaCare work.

If you can, please consider depositing it into the container in the North Helpline Office. We are conducting a "pennies" collection [we all have them hanging around the house] - other change welcome as well.

"Adopt a Stop"

King County Metro Transit has a volunteer program that partners residents with a bus stop. The volunteers "adopts" a bus stop to keep it clean and pick up litter. If you are interested, please call 206-263-6503. The adopter" receives 20 bus tickets a month and if you don't need them, you can donate them to North Helpline for our clients use.

Keeping Lake City Clean One Bar At a Time

Did you know that many low income and homeless families who are struggling to put food on the table also don't have money for soap, deodorant, toothpaste, and shampoo? We rely on donations to help with this problem. However, right now our supply is very low, and North Helpline Emergency Services back-up budget for hygiene kits is very small. As it is, we are only able to supply these items to needy clients every 90 days. Donations of hygiene products and money to purchase them are always appreciated. We like to cover all ends - and find that we also need disposable diapers, especially the larger sizes and pull-ups. Many of our elderly clients also need adult sized diapers. And you travelers, please donate your extra hotel size items.

Janna's Letter

To the Editor:

I have volunteered at the North Helpline Food Bank since its inception. My job has been providing interpreting and translation for the Russian-speaking population that the food bank serves, and monitoring the morning line for disabled clients on Saturday mornings.

In my experience, having spoken with Russian speakers, Somali speakers, Spanish speakers, speakers of various Asian languages, and English speakers, the food bank serves as a kind of community meeting place. It is a place where people within each, individual cultural group can find each other every week and offer advice, condolences, recognition, and all the other kinds of validation people need. Beyond that, it also serves as a place where people reach beyond their individual communities and, by necessity, find mutual understanding as they await their turns in the lines.

For people suffering from various illnesses, mental or otherwise, that make venturing out into the larger community difficult, the food bank also provides a social destination. Many clients state that the only time they leave their homes and their TVs is on Saturdays, to come to the food bank and share coffee and doughnuts with their neighbors. For homeless people, the food bank also offers a non-judgmental place to go on a Saturday morning for food and company.

Last but not least, the food bank provides meaningful opportunities for volunteers, businesses, and people performing community service to serve in their own neighborhood, and help their own neighbors.

If our overarching goal as citizens is to serve needy people while, at the same time, pulling those people together into a cohesive community, the food bank plays an integral part. It has become a true neighborhood hub.

Janna Gross North Helpline Volunteer

"Lake City Transmission"

A big North Helpline Thank you to Lake City Transmission who repaired our van and gave us a substantial discount. They are on the corner of Lake City Way and 123rd Street and are experts on 1994 Dodge Vans!!!

Our Newsletter is available via email

Our Newsletter is also available via email as an Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] document. You can help save paper and postage if you would like to receive it in that format and/or receive it both ways. As an email, it is easy for you to forward to interested friends.
Just drop us a message at northhelpline@comcast.net.

Multilingual Access Project

As some of you know the Multilingual Access Project (MAP), a collaborative of community agencies in Seattle specializing in serving immigrants and refugees, launched a new website to help women and families whose second language is English find safety from domestic violence.

The website, www.map-seattle.org, provides information on domestic violence and how to get help in 9 languages - Chinese, Korean, Amharic, Russian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Somali, and Spanish. In addition, it provides information about safety planning, immigration and human trafficking, also issues of concern for immigrants and refugees. In April we will be adding Arabic, Lao and Punjabi to the site.

Destination North Helpline
Transportation Help is available-if you live in King County, north of NE 145th Street.

North Helpline/Lake City Food Bank may be able to assist you by providing: Free Bus Tickets or a Monthly Disabled Bus Pass Free Fold-up Cart with Wheels for Easy Food Transportation.

We have received a grant from the United Way North Community Council to help provide better access to food, human services, and medical care for residents of North King County.

If you or anyone you know is having trouble making ends meet, please contact us. North Helpline provides a variety of services such as the Food Bank, eviction prevention, RotaCare free medical clinic, and a supportive staff who can help people navigate through various resources and agencies available to help them.

For more information call 206-367-3477 and ask for Destination North Helpline

A New Home for North Helpline

From The Executive Director ...................................................... Rita L. Anderson
North Helpline (NHL) has been serving the Lake City/Northgate/Shoreline communities for over 17 years, providing emergency utility help and rental assistance as well as food from the Lake City Food Bank to our neighbors in need. With a rich heritage of volunteers from local clubs, churches, businesses, and organizations, North Helpline serves almost 1,000 community members each week with the many services provided. Over 350 volunteers donate their time and efforts to ensure this community stays strong and cohesive, leaving no one hungry or homeless. The City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods has been a partner in our service to the community by supporting our current location in this city facility. However, because Lake City Fire Station will be rebuilt in the next few years on this same site with no additional room for a non-profit organization, North Helpline has been searching for a new home. It has been a long pursuit, but it looks like we finally have found it!

The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) is planning a new six story Low-income structure to open in 2008 in Lake City. North Helpline has been invited to join LIHI in that project! North Helpline Emergency Services and the Lake City Food Bank will be located on the first floor along with the RotaCare Free Medical Clinic with additional plans for a free Dental Clinic. This new facility will be state of the art and will implement green strategies throughout the project. The park-like landscaping will be aesthetically pleasing and provide open space for the entire community.

The date of opening is estimated to be late 2008. North Helpline hopes to be able to stay in our current building until then, and only make the one move to the new facility, disrupting our human services programs as little as possible. The fund-raising has already started and we have secured $495,000.00 from the Federal Government and $170,000.00 from King County for the new facility. We still need to raise over $1 million dollars more for our share of the building. This is where everyone can help! If you can donate to the North Helpline Building Fund or know of a business, foundation or organization that would be able to help fund the new building, please let us know!

North Helpline Raffle Time Again

Three Wonderful Prizes

Tickets sales for the NHL 6th Annual Raffle Fundraiser have started as of Thursday May 17th at the Lake City Farmer's Market, and will run until the end of the Lake City Seafair Festival - 5:30 pm Saturday August 4th!

Three wonderful prizes have already generated a lot of interest.

1. Our Quilt attracted oohs, aahs and many booth visits and ticket sales! In shades of blue and white, the quilt has the beauty of a" Delft" porcelain and is one of the most beautiful quilts we have ever received from the generous Charm School Quilters from Lake Forest Park (including Kay Hardie's sister.) Thank you to the Charm School Quilters who have been providing an incredible raffle quilt for 6 years now!!

2. Salish Lodge Gift Certificate, Value $1000 This special prize can be used for lodging, dining, spa or recreational activities available at this luxurious 4 star Snoqualmie Falls resort. How about a getaway weekend, a spa day with lunch for you and a few friends, or a memorable gourmet dinner party above the Snoqualmie Falls?

3. PCC Cooks - With You and 9 Friends, Value $400 Have you always wanted to learn the secrets of Thai or Indian cooking, or how to make sushi - this is a cooking party/dinner celebration event! Puget Consumer Coop has four teaching kitchens (our closest is Greenlake), a catalog of cuisine options, and wonderful instructors to provide you and your family or friends with a memorable dinner party event. You choose the cuisine and bring the group - they provide the food, appropriate wine or beer tasting (if desired), and clean up at the end!

Tickets are each $2, or 6 for $10. When you sell (please sell tickets to benefit NHL) or purchase (great prizes/great cause) you must designate which drawing you wish to enter i.e. a ticket can be entered into drawing for Lodge or Quilt or Cooks.

Ticket entry must have your purchasers name, phone number and prize choice written legibly. Buy 6 tickets or more and enter each of the drawings, if you wish, or put them all in one! No need to save ticket stub or be present for the August 4th drawing - we will call the lucky winners!

Tickets will be on sale from NHL volunteers at our office, at the 3rd Thursday of June and July Lake City Farmers Market, the June 23rd Haller Lake Community Chilipalooza (12-5pm), and all day at the Seafair Festival, August 4th, 8:30am-5:30pm.

Please support the NHL programs with your ticket purchases and sales!

Deciphering Food Expiration Codes

Did you know that food dating is not required by Federal law (except for baby formula/foods)? Not only is dating voluntary by manufacturers, but stores are not legally required to remove old or out-dated merchandise from shelves. So, it is up to you to be vigilant and look at everything you buy!
Here's a guide to food codes and terms:

Best if Used by or Use By: beyond this date the product may deteriorate but it is still safe. Key word is "Best."

Expiration Date: If you haven't used the product by this date, toss it out.

Sell By or Pull By date: Used by manufacturers to tell grocers when to pull product but there is leeway for home usage. For example, milk is usually good for at least a week past the pull date.

Guaranteed Fresh: Perishable products may still be edible but freshness is not guaranteed beyond this date.

Pack Date: often used on canned or boxed foods. Combinations of letters and numbers may indicate months, days or years and are often hard to decipher.

Farmers Markets

Watch for North Helpline at Farmers Markets in Lake City and Lake Forest Park. Our booth will have Lake City Summer festival raffle tickets for sale in addition to a selection of handmade greeting cards and limited edition NHL pins and magnets. 100% of proceeds go directly to North Helpline's programs. Did you know? Food Stamps are accepted at both Farmers Markets and Lake City also accepts Seniors Farmers market coupons.

Dates: Lake City: Thursdays Lake Forest Park: Sundays

Grocery Rescue

Volunteers needed! North Helpline needs a few good folks to pick up groceries from our partner grocery stores (time commitment about 1 hour 1 day a week). Our grocery store rescue program provides us with hundreds of pounds of food every week to distribute to our clients. We could never provide enough food for the community without volunteers to pick up the donated food from QFC, Fred Meyer, and Safeway. If you or friends, neighbors or relatives would like to give back to the community and help your neighbors, give us a call at 206-367-3477 and ask for Kay.

Please Recycle

Calling All Local Churches, Business Leaders & Community Members!

We are interested in exploring the possibilities of collaboration with any and all interested in better serving the needs of the Lake City community. If you would like to hear more about this and join in this discussion and efforts, please contact Jeannee Carr at lakeviewshelter@qwest.net. Let's see what we can do by working together!

Hours
North Helpline Emergency Services
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 10:00 am-2:00 pm
Food Bank
Saturday
Disabled & Seniors (over 65) 9:30 am-11:30 am
General Public 12:00-2:00 pm

Wish List
Ever wonder how you can help but just don't know where to start? There are a number of ways you can lend a hand, even if you haven't got a lot of time to contribute.
What kinds of food items work best for the food bank?? Here are a few:
Meals in a box or can … rice mixtures, macaroni & cheese, beef stew, chili
Soup … canned or dried/flavored ramen noodles
Canned vegetables and fruit
Pasta and sauce
Cereals
Microwave
Family-size grocery items are ideal … larger, bulk amounts of food often require repackaging before they can be distributed.