Tag Archives: blogsgiving

BlogsGiving V Enters the Pages of History

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Hand turkeys, a BlogsGiving tradition (Photo: MvB)

A few guests: foreground left, CHS's Justin talking with Ravenna Blog's partially obscured Rebecca, CD News Tom and TSB theatre reviewer Courtney, and far right, TSBer and former MetBlogger Josh (Photo: MvB)

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BlogsGiving has come and gone for the fifth year, but you can still donate to Northwest Harvest: it’s easy. (Text ENDHUNGER to 80888 to make a $10 donation from your phone.) This year we raised $420 for hungry people, an amount which is purely coincidental with the passage of I-502.

Our thanks to  Capitol Hill Seattle, Central District News, and Ravenna Blog for helping us throw the party–and to Vermillion, Capitol Hill’s art gallery and wine bar, for hosting and donating to the cause. They prepared our most successfully festive holiday drink, a Champagne and cranberry number, too.

As an art gallery, Vermillion also allowed us to show off to best advantage the hand-turkey art that has become a staple of BlogsGivings. For many of us, it was our first gallery show, and it was an unforeseen thrill. As you can see, the exposure did go to someone’s Ravenna-based head.

We were just down the street from our first-ever BlogsGiving, in 2008, back when there were such things as Seattlests and Seattle Metblogs and even Seattle Post-Intelligencers. (Check out how young everyone looks, pre-Recession!) Then we raised almost $400, so while it’s not a lot in comparison to total hungriness, we have upped our game.

Again, please consider giving a little extra to any food bank (pdf of Seattle-area options). As the Mayor’s office has mentioned, “According to the Seattle Food Committee, in the last five years, Seattle food banks have seen a 25 percent rise in the number of clients coming to them for help,” in conjunction with a 30-percent decline in donations.

This Sunday, It’s BlogsGiving V, a Benefit for Northwest Harvest

Each year for the past five years, the writers of The SunBreak (this started back when we were Seattlest-ers) have joined up with fellow bloggers at BlogsGiving. It’s a meetup and a benefit for Northwest Harvest.

This year, we’re gathering at Vermillion, Capitol Hill’s art gallery and wine bar, on Sunday, November 18, from 6 to 9 p.m. For a suggested donation of $10, drop in to mingle, browse art, toast with a festive Champagne-and-cranberry drink, and nosh on a variety of cured meats and delicious cheeses. There will also be hand-turkeys, as that’s become a bit of a tradition.

The drink and eats are our gift to you–courtesy of your bloggy hosts at Capitol Hill Seattle, Central District News, Ravenna Blog, and The SunBreak.

All donation proceeds go to Northwest Harvest. We have increased the donation amount this year, due to demand. Here is an announcement from the City of Seattle about the need to support food banks:

Mayor Mike McGinn today called on Seattle residents to donate food, money and volunteer time to local food banks, which are facing the double whammy of increasing numbers of clients and declining food donations.

Speaking at the Pike Market Food Bank in downtown Seattle, the Mayor said, “As families and individuals struggle to make ends meet in a difficult economy, we want to make sure that no one goes hungry in Seattle.”

According to the Seattle Food Committee, in the last five years, Seattle food banks have seen a 25 percent rise in the number of clients coming to them for help.

We hope to see you at Vermillion. If you can’t make it, you’ll be missed, but please consider donating to Northwest Harvest (or the food bank of you choice) right now, while you’re thinking about it.

BlogsGiving 4 Brings Record Donation (for Us!) to NW Harvest

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The secret to a convincing wattle is that sparkly glue stuff. (Photo: MvB)

Husband & wife turkey artists Jason Preston and Monica Guzman, with My Green Lake's Amy Duncan

BlogsGiving scenes (Photo: MvB)

Eastlake Ave's Curt Milton, CHS's Justin Carder, and free-spirit Dylan Wilbanks (Photo: MvB)

BlogsGiving scenes (Photo: MvB)

BlogsGiving scenes (Photo: MvB)

A soon-to-be-devoured pie from Pies & Pints (Photo: MvB)

Tony's turkey (Photo: MvB)

Chelsea's turkey (Photo: MvB)

The "Guzman" (Photo: MvB)

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A little belatedly, our thanks to all of you who attended BlogsGiving 4: North of the Cut. For the uninitiated, BlogsGiving is a free-form annual blog meetup and fundraiser for Northwest Harvest. This year BlogsGiving raised $432 and cans for the area’s hungry people, and our generous host Pies & Pints is also donating a portion of their proceeds from the evening, raising the total to around $700! A new record. (You can add to it by donating online!)

This year, the festive do-gooders at Roosiehood, Ravenna Blog, and My Green Lake helped us in putting the party on–one of the reasons we hold BlogsGiving is that until we all gathered at Pies & Pints on November 19, despite years of Weekend-Wrap blog-headline-trawling, I hadn’t actually met any of them in person before.

Wallyhood, Eastlake Ave., Seattle Transit Blog, and Seattle’s social media power couple, Jason Preston and Monica Guzman, piled in as well. I know I’m missing more people, forgive me and my failing memory. (I have to note that Preston gets a producer’s credit for my hand turkey drawing, and that The SunBreak is now in possession of an official “Guzman,” which we’re going to be holding on to as an appreciating asset.)

UPDATE: Left off the blogroll, though not in our hearts, was the entire Capitol Hill Seattle blog enterprise: Justin Carder, his wife Kristin, and their two news elves, one of whom slept through most of the event, but we forgive. Now forgive me for the oversight. Do it.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Save the Date for Blogsgiving 4!

BlogsGiving 4 is today, November 19, from 4-7 p.m. at Pies and Pints! Help us raise money and cans of food for NW Harvest.

Yes, it’s that time again. So everyone pick up your phone and tell Siri you’ve got a new appointment for Saturday, November 19th. It’s the fourth annual Blogsgiving meetup and benefit for Northwest Harvest!

This year we’re taking the party North Of The Cut. We’ll be at Pies and Pints from 4 to 7 p.m. Incidentally, did you know Pies and Pints opens a whole hour earlier in the wintertime? Fall back!

Suggested minimum donation is $5 to NW Harvest and/or two non-perishable items. Since man is rarely motivated by altruism alone, your donation also earns you one specialty drink, like a Guinness with cider float, both seasonal and delicious.

Don’t worry, Pies and Pints is also kid-friendly, so feel free to bring the whole fam, as there will be non-alcoholic beverages available, not to mention MEAT PIES, and we’ll have markers and paper for kids of all ages to make hand turkeys.

All bloggers, readers, friends, enemies, and even frenemies are invited to attend. Blogsgiving is not just for hyperlocal newsies, but for anyone who might want to share a warm, social evening with people they know mainly through handles like @dawgs4ev. Come one, come all!