1. Give blood at the Bloodworks Northwest drive—The Seattle Mariners and Bloodworks Northwest blood drive has been extended to May 2 at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle. In addition to helping save lives, for every donor that gives, people will also receive two Seattle Mariners tickets per individual who visit their pop-up blood drive. Spots are limited, so be sure to sign-up in time. To encourage social distancing ad precautionary measures, be sure to make an appointment with the drive on their website. Bloodworks has posted information addressing questions and concerns for blood donors here.
2. Shop at your local QFC— Support Together Against Hunger, a virtual food drive for Food Lifeline. KIRO 7 and QFC grocery stores are teaming up to help feed hungry families. There are many local food banks in the Puget Sound helping out families by providing meals and services during these tough times. Food Lifeline nonprofit is the fourth-largest hunger relief service and meals to families across the country. You can donate online at the Together Against Hunger food drive at kiro7.com/together. For every dollar donated, Food Lifeline can provide five meals for people in need.
3. GiveBIG in a time of need— During this time, it’s crucial to come together and support our community and those that help it thrive. The non-profit, GiveBIG, powered by 501 Commons, is a 501c3 charitable organization helping to raise funds for charities and non-profits who provide food, shelter, health and social services. GiveBIG builds FUNdraising campaigns for local organizations, provide online training, tools, volunteers and connects them with potential new donors. Early fundraising starts April 15, with a 48-hour public campaign running May 5-6. To learn more or give to local organizations, visit their donate page here.
3. Join MoPOP in their first virtual book club— MoPOP is launching their first book club celebrating the work of author Ray Bradbury’s novel, “The Illustrated Man”. To commemorate the writer, the book club will celebrate three stories from Bradbury. Over the next several weeks, from April 17 to May 15 you can join the virtual fun, with a virtual discussion, join their happy hour, Twitter chats and a movie watch party. You can stay informed on MoPOP blog or Goodreads group too.
4. Visit your local farmers market—The Olympia, Ballard and University District farmers markets all opened to serve their communities in the past few weeks, but with a little bit of changes to order of business. Many vendors will be offering services, but with no-contact guidelines with customers. Shoppers will also not be allowed to handle produce and will be encouraged to wear a face masks when visiting the markets. Ballard farmers market will also be open Sundays and offer drive-thru services and the U-District market will be open Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Be sure to check out the Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Market website or their FAQ page for additional details.
5. Support the Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County Resiliency Fund – The Habitat for Humanity SKC Beyond the Build Luncheon was scheduled to take place on April 3. One of the organization’s largest fundraisers of the year, those dollars are desperately needed to create strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. So Habitat for Humanity SKC has announced the creation of a Resiliency Fund that will support families in danger of losing their homes and ensure that their operations continue as planned in order to help address additional needs. If you are able, you’re asked to consider giving what you can to this critical and unanticipated need.
6. Make an appointment to adopt a pet – The Seattle Animal Shelters counters may be closed, but their adoptions are still possible! To keep our community safe and healthy, and to ensure permanent homes can still be found for our furry friends, animal adoptions are now temporarily available through a new appointment-based system. Visits can be coordinated so that social distancing guidelines are strictly followed. Schedule an appointment and find your forever animal today!
7. Learn more about your favorite animals— Local zoos are closed to the public during the stay-at-home order for a few more weeks, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t virtually interact with your favorite wildlife. Local zoos like the Woodland Park Zoo and Point Defiance Zoo have numerous activities to get involved in. At Point Defiance’s website, you can download fun animal coloring pages, learn more about your favorite animals and their habit or get some summer program ideas for the kids.