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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Mayor announces permanent location for outdoor meals programs
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
2/2/2007 3:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
Sara Levin 206-684-8691
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Mayor announces permanent
location for outdoor meals programs
SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels announced today that the city has established
a permanent, safe and convenient location at the corner of Sixth Avenue and
Columbia Street in downtown Seattle for the outdoor meals programs serving
Seattle’s homeless people.
The parking lot under Interstate 5 has been transformed with seating areas,
bright lighting and fencing allowing meal providers to safely serve nutritious
meals to hundreds of homeless people daily. Volunteers will be planting flowers
this week at the location.
“Last month, this space was often unsafe, dimly lit, littered with trash,” Nickels
said. “Now it’s a safe and welcoming location that will allow volunteers
to help some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.”
Unlike previous outdoor meals sites, this location is permanent. Until it
was demolished in January 2005, the Public Safety Building Plaza, at Fourth
and Cherry, served as the meals site. From April 2005 through December 2006,
the First Presbyterian Church hosted the outdoor meals program. The current
site opened Jan. 10, 2007.
While the new location is the only outdoor meals site, there are 10 indoor
meal programs located in and around the downtown Seattle area.
OPERATION: Sack Lunch will manage the outdoor site and work in cooperation
with other meal providers.
“The response has been tremendous,” said Al Poole, director of
Seattle’s homeless intervention programs. “We’re serving
more people than ever before. I’m enormously gratified that this community
has come forward to work with the city,”
Poole credited Beverly Graham and OPERATION: Sack Lunch; Kay Abe and the Lord’s
Table; Pastor Don Tatum and the Bible Street Outreach Ministry; and Jodi Mangold
and Mt. Zion Baptist Church. All these individuals and organizations run outdoor
meals programs at the new site.
OPERATION: Sack Lunch serves lunch to approximately 300 people each week day.
Kay Abe’s The Lord’s Table serves dinner to 80-100 each week day.
In addition, Bible Street Outreach Ministries and Mt. Zion Baptist Church will
serve Saturday meals, on alternate weekends. The city of Seattle is also screening
applications from other providers, who will offer additional services.
Meals are served Monday through Friday from 1 to 2 p.m.; Monday through Thursday
from 8 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays at 1 p.m.; and the first, third, and fifth Sundays
at 4 p.m.
Indoor meal programs are located at:
- Asian Counseling & Referral Service, 919 S. King St.;
- Lifelong AIDS Alliance-Chicken Soup Brigade, 1002 E. Seneca St.;
- Seattle Indian Center, 611 12th Ave. S., Suite 300;
- Compass Center, 77 S. Washington St.;
- Bread of Life Mission, 97 S. Main St.;
- First Avenue Service Center, 2015 Third Ave.;
- Millionair Club, 2515 Western Ave.;
- Boomtown Café, 2515 Western Ave. (Saturdays only);
- Seattle Union Gospel Mission, 318 Second Ave. Extension S.; and,
- William Booth Center, 811 Maynard Ave. S.
To volunteer to serve meals or help in other ways, please contact Beverly
Graham of OPERATION: Sack Lunch at http://www.opsacklunch.org
Visit the mayor’s web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s
inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity
and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm
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Office of the Mayor
Human Services Department
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