By Matt Wendland

The B-Town Beat is asking for help supporting those in need in Burien’s community by helping them gather food and clothing to donate to Transform Burien during their November 6th Music & Art Walk event in downtown Burien.

The B-Town Beat is a local arts nonprofit organization that was founded in 2013 with the idea of using music and art as a way to build a strong local economy and thriving community. The organization has two primary programs, the Art Alley project and the B-Town Beat Music & Art Walk.

The B-Town Beat’s Art Alley project is located in the Southwest 152nd Street Alley between 4th and 6th Avenue Southwest. According to their application to the City of Burien’s Arts Commission, the project’s concept is to take a space that is commonly associated with less desirable activity and encourage an influx of people walking through the area by bringing in rotating murals and partner with local people and businesses who are attached to the alley to clean up the space and fix structures that may encourage crime. The ultimate goal is to transform the previously underutilized space into an economic driver and community venue used for showcasing art and hosting events. Over 2013 and 2014, Sam Sneke, the B-Town Beat board member who heads up the project, has overseen countless artists who are both local and from around the world who have all volunteered their time and talent to paint murals in the Art Alley. Supplies for the murals are all paid for through grants obtained by the B-Town Beat. The first Art Alley event is tentatively scheduled for July of 2015.

The B-Town Beat Music & Art Walk takes place between 4th and 10th Avenue Southwest on Southwest 152nd Street in downtown Burien. Since mid 2013, the event has taken place on nearly every first Thursday of month. Between 20 and 35 local businesses open up their spaces to host art openings, photography, kids crafts, dancing, spoken word, community painting projects or live music and other artistic expressions. The event is entirely free to the public and is paid for through grants and sponsorship and donations from local businesses and community.

The B-Town Beat is currently wrapping up their 2014 season with just two events left in the year, the December 4th Holiday Shopping Beat and the closest event, the November Beat and Transform Burien Food and Clothing Drive which is set to take place on November 6th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in downtown Burien. The B-Town Beat has partnered with a number of local businesses who normally host music or art, to also host drop off locations for donations to Transform Burien. They are specifically asking that for participants to bring gently used winter clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, new socks, tarps and nonperishable food. Donation drop-off locations will be designated on an event map which can be picked up from any of the participating venues on the night of the Beat.

Transform Burien is a nonprofit organization that serves hot meals and provides food and clothing to hundreds of people in Burien and the surrounding communities every week. From the former Burien Community Center, the Annex, Transform Burien serves two hot meals each week, one on Sundays between 3pm and 5pm, and again on Wednesdays between 12pm and 2pm. Hot meals aren’t the only thing Transform Burien offers to those in need in Burien. Every Sunday the group opens a food and clothing bank where new and gently used clothing and non-perishable food is available for free. The clothing bank opens again each Wednesday. Medical and dental buses are also regularly brought in by Transform Burien to ensure that even those who can’t afford medical and dental coverage can still receive essential care.

In addition to the donation drop-offs for Transform Burien, venues participating in the B-Town Beat Music & Art Walk have lined up a number of artists from around the Pacific Northwest, numerous musicians who will be playing live in venues with no cover-charge, and a number of family friendly and kid friendly activities. More information about Transform Burien, The November Music & Art Walk and the B-Town Beat can be found by visiting their website: www.b-townbeat.com