Left-Right: White Center residents A.J. Woeck, Vernon Duncan, and A.J.'s sister, Olivia Carter are pictured at the Heroes for the Homeless organization's ice cream social fundraiser Aug. 1 at the Century Ballroom on Capitol Hill. Carter has volunteered with the organization for almost three years. She and Duncan also work at the White Center Safeway.
The organization, Heroes for the Homeless, a non-profit with a volunteer crew that distributes food, clothes, and blankets to those they find in need living without shelter, held its annual fundraiser Sunday, Aug. 1, at the Century Ballroom on Capitol Hill. The event, "A Hero's Ice Cream Social" included a raffle, magician, and buckets of ice cream, bananas, and toppings. Left-overs would go to a homeless shelter.
The magician, "William the Amazing," is William Darkow, who starred in the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society's HMS Pinafore in July at Seattle covered by the West Seattle Herald.
"The fundraiser was great and we had a lot of fun," said Heroes for the Homeless founder, Tricia Lapitan . "We raised enough funds to get us through the winter. Monthly we serve nearly 650 people. Some of our regular clients live near the West Seattle Bridge, White Center, and just south of SODO. I think human services in general is going to be really tenuous to budget for in this year and I'm hoping the City Council and mayor really pay attention to what's happening.
"A lot of people are entering homelessness for the first time, and then there are people who have been chronically homeless for a long time. Those numbers, and our numbers, are increasing.What we are doing is unique. We choose to serve people where they choose to live. Yes, some choose to be homeless, but would be open to choosing housing if it were available and affordable for them."
You can check out West Seattle Herald's other articles about the organization here: http://www.heroesforthehomeless.org/in-the-news
