The White Center Taco Time and corporation working with the White Center Homeless Summit (WCHS) community group will provide a free taco lunch for homeless people in White Center on Friday March 8 at noon., WCHS, a coalition started by the White Center Chamber of Commerce and many local service entities and local businesses has been working for almost a year on a strategy to support the White Center homeless and chronic alcoholic populations to recovery.

The taco feed will begin at noon in front of the White Center Chamber of Commerce office in Steve Cox Park (corner of SW 102nd and 14th Ave. SW) behind McLendons, across from the Cross Church site. Volunteers will provide fresh tacos to the crowd, supplied by the White Center Taco Time.

Participation in the effort includes many White Center organizations, churches, street ministries, business owners and residents who are working to reduce the negative impacts that can occur from White Center's homeless on our business district and in our community. One outcome was to try a program called "White Center Friday Lunch in the Park", patterned after a successful effort in Kent, where each Friday, free lunch is provided in a local park for Kent's homeless, pulling them out of the business district for a few hours, and putting them in touch with people and programs that can support them to recovery.

The organizers have extended their gratitude to Frank Tonkin and the entire Tonkin family, owners of Taco Time Northwest/Accord Inc., as they have agreed to provide hot meals for 40 homeless residents once a month for six months to try this program here in White Center.

Additional critical support has been provided by Mac's Triangle Pub, Grace Church, Union Gospel Mission, Mt View Presbyterian Church, Westside Church, Holy Family School, with essential community facilitation from Westside Baby. White Center businesses Proletariat Pizza and Mikes BBQ have encouraged the discussions and provided positive direction and encouragement.

Lunch will be served by community volunteers until the food runs out. This project is implemented with the help of Alex Campbell, a Evergreen High School senior, as his required senior community service project. Alex helped with the homeless count this year, handed out over 200 flyers to local residents and businesses, and will be organizing and serving during the lunches this Spring. Alex plans to attend WSU in the fall to study business administration.