With the hustle and bustle of the holidays come many opportunities to give back to the community. There are lots of organizations in the Renton area in need of support and volunteers. One such opportunity is Renton Gives.
Through the Renton Gives project, the public can participate with City of Renton employees in making online tax-deductible donations to several causes such as the Renton Food Bank, Renton Scholarship Program, Renton Emergency Assistance Program and the Housing Repair Assistance Program.
“In these difficult economic times, we have seen a significant increase in requests for scholarships for city sponsored programs,” said Preeti Shridhar, Communications Director for the City of Renton.
In 2006 there 126 scholarships given; that number has increased to 298 scholarships awarded in 2010.
All donations, 100 percent of them, go directly to providing help with program fees for City of Renton recreation activities.
The City of Renton has also partnered with the Salvation Army to host two “Giving Trees.” One is located at the Renton Community Center and the other is in the City Hall lobby. In addition to the tags for children’s toys and gifts, there are “Gift of Play” tags that help fund scholarships for the city’s recreation programs.
New Life Church’s Jingle Jam
WHAT: The Renton church is sponsoring a Christmas party for families in the community.
WHEN: 7 p.m.-10 p.m., Dec. 10, doors open at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: New Life Church, 12511 152nd Avenue Southeast
COST: Free
REGISTER: at www.newliferenton.com
Day of Hope
WHAT: Families and individuals in need are encouraged to come and get clothing from this Renton-area church.
WHEN: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Dec. 11
WHERE: SKY Center for Spiritual Living, 879 Rainier Avenue North, Suite A100
COST: Free
CONTACT: 425-221-1504
ARISE Donations
WHAT: South King County Catholic Community Services is accepting clothing donations for the ARISE homeless men ministry program.
WHEN: Now through Christmas
WHERE: 1229 W. Smith St. in Kent
COST: Free
CONTACT: Dwight Jackson, 253-520-4365
Leisure Estates Chorale
WHAT: The Leisure Estates Chorale will preform songs of the season locally.
WHEN & WHERE: 4 p.m., Dec. 14 at Leisure Estates, 201 Union Avenue Southeast in Renton; 2 p.m., Dec. 21 at Merrill Gardens, 104 Burnett Ave. S. in Renton
COST: Free
Christmas Tree Sales for Kennydale Lions Club
WHAT: The Kennydale Lions Club will be selling Christmas trees, fund-raising for such projects as scholarships for the community.
WHEN: Now through Christmas, Monday – Friday, 3 p.m.-8 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m.-8 p.m.
WHERE: 1032 Edmonds Ave. N.E. in Renton
COST: $16-$64, depending on tree
YWCA Adopt-a-Family, Renton
WHAT: Make an online donation, donate a Safeway gift card or sponsor a family in one of the YWCA’s programs.
WHEN: Now through Dec. 22
WHERE: Go to https://www.ywcaworks.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=520&frcrld=1 to sign-up for a family or mail in donations to YWCA Adopt-a-Family, 1010 S. Second St., Renton, WA 98057
CONTACT: Liz Mills at 206-436-8635
Salvation Army/City of Renton “Giving Trees”
WHAT: Buy gifts for families and children in need by selecting a tag from an area “Giving Tree.”
WHEN: Now through Dec. 17
WHERE: Renton City Hall Lobby, 1055 S. Grady Way; Renton Community Center, 1715 Maple Valley Highway
COST: Varies depending on gift
CONTACT: Call Shae McCormack at 425-271-9444 or email Michaela.mccormack@usw.salvationarmy.org
Organizations can submit information about their programs offering help during the holidays at tcompton@rentonreporter.com.
