Culture Fiend

Holiday Gifting, Part Three: Six Ways to Volunteer

How and where you can give your time this season.

Posted by: Allie Oosta on Dec 13, 2011 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Want to volunteer but can’t wrap a gift to save your life? YouTube will help.

’Tis the season for giving back—but where? Consult this list for Seattle-based nonprofits, charities, shelters, and more, that could benefit from your time this year.

If you’re good at talking on the phone…
Make Sure Seattle Residents Have Heat for the Holidays This volunteer opportunity involves four hours of calling citizens who are just a few steps away from receiving City of Seattle benefits, like help with their utilities and heat, but haven’t completed their applications. Help them finish the process; start by registering at the United Way of King County website. Dec 15 from 3 to 7. 18 and up, or 15 and up with an adult.

If you’re proud of your gift-wrapping skills…
Wrap Presents at the Northgate Mall All proceeds from this event benefit the Family Emergency Services fund, a program that helps families of children with cancer with food, utilities, and transportation. No gift-wrapping experience necessary (although, hey, try your best). Shifts from 9:30–7:30, thru Dec 24.

If you’re a whiz at packing a car…
Repack Food for Shelters and Food Banks Food Lifeline receives bulk food donations that need to be repackaged and labeled before they’re sent to over 300 shelters and food banks in Western Washington. To help, all you need are some solid, closed-toe shoes and a warm coat. Shoreline. Dec 27 from 6 to 8.

If you’re strong…
Retrieve and Organize Holiday Donations The YWCA of King County and Snohomish County will receive lots of donations this month for local families living in poverty. They need volunteers to carry 10–25 lb. packages throughout the day, organize them, and be a cheerful “ambassador” to people dropping off donations. Dec 15 & 16. Wear comfortable, close-toed shoes.

If you like to cook…
Cook for the Homeless FareStart delivers food to shelters and homeless programs across Seattle. Volunteer to chop or peel vegetables, and prepare meals like lasagna. Jan 8, 10:30–2:30.

If you’re crafty…
Be a Greeting Card Maker The Meals on Wheels folks need homemade thank you’s and get well cards for their amazing volunteers. Mail to Senior Services, Inc. Attnetion Leslie Smith 2895 Shorefair Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27105

Visit these websites for more volunteer opportunities:
Share Our Strength: Seattle Soup Kitchens
Volunteer in King County: Food Bank Volunteers Wanted
United Way of King County: Adopt-a-Family or Donate

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Tags: Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Holiday Gifting, Part Two: Our Favorite Seattle Albums

Plus: recently released books for under the tree.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Dec 12, 2011 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

It’s a CD! Remember these?

Given the difficulty of wrapping an MP3 and sticking it under the tree, consider giving an actual book or CD this holiday season. We’ve rounded up the latest and greatest options:

MUSIC
Blue Scholars, Cinemetropolis Seattle’s hip-hop veterans raised the bar with their third and latest full-length album, a package of socially conscious rhymes, soulful beats, and short films inspired by the raps; it’s “a visual soundtrack.” Available at bluescholars.bandcamp.com

Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues Can’t go wrong with a Grammy-nominated Folk Album of the Year. Blues is one of their richest collections to date—folk rock that’s acid-washed in psychedelic pop, with plenty of soaring vocal harmonies reminiscent of the Foxes of 2008. Lead singer Robin Pecknold broods with the best of them. Available at subpop.com

Pickwick, Myths: Vol 1–3 Get in on the ground floor of Seattle’s soul revival. The local sextet boasts a lead singer, Galen Disston, who sounds like he came straight from Motown—but they only have three EPs to date. Package them up for the music lover in the family who thinks he’s heard everything. Available at pickwick.bandcamp.com

Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, Alone in This Together Star Anna (her given name) was discovered busking outside an Ellensburg cafe at age 16, and the guitarist now counts Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Guns N’ Roses’s Duff McKagan as fans and collaborators. She lends aching vocals to alt-country that has the grit and passion of hard-driving rock and roll. Available at staranna.com

Various Artists, Live at KEXP, Volume 7 The Live at KEXP collection is the equivalent of a professional mix tape, and we look forward to it every year. Station DJs pick their favorite live, in-studio performances by local indie bands and national acts for a disc as diverse as your music tastes; this year’s album includes tracks by the Head and the Heart, Florence and the Machine, Jonsi, Sharon van Etten, and Wild Flag. Available at kexp.org/cd

BOOKS
Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost: 1934–1961 by Paul Hendrickson (September 2011). For the avid readers and writers in your life, this biography is full of rich detail about the real hardships that plagued Hemingway’s life. $15–$30, available on amazon.com and at Elliott Bay Book Co

Historical Atlas of Washington and Oregon by Derek Hayes (October 2011). Curious about your city and surrounding land? This would make a good gift for map lovers or, you know, someone with a lot of coffee tables. $25–$40, available on amazon.com and at Queen Anne Books

The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and Its Legacy by Paula Becker and Alan J. Stein (October 2011). Take a trip back in time with this incredibly well-researched history of the fair, teeming with photos and Bubbleator anecdotes. $40, available at thenextfifty.org

Home Made by Yvette van Boven (September 2011). In a city filled with farm-to-table recipe lovers and eager at-home chefs, there’s at least one person on your list in need of a good cookbook. Van Boven does it all from scratch with step-by-step photos and a dash of irreverence. $25–$40, available on amazon.com

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (September 2011). Nobody tell Dad, but this is already wrapped and waiting for him. Harbach’s debut novel is ostensibly about baseball, luring all the sports fans, but the gripping saga of the star shortstop landed the book on the New York Times Ten Best Books of 2011 list. $15–$25, available on amazon.com

With contributions by Allie Oosta, Laura Dannen, and Lisa Han.

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Tags: Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Give the Gift of Coldplay

Tickets are the perfect size for a stocking—or for your pocket (we won’t tell!).

Posted by: Allie Oosta on Dec 08, 2011 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

Dive into images of coral, whales, and harp seals at National Geographic Live: Ocean Soul on January 30 and 31.

In our first installment of the Culture Fiend holiday gift guide, we rounded up 10 ticket ideas that should cover everyone on your gift list.

For fans of stadium rock concerts…
How’s this for a heads-up: We just got word this morning that Coldplay is coming to KeyArena on April 25 to show off its new album Mylo Xyloto; tickets go on sale December 17 at 10am ticketmaster.com.

For the sassy friend…
Hear humorist and best-selling author David Sedaris read from his diary (among other things) at Benaroya Hall. Tickets are $38–$47. Apr 29.

Portlandia visits Seattle on December 28 for an onstage SNL-styled night of sketch comedy, live music, and a sneak peak of the TV show’s new season. Tickets are $20–$30.

For the coworker dancing in her seat with her headphones on…
Fitz and the Tantrums, a steamy six-piece LA soul band, plays Showbox at the Market next month. Tickets are $20–$25. Jan 20 & 21.

For the animal lovers…
National Geographic Live: Ocean Soul Spend an evening oohing and aahing over Nat Geo photographer’s Brian Skerry’s close-ups of Antarctic whales, North Atlantic harp seals, and Pacific coral, gathered from his 10,000 hours spent underwater. Tickets are $12–$35. Jan 30 & 31.

For the cinephiles and celebrity stalkers…
A full-series pass to the Seattle International Film Festival, slated for May 19–June 12, would be a helluva stocking stuffer. Tickets are $500 to $2,850, but smaller packages are also available at siff.net. Early bird ticket prices are available now thru Jan 17.

Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band play the Paramount Theatre on December 26. Plus, we get the day off, so celebrate Boxing Day with a little neurotic clarinet. Tickets are $46–$86.

During The Matrix Live: Film in Concert, the Seattle Symphony will play the score to the first film live as Neo enters the matrix on the big screen behind the orchestra. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets are $17–$90. June 28 & 29.

For your mother…
Seattle is the only American stop for Gauguin and Polynesia, a traveling collection of the painter’s Tahitian masterpieces. Schedule a time to see the exhibit at Seattle Art Museum; passes are $9–$15. Feb 9–Apr 29.

For the little ones in your life…
Arnold Lobel’s beloved book series A Year with Frog and Toad was adapted as a Broadway musical in 2003, and now Seattle Children’s Theatre is putting its touch on it. Tickets are $25–$36. Thru Jan 15.

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Tags: Holiday Gift Guide 2011