When planning your Thanksgiving celebration this year, Multi-Service Center would like to encourage you to remember the area's needy families with donations of Thanksgiving dinner items to MSC's Federal Way Food Bank.

It has become a tradition of the food bank to provide customers this time of year with the fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

"Even though our customers may struggle with many of the basic necessities of life, we at Multi-Service Center feel it is vital to a family's dignity that they be able to celebrate Thanksgiving as fully as possible," said Denise Burns, manager of the Multi-Service Center's Federal Way Food Bank.

"We rely on donations from the community, especially at this time, to help us supplement our food purchases," she said.

Beginning on Monday, November 19, the food bank will distribute food items such as cranberries, yams, olives, canned milk, frozen turkeys, fresh fruit, onions, potatoes, eggs and margarine.

"We don't always have them, but it would also be nice if we could provide rolls and pies for 1,100 households," said Burns.

All donations of food items and cash, no matter what size, are welcome.

"Sometimes people will drive up and donate a single frozen turkey, or the fixings for a complete meal for one family. All donations help us," Burns said.

Cash donations help the agency stretch their food purchases.

Donations to the food bank will be accepted at the food bank warehouse, located at 1200 S. 336th Street, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For further information, contact Denise Burns at (253) 838-6810 or Tricia Schug at (253) 835-7678, ext. 104.

Multi-Service Center helps 43,000 South King County residents a year become more self-reliant through comprehensive services such as housing, food and clothing, educational programs and employment services.

The agency also operates the Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, which provides advocates for elderly and disabled residents of long-term care facilities.

To learn more, log onto www.multi-servicecenter.com.

Woodstone takes initiative in donations for Food Bank

That time of year is quickly approaching when needy families turn to the food banks to get the essential items needed to help them through what is for many a stressful time of year.

This year Woodstone Credit Union is doing something a little bit different when it comes to collecting for Federal Way's Multi-Service Center Food Bank.

Woodstone Credit Union will be collecting money for the food bank and in return will match up to a $1,000 collected from generous members.

With the funds collected, Multi-Service Center Food Bank can purchase what it most desperately needs for its patrons.

Donations for the Multi-Service Center Food Bank will be accepted at Woodstone locations, November 5 - November 17.

In addition Woodstone will also accept food donations in the lobby of its two locations:

Downtown Branch

1825 S. 316th Street

Federal Way, WA 98003

Phone: (253) 925-6800

West Campus Branch

33615 First Way South

Federal Way, WA 98003

Phone: (253) 925-6800