Keith Hughes has been helping veterans for a long time. Now he needs your help to keep the doors open.

DONATE HERE

Funds go to “Keep the Heat On” which literally means being able to pay the gas, electric, water, and sewer bills, insurance, and building maintenance (like cleaning supplies). He can’t keep doing it without our help. Every dollar makes a difference!

Please join your neighbors this season in supporting this amazing cause! All donations go directly to the shelter. 

Pearsall Properties will also be hosting a benefit concert on Saturday, December 2 from 5-8 PM at Kenyon Hall in West Seattle to raise money for this important cause. Get tickets here. If you’d like to donate to the raffle, click here. 

Click here to donate money to support Keith and The Westside Neighbors Shelter. 

Click here to donate time to help Keith and the shelter. 

Click here to watch a video to learn more about Keith and the shelter. 

Click here for a folder of promotional assets to help promote this fundraising campaign

The Westside Neighbors Shelter Warming Center is at American Legion Hall 160, 3618 SW Alaska St, Seattle, WA 98126 if you know someone who needs temporary shelter.

In 2019, Keith Hughes, Commander of American Legion Post 160 and president of West Seattle Veterans Service Center, realized that he could use the resources of the American Legion Hall to help people who needed warmth, shelter, and safety during the winter. He began opening the hall as a warming center in the mornings, and as an overnight shelter on the very coldest nights. 

Since then, Keith has continued to open the Hall between November and March as a shelter for our houseless neighbors. It's small, and there are no paid staff, mental health professionals, or housing advocacy specialists—only Keith and many caring volunteers from the community willing to help people when they need it. And anyone who needs this place is welcome, of any gender, whether or not they’re a veteran. 

The Cold Weather Shelter opens when the overnight temperature forecast is below 40 degrees. This year, the Cold Weather Shelter opened for overnights on October 26. Doors open at 5 pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm, breakfast served at 8:30 am, shelter closes for the day at 11 am.

Evening: From late October through March, when the overnight temperature forecast is below 40 degrees, the American Legion Hall opens again at 5 pm for Cold Weather Shelter. Dinner is served at 6:30 pm, and cots and blankets are available for 25 people overnight.

The shelter is open 24 hours when King County declares a Winter Storm Emergency.

Needs

Food Pantry

• Ground coffee (Folgers 3# cans)
• Powdered coffee creamer (like Coffeemate)
• Instant hot cocoa mix (for use with hot water)
• Bottled water
• Soft drinks in cans (store brands and things on sale are fine)
• Instant oatmeal packets
• Granola type low-sugar cereal
• Pancake and Bisquick mix
• Pancake syrup, butter, jam
• Canned soup, chili, beef stew, tuna
• Packaged food like Top Ramen, Cup-o-Noodles
• Rice-a-roni, Noodle-roni boxes
• Dry pasta (spaghetti, egg noodles, macaroni)
• Spaghetti sauce in jars
• Food store gift cards so we can get fresh things like milk, eggs, butter, meat

Other Needs

• Travel-size individual soaps and shampoo
• Toothbrushes and toothpaste (ask your dentist for donations)
• Bar soap for shower
• Laundry detergent pods
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels and napkins
• Disinfectant wipes
• Folding camp cots (available at Amazon, Big 5, etc.)
• Twin-size blankets (this is the only size we can use; please, no larger sizes)
• Stocking caps, cotton gloves, tee shirts (men’s L and XL), socks
• Sweatshirts, regular and hooded: L, XL, XXL
• Women’s sports bras
• Men’s and women’s underpants (new in the package, please)