The City of Newcastle is joining forces with 6 other Eastside cities to collect donations for local food banks and emergency feeding programs. The “Eastside Month of Concern for the Hungry” campaign runs now through October 24. Newcastle residents are urged to drop off the following donations in the lobby of Newcastle City Hall (13020 Newcastle Way), the Safeway on Coal Creek Parkway, or the QFC on Coal Creek Parkway:

• Peanut Butter (18 oz plastic jars)
• Canned corn, peas, green beans, diced tomatoes
• Canned peaches, pineapple, fruit cocktail
• Canned pineapple and tomato juice (48 oz.)
• Canned beef stew (24 oz.)
• Canned pork & beans
• Canned lunch meat (SPAM)
• Canned tuna
• Canned soup
• Canned chili
• 1 qt envelopes powdered milk
• Vegetable oil (24 oz.)
• Snack pudding
• Macaroni & cheese
• Jars of baby food (1st and 2nd foods only)
• Dried pasta

The donated food will be taken to several locations including the Emergency Feeding Program of King County. On the Eastside, requests for food at local food banks are up almost 50% compared to 18 months ago. While the need is surging, donations have been trending downward. For more information, log on to www.eastsideforum.org/fooddrive/.

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The City of Newcastle will celebrate its version of Arbor Day on Saturday, October 10 from 10am to 1pm by planting 300 trees in 3 hours. Volunteers are needed to help plant the trees near the banks of May Creek as part of the May Creek Basin Reforestation Plan.

• Come to the entrance of the May Creek Trail where SE 93rd Street meets 117th Ave SE in Windtree.
• Proceed about 5 minutes down the trail to the banks of May Creek.
• Please bring proper clothing and footwear since the trail is very steep.
• For those who don't want to hike all the way down, there will also be trees to plant at the top of the trail.

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Newcastle City Councilor Steve Buri has just been awarded a Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC). Councilor Buri completed over 30 hours of training credits to earn this distinction and participated in a variety of workshops and courses on budgeting, land use planning, personnel, and leadership.

“Given the complexity of the issues facing the City of Newcastle, I have found the training provided by the Association of Washington Cities to be invaluable” said Councilor Buri. “Ultimately, I believe it makes me a more informed and effective councilmember.”

Councilor Buri was elected to the Newcastle City Council in November 2007 for a 4 year term. He is a member of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce and the Eastside Transportation Partnership.

The AWC is a private, non-profit, non-partisan corporation that represents Washington’s cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and regulatory agencies.

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The City of Newcastle has just received a $30,400 grant from the King Conservation District. The grant will fund a project called “Newcastle Goes Green” incorporating the following programs:

• Removal and monitoring of invasive knotweed along May Creek in conjunction with the Newcastle Weed Warriors
• “Green Growing” classes for Newcastle residents with lawn and gardening tips to reduce water and herbicide/pesticide use
• Outreach at local schools on environmental stewardship
• Special edition newsletter mailed to all households with information on the City’s stormwater management efforts, along with practical household tips

“We thank the King Conservation District for their support in funding this project and commitment to the environment,” said Public Works Director Maiya Andrews. “These programs will greatly benefit our residents as well as our community’s natural resources. We also look forward to working hand in hand with the Newcastle Weed Warriors.”

The King Conservation District provides a variety of programs and services to landowners and residents. All landowners within the District boundaries are entitled to free information and technical assistance for water quality protection, wildlife habitat enhancement, farm management plans, soil and slope stability information, native plant products, manure exchange information, volunteer opportunities, stream restoration/enhancement assistance and many other natural resource topics.

For more information, log on to www.kingcd.org.

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