by Michele Chapman
Along with the exciting return of SPiN Cafe dinners, this summer saw new growth of a different kind. Our afternoon staff member Amira was instrumental in the formation of the small garden area across from the front door of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church where we operate. She gathered quite a few SPiN guests, some materials, plants, and hard work to transform a neglected patch of ground into a beautiful giving area.
Continue reading “Summer News: Dinners and a Garden”Welcome to Spring!
2022 got off to a frigid start in Oak Harbor, but SPiN was able to step up and offer round-the-clock shelter for two weeks courtesy of our hosts at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. For more on that story, take a look here:
In the first four months of 2022, SPiN provided 2,442 lunches – at St. Stephen’s during the week and at Hal Ramaley Park on weekends – and served on all 120 days in those months, for an average a little over 20 meals a day.
Continue reading “First quarter service report “Are you all about great music, excellent food, and time with neighbors who care about SPiN Café?
Get your tickets today for SPiN’s Spring Fling!
Spring has certainly sprung around our gorgeous island. At SPiN, even in the season’s promise we’re reminded of the hard work we need to do every day to serve our community’s most vulnerable citizens – and to keep them safe, fed, and healthy.
SPiN’s Spring Fling is your chance to play a part as we keep that mission going.
Continue reading “It’s spring! Let’s Fling!”Holland Happening is an Oak Harbor tradition. In its sixth decade, the annual spring festival celebrates the town’s Dutch heritage along with the diverse cultures that call North Whidbey Island home.
2022’s event featured an extra fun dive into the deep end of fun. And fundraising.
According to SPiN board member Carol Wall, “we had a great response to our Dunk Tank at Holland Happening. The tank was a benefit effort for SPiN Cafe and the North Whidbey Sunrise Rotary Walk for Water project. These community leaders brought out lots of people to see them go into the dunk tank. It was a fun event and our two groups raised over $2,300.00 to split between us!”
Community leaders who took a bath for SPiN included City Council members Shane Hoffmire, Jim Woessner, Bryan Stucky, and Dan Evans, as well as New Leaf CEO Steve Jacobs and First United Methodist Pastor Dave Parker.
Continue reading “City leaders splash for SPiN”Jamar Jenkins shakes his head at the thought.
“It was fifty-one years ago… man, that’s amazing… it was 1971, and a bunch of us in college at Western started a band. We opened for the Chambers Brothers in Bellingham, and that was it. We didn’t need college, we opened for the Chambers Brothers! They were huge! So we moved to Seattle…”
The band morphed into Cold, Bold, and Together, a mainstay of the thriving Seattle funk scene in the 70s. Like Jamar, a guy named Kenny G got his years-long saxophone career started with CBT in the clubs of Seattle.
Continue reading “Jamar Jenkins, still grooving”