In this week’s Community Corner newsletter:
Vaccination Verification Starts in King County: Beginning October 25, people ages 12 and older are required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result to enter certain indoor and outdoor events and establishments in King County. What can be used as proof of vaccination?
- A CDC vaccine card or photo of vaccine card.
- Documented proof of vaccination from medical record or vaccine provider.
- Proof of vaccination from another state or county.
- Printed certificate or digital record from MyIRMobile.com or other apps.
You do not need to show identification with proof of vaccination. People who are unvaccinated or cannot prove vaccination status will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test in the last 72 hours. For COVID-19 testing locations and resources, visit kingcounty.gov/covid/sites. Find more information on King County vaccination verification.
An Evening of Storytelling About Homelessness and Resilience: Thursday, October 28, 6 – 7 PM, join The Seattle Times and Path with Art for an evening of storytelling about one of the region’s most pressing issues – homelessness. Hear from community members about what home means to them, how homelessness has impacted their lives and what they wish more people understood.
Stories About Home will feature five storytellers, two of them PwA participant artists, from across the region. Through spoken-word storytelling, they’ll offer a more personal and nuanced look at many of the issues facing the more than 12,000 people who are living outside, in vehicles or in shelter across King County. This hour-long event will be livestreamed via Zoom and will conclude with a live question-and-answer session between audience members and storytellers.
“Stories About Home” is free to attend; registration is required. Learn more.
Seattle Public Safety Survey: Share your safety and security concerns by participating in the Seattle Public Safety Survey. Community feedback from those who live and/or work in Seattle will be provided to the Seattle Police Department to help make neighborhoods safer and more secure. The survey is accessible from October 15th through November 30th and is available in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Korean, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, and Vietnamese.
Seattle Restaurant Week: From October 24 – November 6, over 200 participating venues across 45+ neighborhoods and cities in the greater Seattle are participating in Seattle Restaurant Week. Restaurants will be offering special menus of $20 lunches, $35 and/or $50 dinners. Menu offerings can include takeout, delivery, or on-site dining. For more information and to see a list of participating restaurants, please visit srweek.org.
Support the Chinatown-International District: Community safety is one of the City of Seattle’s top priorities for the Chinatown International District (CID). In a year where we have witnessed a surge in violence targeting the Asian American community, the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods would like to offer additional financial support to the organizations, community groups, and individuals who have stepped up in response to help communities feel safe in the CID.
Help honor your CID neighbors with a financial award by taking these two steps in this online survey:
- Tell us what community safety means to you. We know safety can look and feel different to different people. Letting us know your perspective will help guide who we support.
- Nominate an organization, community group, or individual that has contributed to making the CID feel safe over the last year. Those chosen will receive a small grant to support their service to the community.
This survey will be open through November 14, 2021. The community selection panel will evaluate community feedback and make a collective decision on how the funds should be awarded. Awardees will be notified by December 3, 2021. For more information about this opportunity, please click here or reach out to Jackie Mena at jackie.mena@seattle.gov.
Seattle’s Fresh Bucks Program Launches Electronic Benefits to Offer More Equitable Shopping Experience: Over 12,000 Seattle residents enrolled in Fresh Bucks can now shop with their Fresh Bucks Card or app, eliminating the need for paper vouchers and improving customer and retailer experiences.
Fresh Bucks, a healthy food program that provides monthly cash assistance to eligible and enrolled Seattle residents so they can buy fruits and vegetables, is providing customers a new way to shop for produce using an electronic benefits system. The new system replaces the use of paper vouchers, leading to smoother transactions at checkout and an improved experience for over 12,000 Fresh Bucks customers and 43 participating retailers and farmers markets.
With the new system, customers have access to a Fresh Bucks account that is automatically loaded with $40 each month. Customers can use a Fresh Bucks Card or an app linked to their account to purchase fruits and vegetables at participating Fresh Bucks retailers. Seattle residents interested in applying for 2022 Fresh Bucks benefits can submit an application to the public lottery between October 11 to October 29, 2021. Applications are available in 14 languages and will be accepted online or over the phone by calling 1-800-756-5437.
To learn more about e-benefits and how to apply for Fresh Bucks visit SeattleFreshBucks.org.