Play groups move to YMCA

Vashon Youth & Family Services (VYFS) has moved its baby and parent-child play groups into the former YMCA building just north of town and renamed the site the VYFS Play Space.

This week the parent-child play groups will meet from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and Friday; beginning Monday, Jan. 28, they will meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at that time. The groups offer open play time in a safe environment for children up to 3 years old who are accompanied by their parent or childcare provider.

A baby play group with a facilitator, guest speakers and conversation time for parents meets from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Fridays. A toddler play group will form soon.

There is a small fee for each group, and a sliding-scale option is available. Call Lori Means at VYFS for more information at 463-5511.

VCCC auction seeks donations

There is still time to donate items and services to the Labor of Love Auction, a fundraiser for Vashon Community Care Center (VCCC). The online auction will begin at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 30, and run for two weeks, until noon on Wednesday, Feb. 13.

VCCC’s goal is to have more services and items included in this year’s auction than it did last year.

A catalogue of the Labor of Love Auction items and services will be published in the Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 issues of The Beachcomber. Items will be available for bidding online at www.LaborofLoveVashon.org.

Anyone wishing to donate to the auction can pick up a donation form at VCCC or contact Linda Milovsoroff at 567-6164.

Food bank needs non-perishables

The Vashon Maury Community Food Bank is seeking non-perishable food donations, items that have begun declining in the Puget Sound region because many grocery stores now sell damaged goods to discount supermarkets.

The food bank is in need of boxed macaroni and cheese and canned goods, especially beans, tuna and fruit. Drop off donations at the food bank, behind Granny’s Attic in Sunrise Ridge, or at Thriftway.

Bills question Glacier’s rights

Lawmakers on Tuesday filed identical bills in the House and Senate that require the state Department of Natural Resources to detemine whether Glacier Northwest actually owns the mineral rights to sand and gravel at its 235-acre site. The issue of whether the state still reserves those minerals is one of the issues that has cropped up in recent months, said Amy Carey, president of Preserve Our Islands.