Strangercrombie: Once a Year, We Do Something Good

Our first Strangercrombie was a last-minute idea in the fall of 2002. Instead of the boring holiday-shopping issues that most alt-weeklies produce, we wanted to raise money for a great local charity. So we gathered some swag from around the office, asked a few businesses to kick in some merchandise, and even put our own pages up for sale. Thanks to the generosity of local businesses and our readers, the first Strangercrombie auction brought in more than $6,000 for Northwest Harvest. We were stunned.

Last year, Stranger readers spend more than $60,000 on a parade of treats, from a night of karaoke with American Idol’s Blake Lewis to a relaxing vacation—with a keg of beer—at Doe Bay on Orcas Island. All proceeds went to FareStart, which provides job training and placement in the culinary industry for homeless men and women. This year, while the economy falls down around our ears, rallying to care for the neediest people in our city is more important than ever. With Strangercrombie, you don’t have to be a millionaire to become a philanthropist.

Introducing Treehouse

This year’s good cause is Treehouse. Treehouse serves some of the most vulnerable people in Seattle—abused and neglected children. Founded in 1988 by a group of social workers frustrated by the lack of resources for kids in their care, Treehouse helps over 4,000 kids a year with clothing, school supplies, tutoring (only one-third of kids in foster care graduate from high school, and only 3 percent graduate from college), and other critical services.

Strangercrombie 2008 Approaches

Please join us in helping Treehouse, by participating in the auction or simply donating via PayPal.

The list of auction items is growing. Keep an eye on Slog and Line Out for developments and drop us a line—at strangercrombie@thestranger.com—if you would like to donate!