Bistro and BBQ joints are cooking up a plan to aid the relief effort.

Thirteen local restaurant owners are hoping to raise $50,000 for the American Red Cross by donating 20 percents of profits earned next Saturday and Sept. 18, and by matching donations from staff members.

Participating restaurants are: Belltown Bistro; BluWater Bistro at Lake Union, Green Lake and Leschi; Buckley's on Queen Anne; Del Rey in Belltown; High Dive in Fremont; Luau Polynesian Lounge at Green Lake; Nickerson Street Saloon in Fremont; Ohana in Belltown; Paragon on Queen Anne; the Red Door in Fremont; and Slo Joe's Big Time Backyard BBQ on South Lake Union.

Donations sought

Want to help Katrina victims make it through the fall and the holidays?

World Vision, a humanitarian-aid group that focuses on children and their communities in poverty-stricken areas, is accepting donations of new clothing, school supplies and toys for evacuees.

The unused goods are being collected at World Vision's 10 storehouses in the U.S., including its Seattle center, and distributed through local churches and charitable organizations.

The storehouses have traditionally been places for needy families to get supplies through teachers. World Vision, which started in the 1950s to aid orphans during the Korean War, aided 10.9 million disaster victims worldwide last year.

New items may be dropped off at World Vision's Seattle House Storehouse, 8002 S. 212th St., Kent.

Teddy bears on march

Hundreds of teddy bears will be making their way to Louisiana and into the arms of children.

Seattle's Table & Home, a dinnerware and toy retailer, is donating 250 stuffed animals to Project Teddy Bear, which is supplying stuffed animals, used blankets, coloring books and crayons to the hurricane's youngest victims.

"You read a lot about the effort and you don't hear a lot about the children," said Tom Wolf, spokesman for Table & Home. The company also will donate 20 percent of its gross sales from Aug. 29 to Sept. 14 to the victims.

Tuition waivers

Lake Washington Technical College is giving tuition waivers for the 2005-06 school year to evacuees who have relocated at least temporarily to the area, said the college vice president, Raymond Nadolny.

He said those interested should contact the school's enrollment services at 425-739-8104.

Lake Washington, one of 34 community and technical colleges across the state, begins classes Sept. 21.

Staff reporters Janet I. Tu and Christina Siderius contributed to this compilation. Jtu@seattletimes.com or csiderius@seattletimes.com