Thursday, October 18, 2012

Thank you to the North Kitsap Senior Citizen Center!



From left to right: Norm Bates, NKSCC Vice President; Donna Daly, NKSCC Trustee; Dave Monroe, NKSCC President; Mary Nader, Fishline Executive Director; and Vicky Bockerman, NKSCC Member.

Today the North Kitsap Senior Citizen Center donated a van to the North Kitsap Fishline Food and Emergency Services Organization for their use to collect food and items for the community.   The Senior Citizen Center is located on Front Street in downtown Poulsbo, and is operated entirely by volunteers.  The center is supported through memberships and donations.  We are thrilled to be the recipients of such a wonderful gift.  



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

3rd Annual Operation Day of Hope



3rd Annual Operation Day of Hope
Saturday, October 20 ~ 10am–2pm

Could you – or someone you know – use a hand, FREE of charge, no strings attached, in one of the following areas?
  • Health care screenings
  • Dental exams/treatments
  • Kidzone children’s activities
  • Health insurance counseling through SHIBA
  • Haircuts, maincures, chair massages
  • Family portraits/photos
  • Minor auto repairs
  • Legal and mortgage counseling
  • Fresh and packaged grocery items
  • New and gently-used clothing items including winter hats and coats, new socks and underwear
  • DSHS communty service representatives onsite to answer questions
  • Contact information for other social serives agencies
A hot meal for the whole family served throughout the day and Spanish-speaking translators on site!

Operation Day of Hope is being hosted by Gateway Fellowship in partnership with other caring commmunity members. It is our way to say “we care” by providing residents of Kitsap County an opportunity to receive free services and support that meet real needs.

Community Events, Week of October 15

On Wednesday, October 17Suquamish Church of Christ will host a community dinner between 5-7pm. This is a weekly event. All are welcome. 

On Thursday, October 18, First Lutheran Church in Poulsbo will host a community dinner between 5-6pm. This is a weekly event. All are welcome.  

On Thursday, October 18, North Kitsap Viking's Volleyball Teams will be collecting food at their last home game for Fishline's Food for Thought program. Games are at 5pm & at 6:45pm at North Kitsap High School Gym.

On Saturday, October 20, there are several events:

Gateway Fellowship Church in Poulsbo will also host a community lunch, from 11:30 to 1pm. This is a weekly event and all are welcome. 

Gateway Fellowship Church will also be holding their 3rd Annual Operation Day of Hope from 10am to 2pm.  

Attendees will be eligible to receive, free of charge:


  • Health care screenings
  • Dental exams/treatments
  • Kidzone children’s activities
  • Health insurance counseling through SHIBA
  • Haircuts, maincures, chair massages
  • Family portraits/photos
  • Minor auto repairs
  • Legal and mortgage counseling
  • Fresh and packaged grocery items
  • New and gently-used clothing items including winter hats and coats, new socks and underwear
  • DSHS communty service representatives onsite to answer questions
  • Contact information for other social serives agencies
Click here for more details. 


The Evening Pride Branch of the Poulsbo Lions will be holding a food drive from 10am to 1pm at the Poulsbo Albertson's.  

Kitsap Community Resources will be holding "Survive & Thrive," a free financial information fair from 10am to 2pm at Kitsap Community Resources, 845 8th Street , Bremerton, WA. Call (360) 478-2301 or click here for more details. 

Other ongoing events:

Poulsbo Perk is having a peanut butter food drive. 

Fujiyama Silverdale is holding a food drive for Food for Thought items, in conjunction with World Food Day. 

Contact NK Fishline to add your event to our calendar! Want to plan ahead? Visit our website to review the events calendar.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Helping Our Neighbors Build Stable Lives



When Hannah came to Fishline recently, she was on the verge of homelessness. A preschool teacher making a humble income, she was living with two roommates when one decided to move. Unable to pay for their apartment, Hannah could not find low-cost housing in time, so she was facing eviction.

Mike and his wife were both working, keeping up with their mortgage and other bills, when their daughter had a serious accident and faced a long, difficult recuperation.  Because one parent had to stay home to care for their daughter, the mortgage became too much, and the bank was foreclosing.

When local residents like these come to Fishline with emergency housing needs, they meet with a navigator of the Housing Solutions Center, an extension of Kitsap Community Resources located in our office. Because the navigator has access to county-wide services and housing availability, a single visit to HSC may be all that is needed to determine eligibility and find a secure home.

Sometimes, clients wait too long before they come to Fishline for help, usually because they try to resolve their predicament themselves, an admirable choice but one that can make it harder in the long run.

The goal of helping agencies like Fishline is to lessen use of short-term solutions like hotels and shelters which can often just bring temporary relief.  With more permanent solutions as their goal, helpful federal efforts,  like the Rapid-Rehousing Program, have been instituted to assist families in finding affordable housing, providing a link between the emergency shelter/transitional housing systems that serve homeless families and the resources that can help them rebuild their lives in permanent housing, as members of a neighborhood and a community.

There are  also innovative programs being created by Fishline and its partners, such as HomeShare services that link homeowners who have extra space with screened tenants, and we hope someday to give landlords assurances so they are more willing to rent to those who may have had recent financial hardships.
One Church One Family, a group of local churches, has offered homes to eligible tenants for low rent, giving these families a chance to save money so they can move on to a more stable future.

We are enthusiastic about the progress we’re making, but we still have lots to do. Low-cost HUD housing, a viable option for those on low incomes, can be a several-year wait.

Shelters are often filled to capacity. When this happens, the best we can offer is a blanket and a safe place to park overnight as an alternative to a warm bed.

Richard LeMieux, author of “Breakfast at Sally’s,” will speak at Gateway  Church this weekend, and he will share his observations from a vantage point not many of us see — what it’s like to have no place to call home.

(Richard LeMieux, author of "Breakfast at Sally's spoke at Gateway Church last weekend, sharing observations from his life while homeless.)

As we approach the season of wind and rain, we renew our commitment to a community where every family will have a warm place to rest, and we welcome your help.

This post was written in The North Kitsap Herald, October 5. Read the original post here. — Mary Nader is executive director of North Kitsap Fishline. Contact her at director@nkfishline.org.

Special thanks to Grace Episcopal Church in Bainbridge!



Special thanks to Grace Episcopal Church in Bainbridge for their recent grant of $1,000 towards our Food for Thought Program.  Grace Episcopal Church has been an active community partner of NK Fishline, and with the recent launch of our Backpack Sponsorship program, it's incredible to have them step forward, along with other businesses, to support us. 

Would you like to contribute to our Food for Thought program?  Here are the details:

 Click here to sponsor a child for one month: $25
 Click here to sponsor a child for one semester: $100
 Click here to sponsor a child for one year: $250
 Click here to commit to a one month-long sponsorship for an entire school : $1000
 Click here to make a donation in any amount to the Food for Thought program.

When asked to enter "special instructions", you can let us know that you would like to sponsor a child and if you would like to let the child you are helping know of your support by name, or remain anonymous.


Thank you!


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Community Events, Week of October 8

Last week's Homecoming Parade in Downtown Poulsbo
(Image Source: Downtown Poulsbo Facebook Page)

On Wednesday, October 10Suquamish Church of Christ will host a community dinner between 5-7pm. This is a weekly event. All are welcome. 

On Thursday, October 11, First Lutheran Church in Poulsbo will host a community dinner between 5-6pm. This is a weekly event. All are welcome. 

Also on Thursday, October 11, Kitsap Community Resources will be hosting a seminar called "Understanding Credit and Credit Reports" at 1201 Park Ave., Bremerton.  It may seem complicated, but understanding your credit standing is key to future credit purchases, especially if you've recently experienced financial troubles.  Learn more from American Financial Solutions in this fascinating seminar, 5:30 to 7 pm.

On Saturday, October 13, Gateway Fellowship Church in Poulsbo will also host a community lunch, from 11:30 to 1pm. This is a weekly event and all are welcome. 

Contact NK Fishline to add your event to our calendar! Want to plan ahead? Visit our website to review the events calendar.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Breakfast with Fishline: Success!


This past Saturday, October 6th, NK Fishline hosted "Breakfast with Fishline,' a fundraiser featuring Richard Lemieux, author of "Breakfast at Sally's," an uplifting novel about his journey from wealth, to homelessness, to near suicide, and back to life again.  



The event was held at Gateway Fellowship Hall in Poulsbo.  Volunteers welcomed guests at the door.


Over 100 people attended the event.  It was a great turnout!  


The program included a prayer by Pastor Tom Duchemin, of Gateway Church.  Mark Costa, Director of Communications and Development at Gateway introduced NK Fishline Executive Director, Mary Nader spoke briefly about NK Fishline, hunger, and homelessness in our area.  She then introduced Jordan Erickson, Steven Stanton, and Alane Basco-Yu  who spoke about their own experiences with Fishline. 



 




Richard (shown above with Pastor Duchemin) spoke about how he ended up homeless, the "hand up" that the Salvation Army provided for him, and the many hands that helped him in his journey.  He shared his heart touching account of when he was completely hopeless and ready to end his life, his dog Willow saved him. Today there are several  missions and shelters opened in Willow's name.

Rick Lander closed the event, thanking all who attended, the speakers, and especially Richard.  He awarded the winner of the raffle gift basket, who turned around and gifted it to one of the speakers, Jordan! 


Special thanks to Gateway Fellowship Church, Starbucks, Mor-Mor (for the FABULOUS bread pudding!), and Valley Nursery for the edible centerpieces and other decor. As always, thanks to all the volunteers who made this such a successful event! 

Monday, October 8, 2012

EXTRA EXTRA!

Do you have "extras" of the following items? We are always in need of these basic items that you might have an overstock of:

- Plastic bags (Shopping bags, storage bags, ziploc bags, all sizes, we need them!)

- Egg cartons for a dozen eggs (Don't throw away your egg cartons -- bring them to us!)

- Sleeping bags/tents/blankets (If you have extra sleeping bags, tents, and blankets in good condition, please being them by. We can use these to help our homeless!)

Drop any of these items by NK Fishline! We are most grateful!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

New Phone Numbers!

In order to better serve our clients and community, we have updated our phone lines to make the following changes: 

Our main number (switchboard that can get you to the right people) is (360) 779-4191.

Our client services number is (360) 779-5190.

Our housing line is (360) 930-0075.  

Please make note of these changes!! 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Fishline Celebrates October's Community Partner: Cuppa Bella



It is an unusual concept - an espresso shop that donates its profits to area charities.  But unusual is OK with Cuppa Bella of Kingston, soon to be Poulsbo, fame.  Because the owner/founder Marcus Croman and his wife Tonya have always been concerned with the needs of struggling neighbors, and this is their way of sharing their success.  With humble beginnings, making scones in a small, used oven, Cuppa Bella has grown to hire dozens of employees and will open their new location in Poulsbo later this year.  The great thing is, the more successful they are, the more local charities will benefit.  

Their philosophy is intriguing.  Profits from the sale of coffee and baked items are placed into a Foundation.  Grant applications are reviewed twice per year and then voted upon by the employees.  The first grant was awarded to Fishline this year for its Food for Thought children's weekend meal program, an enthusiastic vote that was unanimous.  That grant will cover Food for Thought expenses for two weeks, a great head start into the new school year.


We applaud Cuppa Bella for its benevolence and its support of Fishline's programs for children.  Partnerships like this are the best kind of example of Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

Century Link to Present Donation on October 3


POULSBO — Century Link will present a check for $3,145.02 to North Kitsap Fishline Food Bank on Oct. 3, 1:30 p.m.

The check represents money raised by local CenturyLink employees; the food bank has already received a check for matching funds from the company.

The check also represents the commitment of CenturyLink employees nationwide to assist food banks in the communities they serve.

In late June, CenturyLink held the CenturyLink Feed the Children Backpack Buddies Food Drive in 650 company locations across the country. To support its employees’ efforts, the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation contributed $1 million to the drive.

Local CenturyLink employees donated funds and food, and their efforts were matched by the company.
Food banks can purchase food at a lower cost per pound than the average person could at a store, estimated on average to be six pounds of food per dollar given. Based on this calculation, CenturyLink employees, community members and the foundation donated more than 7.7 million pounds of food to food banks across the country.