NK Fishline Client Re-Registration

Starting Wednesday, Jan. 2nd, NK Fishline will begin its annual client re-registration.  Each year, clients must verify their information such as address, contact info, family members and income.  This is to help ensure that the information we have for our clients is accurate.  This year, the process is a little easier as clients won’t need to complete a new form if nothing has changed over the year.  Hopefully, things will go quicker than in the past, but the first few days will be very busy. 

Clients, please note these re-registration requirements and allow a few extra minutes for the process.

Volunteers, we will need help for clients complete forms if needed, and also to collect signatures in case there is no change in information from 2012.   If you are available to take a shift next week (January 2nd to January 4th) or the week after (January 7th to 11th) to assist us with this important project, please contact us.  We will need two volunteers per shift for two weeks, so let us know if you are interested and able to take a shift or two.

Also, just a reminder that Fishline will be open New Year’s Eve from 10-1 and closed New Year’s Day.

Happy New Years to you all!

This Week's Most Needed Items: Do You Have a Coffee Grinder You Aren't Using?

Do you have a large coffee bean grinder that you are not using or would like to donate?  NK Fishline is in need of this very useful piece of equipment.  If you have one you are not using, please consider donating it to us.

For our clients in need, especially those who may be homeless, bottled water is a useful and convenient option.  This is an item that we can always use.  We also collect recycled water bottles to distribute laundry detergent.  Please drop these donations and recycled items for use at the food bank.

Canned fruit is a great option for our clients, during the holidays and all throughout the year.  Collection bins for NK Fishline at Albertsons, Central Market, Red Apple, and Starbucks.  Please consider picking up some cans of canned fruit and dropping it off at these locations.

We are always in need of diapers, sizes 3, 4, 5 & 6.  Please drop these off at the food bank or other collection locations listed above.

Announcement for NK Fishline's Indianola Clients

Just a reminder that as of the first of the year,  NK Fishline will no longer be providing full services to Indianola clients.  We will invite clients to shop our front market, but eboxes and commodities should be received via Sharenet.  They are located at:  26021 United Rd, Suite A, in Kingston.  

Sharenet will also be advising their Suquamish clients that they should receive full service from Fishline.  In this way, we can provide a simple, consistent approach to who services which clients.  

We provide full service to Poulsbo, Suquamish and Keyport, and Sharenet provides full service to Kingston, Port Gamble, Indianola and Hansville.

We’ve posted notices throughout the front market and asked the receptionists to alert our Indianola clients when they visit this week.  Please feel free to contact us or Sharenet with any questions!

Merry Christmas to Our Dearest Volunteers

On this holiday, I wanted to express to you, on behalf of Fishline, its Board of Directors and its staff, a warm thank you for all you have done for Fishline and Second Season throughout the year. 

We have had a very full year, with many changes, some heartbreaking, others rejuvenating.  We have had to accommodate a growing client data base with increasing needs, done it in a building we outgrew years ago and you have handled it all with patience and grace.  You serve our clients and our customers with compassion and respect, and you work harder than anyone has a right to expect.  You have participated in special projects, helped create a new food bank system that is now an example for others to follow, kept up with the mountains of food and thrift items that our generous community donated.

You do all this, not because you are paid, but because you care about your neighbors.  It is inspiring to be part of this work and witness the contribution it is making to our community.  It would not be possible were it not for your commitment and your belief in the Fishline mission.

We wish you a blessed, fulfilling holiday!

Executive, Staff, and Board of Directors

What Does A Facebook "LIKE" Mean to NK Fishline?

Facebook is such an incredible sharing tool. The social media service recently launched a campaign, emphasizing the different ways that Facebook connect us:  chairs are like Facebook, bringing people together around a dinner table, living room, sharing meals and chats; cake is like Facebook, bringing people together to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other events.  Time and time again, it demonstrates how people all over the world can influence and change others lives, just with a simple "SHARE."

At NK Fishline, we would like to encourage you to not only "Like" our page, but to share it as well.  When sharing our message, not only are you supporting NK Fishline, you are also sharing a message that may reach those that can utilize and benefit the most from the services that we offer.

Currently, we have 200 "likes" on our page.  If each of these people shared our page with their friends, family, and community -- suddenly, those 200 people in our online community have utilized their own Facebook pages as billboards of information that could help others. 

Recent changes have made Facebook for business and group pages a little different. Did you know that "liking" a page doesn't guarantee that you will see our posts if you don't visit our page often?

Here's how can you make sure you see all of our announcements after "liking" our page:

When you hover over "like", click on "Get notifications" & Show in News Feed" so that you continue to see our posts. When you see the check marks, you have turned on these options.

It's fun to share cute pictures and updates, especially to our friends and family.  But when you share NK Fishline's Facebook page or one of our announcements, you are sending out a message that could change someone's day, week, month or life.  Not only do we solicit volunteers, donations, and support for our food drives -- we also send out announcements about free community meals, Holiday meals, and information about the resources we offer and help we provide -- including our front market and emergency resources for families in need.

We hope you will not only join our online communities, but share them with others as well.   Click here to join us on Facebook, and here to follow us on Twitter.

Severe Weather Shelter Plan in Effect for Kitsap County

The following message is from Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management:

Kitsap County, Washington:  Due to freezing weather conditions, Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management has activated the county’s Severe Weather Shelter Plan.

This year there is only one shelter.

The location is as follows:
Bremerton Food Line
1600 12th Street
Bremerton, WA 98337

The shelter will serve all citizens in our area who require safe overnight refuge where none is available.

For more information about the process, call 211 or call Kitsap Community Resources at (360)-478-2301. You can also visit the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management webpage here.

Important: Holiday Hours

Please take note of our holiday hours this week.

Wednesday, December 19th
10am to 7pm
The front market will be open regular hours. We will be passing out Christmas baskets but there will be no E-boxes on this day. 

Thursday, December 20th
10am to 1pm
 The front market will be open regular hours. We will be passing out Christmas baskets but there will be no E-boxes on this day.

Friday, December 21st
10am to  1pm
The front market will be open regular hours. We will be passing out Christmas baskets but there will be no E-boxes on this day.

We will be closed on December 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th for the Christmas Holiday. 

We will reopen on December 26, 27, & 28 -- normal business hours. 

We will be open on December 31st from 10am to 1pm and closed on New Year's Day. 

This Week's Most Needed Items: It's Getting Chilly!

This week's most needed items at NK Fishline include:

Canned Chili
Canned Chili can be donated at any food drives or collection bins at Albertson's, Central Market, Red Apple Grocery Store, or Starbucks in Poulsbo.  

Bottled Water
Bottled water can be donated at any of the above locations.  Large multi-bottle packages can also be dropped off directly at the food bank.  We also recycle and collect empty water bottles.  These can also be dropped off at the food bank.

Frozen Meats (Packaged meat from meat department that can be frozen)
We accept fresh pre-packaged meats that can be stored and frozen and have not passed their expiration date. 

Image Source:  Fun, Cheap, or Free

Diapers (Sizes 3, 4, 5 & 6)
There is always a need for baby/toddler sized diapers 3, 4, 5, and 6. 

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Have You Caught the Generosity Bug? It's CONTAGIOUS!

When a local Payless employee saw some of the shoes in her store were on sale for a great price, a thought came to her. She could purchase some of these shoes and donate them to Fishline for its Christmas Toy Shop. When she told her manager and the other employees about her idea, they gladly decided to join her and do the same.

As she related the exciting plans to her bank teller later that week, the teller was inspired and offered to help her purchase some more. Then the teller told her co-workers and they were excited to participate. By the end of the week, 60 pairs of new shoes, ranging in sizes and for all ages, were on their way to Fishline, ready to be a wonderful surprise under the tree for many deserving Fishline clients.

A friend of a volunteer, living in another country, heard of the many good works being done at Fishline and offered a donation. Writing a check to our volunteer, the far-away supporter came up with a nice twist, recommending that our volunteer seek out the greatest need at this moment and use the money for the most pressing client problems. As our volunteer talked to others about this generous act, they added to the donation with their own, intrigued by the ways this seed of kindness could do good. Before she knows it, our volunteer has more money, material donations and even piles of firewood left on her porch for distribution.

A school bus is parked at a local school, but this one isn't being used to transport students. It stands at the ready, accepting donations of food and clothing for at-risk youth. We hear that the bus filled up fast, donations compounding into more with each passing day, and by the time the campaign is over, it will be full, a testimony to the care and concern students feel for one another.

Generosity is contagious, it turns out. It sometimes starts small, an idea or a spontaneous moment that comes unexpectedly. But the human spirit responds to these moments of beauty, is nourished by them, and what begins as an innocent act becomes an influence that lingers in our hearts, spurring us to action. It is this wondrous dynamic that makes it possible for our community to offer solace and
support to those who need it the most.

While the spotlight often shines on the elements of life that drain us, the violent or disturbing occasions that make us wonder about the state of the world, in the background often hidden from view, another story is being written. It is a story of kindness, of selflessness, of love for neighbor that is powerful, even transcendent. For every negative act, there are hundreds that lift our spirits and remind us that we have what it takes to create a community where love wins.

From our Fishline family to yours, we wish you a wonderful holiday season.

Fishline Celebrates December's Community Partner: Union Bank

Every Thursday, part of the Fishline team includes a member of the Union Bank staff. Wearing their signature red Union Bank shirt, 1 of 8 staff members takes turns coming to Fishline. They work hard and love it, and they have become a very valuable part of our Thursday morning team.

NK Fishline Executive Director Mary Nader & Union Bank Manager Kathy Denton

While they are volunteering, they are also on the payroll for Union Bank. In an innovative move, Manager Kathy Denton decided to offer her employees a chance to give back to the community without losing paid hours. So she came up with this idea, believing that employees are happier when they know they are contributing, and "happy employees lead to happy customers".

This is just one of the ways our local Union Bank branch is helping Fishline. Walk in the door, and right away you'll see a display inviting food donations, with a different spotlight each month, based on the Fishline need at this time. First, it was peanut butter. Then Spaghetti pasta and sauce. Now, it is "chilly chili" month. Each month, hundreds of pounds of the needed item flow into Fishline, thanks to the employees and customers who bring them in.

This is the kind of partnership for which Fishline is very grateful. So for December, we named Union
Bank as our Community Partner of the Month. Thank you, Kathy and the Union Bank Team!

Giving the Gift of Fishline

What to get for the person who has everything?  Searching for the perfect Christmas present always adds stress to this time of the year.  Here are some unique gift ideas that would benefit not only the recipient, but NK Fishline and the neighbors that are helped through our efforts:

Food for Thought

 
Food for Thought is a NK Fishline program providing weekend meals for children in need in the North Kitsap Community.  You can read more about program here.  By becoming a Backpack Friend, a person can sponsor one child for a period of one month, semester, year, or for a one month long sponsorship for an entire school! Consider a sponsorship in someone's name as a Christmas gift that will go a long way!  We can send a gift card letting the person know that a child has been sponsored in their name for the holiday!

 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 the name and address of the person you are gifting the sponsorship to.  By giving this gift,  you will gain the satisfaction of knowing you have helped a child grow into his/her potential and invested in a community where all have the basics of life.


Holiday Baskets 

Donate a Christmas dinner on behalf of your gift recipient.  We have a list of items and the quantities that can go in the baskets. Just let us know how many families you would like to sponsor. The baskets are distributed through NK Fishline and your loved one would receive a card indicating that a basket was donated in their name.  

Toy shop: Fishline will again sponsor a toy shop for clients to come and shop for toys for their children. Donations of new toys, books, or games will be accepted. Also keep in mind older kids with donations of gift cards. Gift items can be dropped off at many local businesses until Dec 6 or directly to Fishline up to Dec. 11th.


Donations

Monetary donations are always welcome. When you donate on someone's behalf to NK Fishline during the holidays, the money can go towards food for the food bank, Christmas baskets, or toys for the Toy Shop. Click here to donate thru Paypal.  You can also mail your donation to NK Fishline, 18916 NE Third Ave, Poulsbo, WA  98370. 

Give the Gift of Volunteering

Volunteering as a family is a great gift for parents and kids alike.  At NK Fishline, you can spend time together during this busy season, teach your kids the value of service, and contribute to the community, all in one place.  We are also always looking for volunteers to help set up the Toy Shop and pack and distribute the food baskets. Contact our volunteer coordinator to learn more.




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Won't You Give Us A "Ham?!"

When you're out and about, gearing up for Christmas, don't forget about your neighbors in need.  At NK Fishline, we are busy preparing collecting and preparing Christmas baskets, as well as accepting donations for our Toy Shop. 

Won't you give us a "HAM?" Here are our most needed items this week:

- Ham (for Christmas dinners)

- Canned Sweet Potatoes

Toy Shop donations will be accepted until THIS THURSDAY, December 6th at the following locations:

Curves​​​​​

Chamber of Commerce ​, 19351 8th Avenue, Ste 108

NK Herald​​​​, 18887 State Hwy 303

1st Security Bank​​​, 19519 7th Avenue

Farmer's Insurance​​​, 19168 - B Jensen Way​

Sport Haus​​​​, 19505 7th Avenue​

Poulsbo Parks and Recreation, ​​19540 Front Street

Poulsbo Fire Station, ​​​911 Liberty Road

First Lutheran Church​​​, 18920 4th Avenue​

Hostmark Apartments​​​

Poulsbo Athletic Club​​​