NK Fishline Announces Our New Volunteer Manager

North Kitsap Fishline has a new Volunteer Manager!  Jackie Aitchison, former Director of the Poulsbo Farmers Market and the Washington State Farmers Market Association, will join the Fishline team of managers at the end of January.  She has also served on the Poulsbo City Council and was a Fishline Board Member.  She will replace Gavin Watt, who has done a great job working with the volunteers as we serve our community through our busy food bank and thrift store.  

Jackie brings years of volunteer and program management experience, as well as a mature and respectful leadership style that will serve Fishline well.  

Please help us welcome Jackie to our management team! We are looking forward to working with her and all the contributions she will bring to NK Fishline!

Camille Meyers Named Volunteer of the Year by Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce

Camille Meyers named Volunteer of the Year

Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce chose our own Camille Meyers as the Volunteer of the Year, and presented the award to her on Saturday night at its annual President’s Gala Ceremony at Kiana Lodge. This is a remarkable recognition of the over 30 years of dedication Camille has shown toward her community.

Camille expressed her love of her volunteering with her own words when accepting the award: “In these many years of service, I’ve loved every minute of it. Helping people is all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

We are so proud of Camille and congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition!

Executive Director Mary Nader and Camille Meyers

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Empty Bowls Serves a Full Room!

This past Saturday, January 19th, NK Fishline hosted our Empty Bowls Fundraiser during the lunch hour at Gateway Fellowship Hall in Poulsbo.  The event was well attended familiar friends and new faces, we were glad to host them all! 

Guests were invited to choose from hand-painted bowls on tables throughout the room, starting in price at $15.  Then they made their way to the soup line, where they chose from a humble but delicious menu. 

Special thanks to Central Market, who provided the soup.  The menu included Tuscan Vegetable, Chicken & Autumn  Vegetable Tagine, and Chipotle Chili w/ Black Beans. The meal also included warm bread.  On hand to serve the soup were Poulsbo City Council members Linda Berry-Maraist and Ed Stern.

The entertainment for the lunch hour was provided by a group called Time and Tide, a trio of Bainbridge Island singers and guitar players.

The guests included recently crowned Miss Kitsap, Crystal Jimenez, and Miss Silverdale, Jahrielle Davis, pictured here with NK Fishline Executive Director Mary Nader. 

Helping people through the line and on their way to delicious soup were Becky Hall and Nicolle Perisho.

No one seemed to mind waiting in the sometimes long line, especially when they could find others to chat with! 

There was also a silent auction for handmade and painted bowl sets. The auction included bids for items such as a ramen noodle bowl set and large well-crafted fruit bowl, as well as beautiful bowls painted with delicate details like those pictured above.

The turnout was wonderful! Many commented that there were twice as many people in attendance as last year!  Thank you again for coming out to support NK Fishline at this fun community event! 

Special thanks again to Blue Sky Printing and Remington Design for the beautiful posters and donation cards, to Time and Tide for the entertainment, to Gateway Fellowship for allowing us to host the event at the church, and to Central Market for the soup, and especially to the 2013 Empty Bowl painters: 

— The North Kitsap High School pottery class, taught by Rande Anderson. Anderson and his pottery class also participated in the event last year.  
— Attendees of Poulsbo’s Americana Music Festival.
— Bainbridge potter Chris Bristah, who donated 40 bowls.
— Other local artists and galleries, such as Verksted Gallery, and Indi Studio owner Susan Butler.

This Week's Most Needed Items!

When you are out shopping this week, please keep NK Fishline in mind.  Here is a list of our most needed items:

Coffee
We distribute both regular and decaf coffee as part of our monthly E-boxes. Both whole bean and ground coffee are accepted. 

Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is an easy and delicious way to add protein to your diet.  For those who are homeless or children in need, it is also a very convenient meal option. 

Diapers
Diapers! We always need diapers! Please drop off your diapers at the food bank or at any of our collection bins located at Albertson's, Central Market, or Red Apple. 

Coffee Grinder
We are still looking for a large or industrial size coffee grinder. If you happen to have one, please let us know!

NK Fishline Receives $2500 Grant from Kitsap Bank

Kitsap Bank

Special thanks to Kitsap Bank, who has just awarded NK Fishline a $2500 grant! Kitsap Bank has a century-long tradition of community involvement. Through their Community Partner Program, they support a number of important projects and causes, ranging from fine arts to health and education. Over the past six years, Kitsap Bank has invested over $1 million and countless hours back into our communities through sponsorships, donations, and volunteer activities.  In 2013, the bank will provide support to over 80 area non-profit organizations with donations totaling more than $300,000.  We are honored to be a recipient of a portion of these funds.  The grant will go towards our Food for Thought program.

Food for Thought is weekend meal program for children who have been identified as at-risk or in need.  By assembling easy-to-prepare, child-friendly packs for each weekend day, we aer able to provide 3 meals a day plus snacks.  Hundreds of area children look forward to Friday afternoon when they receive their meal packs, a reminder that we believe in them.  This heartwarming service has been a great success for our community.  Schools have come to rely upon it to offer relieve to the sad condition of childhood hunger.  Click here to learn more about Food for Thought and the ways you can help!

Thank you Kitsap Bank!!

Severe Weather Shelter Announcement, Kitsap County

Due to continued freezing weather conditions, Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management will keep the county’s Severe Weather Shelter open through the weekend.



The shelter will open at 6 PM, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (11^th -13^th). Hours of operation will be from 6 PM until 7 AM. Guests will not be able to check into the shelter after 9:00 PM.

The location is as follows:

Bremerton Food Line

1600 12^th Street

Bremerton, WA 98337

The shelter will serve all citizens in our area who require safe overnight refuge where none is available. Further activations will be weather dependent. Stay tuned.



For more information about the process, call 211 or call Kitsap Community Resources at (360)-478-2301.

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NK Fishline Accepting Applications for Our Volunteer Coordinator Position

NK Fishline is currently accepting applications for the Volunteer Coordinator position. Please read the job description below.  If you are interested, please print and fill out the attached application and submit it by mail to NK Fishline, 18916 NE Third Ave, Poulsbo, WA 98370.  Please contact the Executive Director, Mary Nader, with any questions.

Volunteer Coordinator Job Description

NATURE OF WORK:  This is administrative work securing and training volunteers for the food bank and the thrift, and coordinating volunteer service time and schedules.  Position is based on a 30 hour work week.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:

Develops and implements recruiting methods to obtain volunteers for the food bank and the thrift shop; recruits volunteers to assure there are sufficient volunteers available at all times.

Orients new volunteers to Fishline in general and to their specific duties. 

Obtains replacement volunteer(s) to work for absent volunteer(s) or for special projects.

Prepares and maintains schedule of volunteer work assignments; posts schedule weekly; makes changes to schedule, as necessary.

Keeps volunteers informed of Fishline policies/procedures, information needed to perform the work and keep abreast of daily events, happenings and plans.

Utilizes recognition and awards to maintain high level of motivation and appreciation of volunteers.

Provides work assignments to and oversees community service workers; tracks hours worked and provides information to court(s), as required.

Acts as agency liaison to volunteer organizations such as, but not limited to, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Volunteers of America, and Kitsap Community Resources Jobs Program.

Ensures that volunteer drivers are listed as drivers on the Fishline insurance policy.

Maintains files on all volunteer, including accurate emergency contact information. 

Maintains and prepares a report of individual volunteer time worked; prepares other reports as requested by the Executive Director.

Ensures that incident reports are completed and reviewed following every volunteer injury or untoward event.

Plans and organizes volunteer appreciation events.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS:  Position reports to the Executive Director.   Employee may coordinate certain aspects of volunteer training and/or assignment with Operations Managers. 

DESIRED KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS OR ABILITIES:  Ability to communicate clearly orally and in writing.  Ability to initiate and maintain working relationships with a variety of persons including volunteers, representatives of government agencies, and local community service organizations.  Knowledge of volunteer utilization in a social service or non-profit agency.    Ability to work productively with persons of all backgrounds and ethnicities.  Ability to maintain accurate records and to prepare reports.   Ability to work independently.  Ability to develop volunteer recruitment methods and to develop programs or procedures to guide a large volunteer staff.   Knowledge of and ability to use Microsoft Word and Excel.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:   High school diploma plus at least one year of college-level classes in the provision of social services.  Two years working with or as a volunteer in a non-profit client services agency.  Additional experience may be substituted for the post-high school education.  Prior experience in volunteer management highly preferred. 


 

Thank You Gavin!

After a year of extraordinary service to Fishline as Volunteer Manager, Gavin Watt has decided to really retire and will be leaving at the end of January.

We would like to thank Gavin for being such a dedicated manager and contributing his skills and talents to our organization.  The position of Volunteer Manager requires a 24/7 commitment.  Gavin has kept us staffed and organized with grace and perseverance, and we will miss him!

Our next post will include details about the Volunteer Coordinator position.

Community Partner of the Year: Our Community!

Each this past year we highlighted a community partner -- a local business or organization that has gone above and beyond to support our efforts at NK Fishline.  As we begin a New Year and reflect on 2012, it's clear that one group has shown extraordinary efforts when it comes to helping NK Fishline:  our COMMUNITY!  That's why we have chosen our Community as Partner of the Year.

There are so many great examples of ways that our North Kitsap community has stepped up to help those in need -- here are a few highlights:

Fill the Bus Campaign

At North Kitsap High School, the student group Signing for Change, along with the school librarian, Mary Fox started a project called Fill the Bus.  Starting before Thanksgiving, students spent weeks filling the bus with donations of food, clothing, and other needed items for disadvantaged or homeless students and families.   The bus traveled to other area schools to collect supplies and the goal?  To actually FILL THE BUS. When the very long bus could not fit anymore, then it would be deliver time.  The program was a huge success.  The kids delivered 700 lbs of food to NK Fishline and approximately 70 huge bags of clothing for our thrift store.

Read more here about the origin of the Fill the Bus campaign, and the remarkable efforts by these students in our community.

Our Volunteers

Over 200 members of our community have committed to doing whatever they can to keep Fishline humming and serving its constituency.  They come from all walks of life, all ages and personalities.  Clients who want to pay back the help they receive even volunteer.  All come together with a shared purpose which bonds them to one another and to the clients they serve.  Volunteers are the key and the core to all that is accomplished at NK Fishline, helping in every conceivable way, giving time and talent, even treasure.  It is the thing most noticed by those who tour our facility - the beehive of activity as every helper participates in the orchestra of effort needed for a busy food bank like ours.

This summer, our volunteers kicked it up a notch, by leading an effort to redesign our front market to create a more just, respectful and efficient distribution model.  Because of their work, combined with feedback from clients and management, a new and innovative approach worked on its first iteration, a testimony to thoughtful design and great planning.  Read more in detail about the changes we made to the front market here.

Dozens of other volunteers work tirelessly and with great creativity to create a beautiful shopping experience at Second Season, our thrift store that devotes all profits to Fishline.  Throughout the year, they sort through thousands of donated items, lovingly seeing each item's potential and then displaying it so enticingly that sales keep breaking records.

Fishline could not exist a single day without its volunteers, and we owe them a great debt of thanks.


Super Hero Efforts

One night in July,  NK Fishline's walk-in freezer died.  Thousands of pounds of frozen meat, needed to help our clients, were in jeopardy of thawing and then being thrown away.  Central Market agreed to store all our frozen items until our freezer was repaired.  So volunteers came in during the middle of the night while Central was waiting to help us unload and store them in their freezer. The next day, we had the unit repaired (a costly endeavor -- but worth it!).  At the end of the day, with these super heroes ready and on hand, we were able to save all the meat and lost only a little ice cream.  It was a small, but awesome, miracle.

Donations of much needed equipment

As Fishline grows, so does our need for equipment.  Time and time again, volunteers, businesses, and many people have stepped forward to provide what we needed.  This past year, Rotary purchased for Fishline a sorely-needed three-door cooler, a huge contribution that will make it possible for us to provide nourishing fruits, vegetables and dairy to dozens more families each week.  This equipment was vital in the changes we made to our front market this year. The senior center donated a van for pickup and transport of food, clothing, and other good from area businesses to the food bank. Other donations included a handmade table for sorting food, a wireless router, shopping buggies donated by Central Market and Albertson's, and computer equipment. All things big and small -- our community manages to help find and donate the things we need, when we need them.

North Kitsap Ladies Volleyball Team Collects Food for Thought Essentials

Food for Thought 

This year we went to the community to promote a program that we have had for a while -- Food for Thought.  Food for Thought is a weekend meal program for at risk and needy children in the community.  Read more about the program here.  Our thoughts were to create an aspect of the program called "Backpack Friends," bringing the Food for Thought program to a higher level.  This sponsorship program would give members of the community the opportunity to sponsor an individual child for a month, semester, or school year-- or even an entire school. The response has been overwhelming and is still incoming. 

A representative from Pacific Northwest Title drops off food from their annual food drive.

Food Donations




Throughout the year, various businesses and organizations come forward to host food drives in the community. Not only do these food drives support NK Fishline, but they help to bring together the group as well.  We are so thankful to be the recipient of the collections -- and especially thankful that these events happen all year long and not only during the holiday season.  In 2012, the total food collected was 67, 205 lbs! Simply extraordinary!!

Mark Your Calendars for Our Empty Bowls Event!

Join NK Fishline for our Empty Bowls Fundraiser for the Homeless & the Hungry on Saturday, January 19th, 2013.  

Soup is $15, with a silent auction of selected bowls. 

Details

Saturday, January 19, 2013

12:00 to 1:30 PM

Gateway Fellowship Church 

18901 8th Ave NE 

Poulsbo

Contact NK Fishline with any questions!