FLASH FOOD DRIVE: Help us reach our goal of 5,000 lbs of food by June 15th!

On the Saturday before Mother’s Day each year, area food banks anticipate the Stamp Out Hunger food drive as its primary way to fill the shelves for the long summer of need.

This year, the Stamp Out Hunger bags that typically go with the cards into your mailbox, and serve as a great reminder to give, were not delivered as planned. Our Post Office did not receive the bags for distribution and couldn’t resolve the problem in time for the food drive.
The result was a staggering drop in donations from previous years. Though the numbers are not in yet, we expect that we will have received only about 30 percent of last year’s drive totals.

Entering into this time of year without the food support that we anticipated is worrisome and can mean that Fishline will run out of food in June instead of August or September.

We hope that we can rally the support of our community and find a way to replace the donations that were missed during this important drive. If you normally donate during Stamp Out Hunger and did not have the opportunity this past weekend, please fill a bag to help feed a family now.  You can drop off your bags at our new location at 787 Liberty Lane NW (off Viking Avenue) or at any of our dropboxes throughout town, including the ones at Central Market, Albertsons and Red Apple. 

Help us reach our goal of 5,000 pounds of food donations by June 15.

 
Our community has always made sure that we have enough to serve the neighbors who most need our help, and we know that this year will be no exception. Thank you to all those who donated during Stamp Out Hunger and to all those who will help us out this summer.

Mary Nader 
Executive Director, North Kitsap Fishline

A Special Thank You to Our New Building Remodel Crew!

Photo Credit:  Nichole Connor

While our focus at NK Fishline is to provide food and emergency services to the community, we have spent a little over a month now on a very important project: our new building remodel. The new-to-us space will help to provide a much needed expansion from our current location, and allow us to work more efficiently, serve the community better and give more to those in need. 

Photo Credit:  Nichole Connor

Our call to the community has been for services and materials. Donated or discounted time and supplies enable Fishline to stay within a budget, and more importantly: gives members of the community a sense of ownership in the ongoing and completed project.

 

Photo Credit:  Nichole Connor

 A project of this magnitude could not be completed without a committed group of individuals. Finding time in your already busy schedules to give to such a worthy project deserves praise beyond words. While contributions are ongoing, we would like to thank the following businesses and people for their efforts so far:

Tim Ryan Construction
Rick Lander, oversees volunteers and materials
Swift Plumbing
Chad Lyons, Lyons Painting
Miles Yanick & Company, Architect
Sandy Wenberg, Color Specialist
Peninsula Paint, donated all the paint
The Hansen family and Jan and Neal Henson, all the scotch broom extraction
Bainbridge Island Disposal, donated use of a dumpster
Central Market, provided pizzas for work parties
Anne Alexander, donated grab bars for the bathroom
David Graves, Information Technology Implementation
Town and Country Market for the walk-in coolers
Jack Archer
Mark Wright
Glen Hanson
Matthew Brooke
Mike Regis
Les Fritch
Joanne Reno

Fishline's School Supply Program: A Community Project From Start to Finish

The beginning of the school year is an exciting time for families.  New classes, old friends, many kids are very eager to return to school.  One of the important rituals during this time is school shopping. This would include shopping for clothes, shoes, and school supplies.  For a family in need, this inspiring time of year can be very stressful.

In place for over 9 years, the North Kitsap Fishline School Supply Program has worked with families to ease this stress.  Kathy Smith, the coordinator of the program, works diligently with local churches and businesses to ensure it's success.  

Mid-summer, every year, Kathy recruits volunteers from the community, not just the seasoned volunteers from Fishline, but others as well.  She reaches out to local businesses and churches -- while many step up on their own.  This event is one that many organizations have on their calendar annually.  These groups then have school supply drives at their business locations or coordinate events with their parishes to stock up their share of donations. 

At the end of the school supply drive, the items are inventoried, sorted, and packed based on grade level and supply requirement lists from the schools.  Children and teenage volunteers are asked to pack the backpacks for their peers, an experience that many of them learn a lot from.  It's important that young people in the community understand that people in need are not only in need of food, but every day things that might be taken for granted. 

In 2012, our program served 251 students in the North Kitsap School District, grades K through 12.  This year, we served 274 students.  Families in need register their children at the food bank during the same period of time that we are collecting supplies.  Many of the older kids who need supplies come in and register themselves. Participants can expect to receive standard school supplies, such as binders, paper, pencils, and pens or everything on the pre-printed lists provided by the schools. These are all packed neatly in sturdy backpacks, purchased with monies generously donated by the community.  This year, the program received approximately $5795 in in-kind donations.

Kathy Smith, NK Fishline School Supply Drive Coordinator

Each family is assigned a time to come and pick up their backpacks.  The time slots are spaced out to be discreet, and to give the students time to choose extra items from our bin of miscellaneous supplies that have been collected.  It's not exactly school shopping, but the kids are excited to receive the items and parents are relieved and grateful.  It's this exchange that makes the program well worth the 120+ hours of volunteer time!

After registered families collect their backpacks, the extra supplies and packed bags are distributed to the local schools, for financially challenged kids that may come in during the school year. If these run out at the schools, parents can also come to the food bank and request help.  Items in storage help to meet these needs all year long. The schools are also aware that they can contact Kathy if they have families come in and need help with supplies.

A huge thanks to Kathy Smith for all her very hard work.  As coordinator of this much needed program, she commits many hours of volunteer time towards this community supported project and we are so grateful for her efforts. Read her letter of thanks to the North Kitsap community here.

To learn more about our school supply program or to contribute to these and other programs, please visit our webpage at www.nkfishline.org.

Grace Outreach Awards Grant to Support Food for Thought and Homeless Support at NK Fishline

Special thanks to Grace Episcopal Church on Bainbridge Island for their recent grant to NK Fishline.  Grace Outreach has awarded a $2000 grant that will be divided equally between the Food for Thought Program and our Homeless Support Services.  

Grace Church supports many wonderful programs through their Outreach program, both local and international.  We are so pleased to be considered among this outstanding group of organizations. 

Thank you!

Bank of America Awards Grant to North Kitsap Fishline

Continuing in its tradition of assisting North Kitsap Fishline Food Bank and its programs, Bank of America recently awarded a grant for 2013 delivered on its behalf by Shelli Guzman of Merrill Lynch on Bainbridge Island.  

In the past, Bank of America has supported the Food for Thought Children’s meal program and other Fishline services.  This year, the grant will be used for direct client support as well as funding support for the new Fishline newsletter.  The Fishline Focus highlights the activities and services of Fishline, including an inspirational and behind the scenes look at volunteer activities, client stories and details about available services. 

Mary Nader, Executive Director, expressed deep thanks on behalf of Fishline.  “We are very grateful for the way Bank of America has contributed to community efforts increasing the quality of life for so many.  Thanks to BOA, many children have received crucial nutrition through the weekend through Fishline’s Food for Thought program and now many more will learn of the work we’re doing by reading about it in the Fishline Focus.”

Ms. Guzman toured the facility during her visit and was inspired by the ways this community assists its struggling residents.  Thanks to partners like Bank of America, Fishline will be able to continue these efforts for many years to come.

"From Biopsy to Bell" -- A Heartfelt Letter from Camille Meyers

From Biopsy to Bell

My journey started the last week of September, 2012.  My wonderful Fishline family celebrated its annual  thank you dinner for the volunteers.  I asked if I could share a presentation of the 31 years I was blessed to give to Fishline Food Bank and Thrift Shop.  Union Bank then put a wonderful display about Fishline and a write-up of my years at Fishline at the entrance of the Bank. 

This journey took a bump in the road for me.  The biopsy showed a cancerous tumor on the side of my tongue.  Wow!!  Why me!?!  The preparation, the treatments, radiation every day.  Chemo one day a week.  The loving dedication of the medical staff.  The not knowing if I'm willing, the learning processes of cancer.  I'm in the middle of my journey.

With my family, children, grandchildren and Fishline family beside me, Saturday night, January 26, 2013 at Kiana Lodge, I received a beautiful award as 2012 Volunteer of the Year from the Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce.

I'm waiting to ring that Bell at the end of my treatment, ringing the sound loud and clear - the bump in the journey is over. 

I cannot ever thank my family, friends and Fishline family for all the love and support they have shown me every day. 

With loving support to all of the people also taking their journey,
 

Camille Meyers