By Chris Henry
chenry@kitsapsun.com
PORT ORCHARD
South Kitsap Helpline announced Wednesday that it has finalized
purchase of the Port Orchard Nursery.
The food bank has been
working since last spring to raise funds to buy the landmark
establishment, opened as a nursery in 1949 by the Greseth the
family.
Helpline received a $300,000 grant from the Birkenfeld Trust in
May, which helped jump start the fund-raising effort.
The sale includes the business site, complete with a two-story
home, a store, three large commercial greenhouses, a lath house and
plant beds. The nursery is on a bus line and near other social
services and free meal programs, which will be a boon to Helpline
clients, said Director Jennifer Hardison, in an e-mailed press
release.
“This purchase will positively impact the lives and health of
thousands in our community and beyond, while dramatically expanding
Helpline’s services currently offered,” Hardison said.
In purchasing the nursery, Helpline’s board of directors hopes to
provide food bank clients and local meal programs with fresh local
produce year ‘round. Vegetable starts grown from seed will be
offered to community gardens and P-patches throughout Kitsap
County.
The existing home on the site will house agency offices and a
clothing bank. The current storefront will be renovated to create a
choice-based, self-serve food bank. A teaching facility, complete
with a commercial kitchen will be constructed for use by food bank
clients and the general public.
The food bank will generate revenue by selling flowers, plants,
produce and vegetable starts grown and sold both on-site and
off-site at local farmers markets.
“This will help to bring in more consistent revenue to fund our
expanding programs,” Hardison said. “Additionally, we plan to sell
items we grow at a local food co-op and will have contracts with
local restaurants for fresh herbs and produce.”
Additional opportunities for revenue include offering paid classes
and workshops to the public, as well as renting out the commercial
kitchen.
Food bank clients and others who volunteer at the nursery will gain
valuable skills in horticulture and landscaping that can be
transferred to paid positions, Hardison said.
For more information, visit www.skhelpline.org or call (360)
876-4089.
Tag Archives: South Kitsap Helpline
Thanksgiving Dinner for $1
Sounds too good to be true? Believe it.
MoonDogs, Too – Spirits & Fine Grub will reprise its $1 holiday meal service from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. Owner Darryl Baldwins says it’s his staff’s way to say “happy holidays” to the community. The event is also a fundraiser for South Kitsap Helpline. Those who feel so inclined can donate cash, clothing or food to the food bank.
Twenty-five volunteers, including Mayor Lary Coppola, will help serve food, bus tables and do dishes.
Baldwin said the event has doubled each year since it began in 2007. Last year, they served 140 for Thanksgiving and 135 for Christmas, despite a major snow storm. This year, they’re planning for 300.
Everyone and anyone is welcome, said Baldwin. He especially wants to get the word out to people in the Navy, senior citizens and others who may be far away from family.
Some folks use the event as an excuse to get out of the kitchen on Thanksgiving. They bring their guests down to MoonDogs and donate the money they would have spent to Helpline. Last year, between the two holidays, Moondogs collected $3,000 and three barrels of food and clothing for the food bank.
Partner businesses include Minder Meats of Bremerton, which donated $150 worth of turkey, and Morningside Bread Co., which donated rolls.
Because Kitsap Transit has eliminated service on Thanksgiving and Christmas, MoonDogs is working with local churches to find rides for people.
There are enough volunteers for Thanksgiving, Baldwin said, but MoonDogs could use more help for Christmas.
For more information, call (360) 895-2300.
Port Orchard: City Gets Fit and Fights Hunger
Now though Nov. 14, South Kitsap residents can make a pledge to improve their fitness and help local food banks, all in one step.
The Port Orchard Fit City Challenge/ End Hunger Initiative was conceived by South Kitsap residents Debbie Quinn and Mary Colborn and loosely model on Weight Watchers’ national program in which participants donate a pound of food for every pound lost. Colborn has been involved in efforts to help South Kitsap Helpline purchase the Port Orchard Nursery property and start a community garden to stock food bank shelves.
Organizers launched the challenge in recognition of the role that hunger and obesity play in our national’s health care crisis. According to Colborn, 66 percent of all Americans are overweight, while 35.5 million go to bed hungry every night.
In the Fit City Challenge, participants are invited to sign up
and drop off food at several weigh stations around the city or at
participating churches. Weigh stations include:
Bayview Java & Deli, 1213 Bay St., (360) 874-7615
Max Fitness, 1476 Olney St. SE, (360) 895-3450
Olympic Fitness Club, 4459 SE Mile Hill Dr., (360) 871-3433
Sugardaddy’s Salon, 834 Bay St. (360) 895-7838
Westcoast Fitness, 1948 SE Lund Ave. #106, (360) 874-2818
Wisteria Lane, 109 Sidney Ave., (360) 874-7800
All weights are private and confidential. Only losses will be noted and celebrated. Weigh ins are not public. Individuals may track their progress privately through the American Heart Association’s Web site: www.startwalkingnow.org, at home or at other weight loss centers. Walking tours and an end of initiative celebration are planned.
The Port Orchard City Council on Tuesday will issue a proclamation in support of the Fit City Challenge.
For more information, contact Debbie Quinn at (360) 876-1781 or Mary Colborn at (360) 621-0050 or fitcitychallenge@yahoo.com.
In other news about local efforts to fight hunger in South Kitsap, Newlife South Church is hosting Sunday lunch for anyone who needs it from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Christian Life Center parking lot (corner of Mitchell and Lincoln avenues) on the last two Sundays of the month.
Friday Afternoon Club Part II: Ciscoe Clowns for Helpline
By Chris Henry
chenry@kitsapsun.com
PORT ORCHARD
South Kitsap Helpline and supporters will host a fund-raising event
Sunday to help with the purchase of the Port Orchard Nursery. The
event will feature King 5 TV personality and master gardener
Ciscoe Morris, known for his
off-the-wall humor.
Earlier this month, Helpline was awarded a $300,000 grant from the
Birkenfeld Trust through the Seattle Foundation. The grant will
allow the food bank to make a down payment on the property, which
has been for sale by the Greseth family.
The campaign to raise additional funds for the purchase will kick
off with a Garden Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the
nursery, 1012 Mitchel Avenue.
There will be a vendor fair featuring gifts, flowers, plants and
garden art held in the nursery parking lot. Free classes and
workshops for children will also be offered throughout the event.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase.
Ciscoe will speak from 4 to 5 p.m. Tickets to the talk are $25 and
include a reception from 5 to 6 p.m.
For more information and to make reservations for the Ciscoe Morris
event, call (360) 876-4089.
