Ed Ramey volunteers with ShareNet’s Grocery Rescue program and makes donations of infant supplies. His wife, Joy, fills in for him when needed.

Ed is also the local coordinator of the AARP Tax Aide site at Martha & Mary in Poulsbo, is a Tax Aide instructor in Kitsap County, and is the training resource specialist for the State of Washington responsible for training all of the instructors who train more than 1,000 volunteers in Washington.

ShareNet: Ed, please give us a mini-bio of yourself and how you got to Hansville

Ramey: Back in college, in my junior year, I had moved from my parents’ home into the dorm and went with a buddy to the first mixer dance of the year. My future wife said to me at the end of the dance, “I’ll walk you home.”  Her parents had purchased the property in Hansville in 1953.

We retired from Bellevue in 2001 and moved into our new home in Hansville. I sought out volunteer activities and became involved with both the AARP Driver Safety Program and the AARP Tax Aide programs in that first year. My wife encouraged me to get involved so that we could have some independence and not get under each other’s skin.

ShareNet: How did you first become involved at ShareNet?

Ramey: I must have seen either some articles about the food bank or stopped in after passing the sign on the road. I became aware of the huge need for diapers, wipes and formula, and of the high cost of those items. When our own grandson was born, this became obvious to both of us that this was a critical need.

I am fully aware that the most cost-effective way to support the food needs of ShareNet is to give cash which allows for targeted wholesale purchases through cooperating chains and our national network, so I strongly support those donors who give cash. I still see a need for baby supplies which cannot be supported by the local budget and gladly will continue to give supplies rather than cash. No child should go hungry or have to put up with a dirty diaper. The child should not suffer because of the circumstances of the parents.

ShareNet: What are your thoughts generally on the subject of volunteerism, including why you personally volunteer?

Ramey: I have met so many great people who are willing to help others and who work to make this world a better place. ShareNet volunteers come from a rich variety of backgrounds and give generously to this community. Some care for the school lunch supplement programs, some work in the Thrift Store, some do Grocery Rescue and some help to organize and run the distribution program.  These people have stories to tell about their rich and varied lives and do amazing work for this organization.

We live in an amazing area rich with people, stories and gifts. Each of us in our own way have found ways to give back as a way to thank the world for the gifts others have given us.

ShareNet: Please highlight the most important features of the AARP-sponsored tax assistance available free to the public

Ramey: The IRS, with AARP, sponsors several programs to assist taxpayers  in meeting their obligations. In Little Boston, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe sponsors — with the IRS — a VITA site aimed at low-income taxpayers on Mondays and Tuesdays from 1-5 p.m. at the Elder Center just behind the Little Boston Library.

AARP sponsors Tax Aide sites all over the country.  While the program operates as “Tax Counseling for the Elderly,” our definition of elderly includes all persons age zero to 125 years old. Anyone may locate an AARP Tax Aide site by googling “AARP Tax Aide,” which should allow you to find the AARP Foundation home page with a locator button where you can enter your zip code and find the addresses, schedules and details for all sites within 10 or 20 miles of your zip code.

I work with the Martha & Mary Tax Aide site in Poulsbo which is open Thursday from 1-5 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We serve all persons and you do not need to be an AARP member. We do have some limitations on who we can help in regard to rental income, depreciation, farm income, and some other limits.

We ask that you bring photo ids, Social Security cards for all persons on the, last year’s tax return, all documentation for income and deductions or credits for this year’s return and have all primary tax payers present if possible.

We try not to start new returns in the last 30 minutes of our schedule and both sites operate on a first come, first served basis (except we let handicapped and disabled persons skip the line).

Questions can be left on my home answering machine and I will get back to you within 48 hours. All local libraries have the county wide schedules and other program information.

For questions, call me at 360-638-1525.

— Mark Ince is executive director of ShareNet. Contact him at director@sharenetfoodbank.org.