ShareNet on the move

Published 11:00 am Tuesday, December 19, 2006

The mobile home behind Bayside Community Church where ShareNet operates is bulging with holiday donations and the walls are closing in – but not for long.

This month, ShareNet will get ready to move its operations to a much larger building that will house not only the food bank and some much-needed offices, but also a thrift store.

ShareNet executive director Lisa Defayette said they’re ready to sign a lease and will begin renovating the former showroom of Swift Plumbing on United Road in the Cutting Edge Business Park about four miles from Kingston off Bond Road.

“A lot of this is based on faith, but that’s true with any start-up business,” she said.

ShareNet, which started as a food bank in a closet of the church and formed as a non-profit about 15 years ago, plans to grow its operations not only in square footage, but also in services it offers. By sharing resources from a network of people it will live up to its name even more.

Defayette said they hope the thrift store will provide income to support client advocacy programs such as rental assistance, a summer meals program for children, and a Service Connection to link those in need with volunteers who can provide home repairs, maintenance, transportation and other tasks that can be hard for families stretched thin financially.

“There are more and more working families coming to us that need other assistance,” Defayette said. “We need to shift our services a little bit to give that little extra help they need, especially this time of year.”

She said the majority of up to 350 monthly clients seeking assistance from ShareNet are North End families where the primary wage earner lost a job, became disabled or has to meet the high costs of commuting. She’s also seen an increase in the number of seniors seeking assistance who face the hardship of increased property taxes on fixed incomes.

ShareNet will start from scratch in the new building and seeks donations of construction materials and labor to build walls for offices, as well as furniture and equipment to furnish them. Donations of clothing, books and housewares are being accepted to stock the thrift store.

Defayette said she is looking forward to having her own office as well as a client intake office to provide privacy for those seeking services. Hours of operations, now just two days a week, will likely increase once the thrift store gets on its feet. In the next few years, she hopes ShareNet can offer counseling and a life-skills program with classes on basic computer skills, budgeting and nutrition.

“First, everyone in the community needs to understand what we’re about,” Defayette said. “There are so many other tangible needs in addition to a food bank.”

To help keep the community informed, Bayside church member John Redhead is designing a ShareNet Web site to provide news, needs, success stories, a way to make online donations and a bulletin board.

The annual Show ‘n’ Shine car show, organized by Dale Gerber of Kitsap Powder Coating to raise funds for ShareNet, last year brought in over $42,000 and 2,300 pounds of food. Gerber is retiring from overseeing the car show, but Defayette said ShareNet will move “full-steam ahead” on putting together a committee to take over the event.

ShareNet, under the umbrella of Bayside, is overseen by a board of directors and looking to fill the president’s position. Local John L. Scott realtor Jan Zufelt serves as vice president, Steve McFadden of PacTools is treasurer and Barbara Brumigan, administrative assistant at Bayside, is secretary.

ShareNet hired a new food bank manager, Lisa Robinson, in August who is kept very busy. Approximately 95,000 pounds of food were donated this year, 10 percent provided by the state’s Emergency Food Assistance Program, 10 percent from Northwest Harvest, and most of the rest from the community.

“I get just as much of a response of happiness from those who are giving as those who are getting,” Defayette said. “In this community, people want to give. It’s nice for them to know they’re making a difference in people’s lives.”

ShareNet is accepting donations to furnish its new offices, food bank and thrift store, as well as volunteers with carpentry skills who can help renovate the building. Volunteers interested in participating in the Service Connection program and helping at the food bank are also welcome.

ShareNet is located in the trailer behind Bayside Community Church at 25992 Barber Cutoff Road, Kingston. The mailing address is P.O. Box 250, Kingston, WA, 98346. Contact them at (360) 297-2266 during business hours, 9:30 a.m.-noon, Tuesdays and Fridays, or e-mail sharenet@baysidemail.org. A new Web site will be up in the near future at www.sharenetfoodbank.org.