POULSBO — Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management and Kingston Cares will present a training session for volunteers at Kingston’s Severe Weather Shelter, Jan. 26, 7-9 p.m.
Training will take place at the Kingston Community Center, 11212 Highway 104.
Kingston’s Severe Weather Shelter opened Dec. 1 at its temporary location at the North Kitsap Fire Station on Miller Bay Road and has served seven individuals in its 10 nights of operation, hosted by a small core of volunteers who have worked 60 shifts.
“Although we had some nights with no guests, it has given us an opportunity to understand how to operate and make some improvements,” said Jane Mack, president of Kingston Cares.
Mary Gleysteen, who co-chairs the organization’s volunteer coordination committee, believes occupancy will be much higher once the shelter is moved to the Kingston Community Center on Highway 104 in downtown Kingston.
“So far we have donated more than 300 volunteer hours with a small group of people doing most of the work,” Gleysteen said.
New volunteers are asked to complete and submit the Department of Emergency Management background applications prior to attending the training. Those forms are available at www.kitsapdem.org and may be returned to Michele Moen by fax or mail.
The community has responded generously to the severe weather shelter project, Mack said. “Our biggest challenges right now are communicating that the shelter is open, and communicating that it has closed again,” she said. So many supplies have been donated by individuals and groups that Kingston Cares is now asking that people who want to donate should give money or gift cards.
Although a state-registered non-profit, Kingston Cares is not yet a 501c(3), so deductible donations can be made through the North Kitsap Rotary Foundation, which is administering funds for the group.
The severe weather shelter is one of several projects that Kingston Cares hopes to sustain in the future, Mack said. Future plans include developing ways to bring more social services to the north end of the county, and developing ways to deal with the root causes of poverty and homelessness in the area.
To reserve a spot at the training session or for more information about Kingston’s Severe Weather Shelter, call Mack, 360-620-1957; or Gleysteen, 360-297-3894.
