North Kitsap Fishline has been awarded $1 million to accommodate growing demand on facilities and resources.
Fishline announced the grant from the Medina Foundation on Nov. 12, which will go toward a larger $3 million capital project to renovate the campus on Viking Way and increase capacity for services such as the food bank and financial aid. Amanda Dragon, development and communications director, said Fishline’s relationship with the Medina Foundation spans roughly a decade, and the nonprofit contributed $75,000 to Fishline earlier this year. The same round of grant funding from the organization provided $3 million to another Kitsap project, a major expansion at St. Vincent de Paul in Bremerton.
“We don’t see the affordability crisis slowing down anytime soon,” Dragon said. “This year alone, we’re planning to spend $410,000 in food purchases.”
According to Executive Director Charlie Thompson, the nonprofit’s free market serves an average of 130 Kitsap households every day — already more households than the previous year, and clientele has more than doubled compared to when the facility first opened in Poulsbo eight years ago. Fishline is reportedly on track to distribute approximately $3.5 million in financial and in-kind assistance this year.
One of Fishline’s major building proposals is to replace a mobile trailer outside where clients can shower with shower stalls and changing rooms in the building. Thompson said indoor facilities will provide a more dignified experience and will therefore better connect people experiencing homelessness with important hygiene services. Other potential improvements include expanding office space and creating a community room for trainings and job fairs among other events.
Adjustments to the food bank’s space are also under consideration, Thompson said, such as constructing an additional door to better direct the flow of traffic. Fishline said the planned upgrades are designed to improve use of Fishline’s existing space and support greater collaboration with community organizations offering services to clients.
“This extraordinary investment from the Medina Foundation gives Fishline the opportunity to take significant steps toward the campus our community needs,” Thompson said in a statement. “The need has changed dramatically since we opened this building eight years ago. This is about more than improving our physical space. It is about making sure Fishline can continue to welcome people with dignity while creating greater access to food, resources, services, and opportunities.”
Fishline said it will assess how to allocate the Medina Foundation’s $1 million contribution as it pursues additional funding for its planned $3 million capital improvements. Thompson said project planning has largely been conducted already, and Fishline hopes to secure additional funding to start breaking ground in the next 6-12 months.
It was announced in July that Fishline signed a lease to farm two acres at Petersen Farm in Clear Creek Valley to additionally help provide for North Kitsap communities facing food insecurity. According to Thompson, Fishline recently broke ground and have planted garlic bulbs to grow over the winter season with more crops planned to be planted in spring 2027.
“We continue to find ways to build our capacity because the need is increasing,” Thompson said. “Whether it’s through farming or through building out our infrastructure, we’re going to continue to find creative ways to provide for basic needs to our community in need.”