News

Working closely with Fishline’s Business Manager and Interim Director, Marge Johnson, the Board of Directors begins their search for Fishline’s new Executive Director. See details below:

Executive Director

The Fishline Executive Director will be a high profile leader in the North Kitsap community, recognizing its role as a “go-to” organization for helping people. Reporting to the fifteen-member Board of Directors, the Executive Director will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for Fishline’s budget, programs and mission achievement. The ED leads eleven staff and four hundred volunteers. The ED will also be responsible for nurturing and strengthening relationships with the eleven partner agencies, providing wrap-around services, that have staff and program people co-located with Fishline in its primary location.

A key responsibility area for the ED is in fundraising and revenue development. Fishline is healthy financially with a 2020 budget of $3,523,000. Revenues come from a wide variety of sources including $550,000 from the Second Season Thrift Store and $1,500,000 of in-kind contributions to the food bank. While challenging, this can be the dream job for the right candidate!

Download the complete Position Profile here.

Food Bank

Fishline will require that people call in to have a box of groceries put together. We are moving to pre-packed boxes with limited choices and one grocery pickup a week in an effort to serve the greatest number possible. Please call 360-779-5190 for grocery pickups and leave your name and number and a Fishline sfaff person or volunteer will call you back. Modified pick up hours are as follows: 

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday: 12 pm – 4pm
Wednesday: 2pm to 6pm

The volume of calls is increasing daily Our staff is returning calls for food orders and client services as quickly as possible. We are requesting that clients stay in their cars and drive through the delivery lane. Because of the drive through situation, for everyone’s safety, we are discouraging any walk-in orders other than those for clients who arrive on foot.

If you are not feeling well or cannot pick up your groceries, you can assign a friend, neighbor or family member to pick up for you. If you that is not possible, we can deliver. We are working on ways to get groceries and essentials to those at home: elderly, sick, or high risk. Please let the staff person who returns your call know if someone else is picking up your groceries or you need a delivery.

Please make sure to check back on our website or Facebook weekly for updates or changes.

Client Services

Fishline will continue to provide  all client services remotely via phone only. Please call (360) 779-5190 to arrange a phone appointment.

Donations

We are serving more households every week and continue to need your support.

Food Donations

Donations of food items (non-perishable only, please) will be accepted at the old Fishline building (please see the signs directing towards the Annex) and held for 96 hours to ensure no spread of the virus. Here are our most needed items:  Pasta, Chili (w/meat and w/out meat), Beef Stew, Soups, Top Ramen, Pasta Sauce, Canned Fruit, Canned Meat, Cooking Oil, Cereal, Sliced Bread, toilet paper, Diapers, sizes, 4, 5 & 6.

If people would prefer to donate non-perishables they can be dropped off at the annex at any time. There are directional signs letting people know where to go.  There’s a pallet outside the old building where donations of non-perishable items can be placed as they need to be sorted by the date they are received and held for a min. of 3 days prior to moving them to the main building for packing and distribution.

Financial Donations

We understand it might be difficult to get to a grocery store, and as such we are highly encouraging financial donations over food. Our buying power through Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline allow us to stretch our dollar further, while stocking our inventory with our client’s most needed items. Any donations you can provide financial, food, or gift cards will be very appreciated. You can share a financial gift directly to Fishline in one of the following ways: 

• Online: https://fishlinehelps.org/get-involved/donate/, 

• Mail: PO Box 1517, Poulsbo, WA  98370

• In Person: Drive thru our delivery lane  and drop off at donation door or drop off in our secure mailbox on campus. 

Second Season

We have suspended accepting donations to Second Season Thrift Store for the current time.  We have closed the store and do not have the room to store items or staff on hand for the present time. We encourage you to recycle or repurpose appropriate clothing and materials into face covers if you are able; or offering them to others to do the same. Visit here for instructions or copy and paste the following link into your browser: <https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html>

Face Covers/Masks

We are in need of face covers for our staff, volunteers, and to give to our clients. Please visit here for instructions or copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html.

Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers between the ages of 18 and 65, with no pre-existing health conditions to help with packing food boxes in the market or delivering to those who are not able to pick up food. Please contact Lidia Gamero at volunteer@fishlinehelps.org for more information.

Fishline is in need of protective masks for use by our staff & volunteers in the food bank and to give to clients who may need them.

What are the best materials to use? 

• Pillow Cases
• 100% Cotton T-shirts

These materials filter out approximately 50% of .02 micron particles, similar in size to the coronavirus. They are also easy to breathe through as surgical masks, which makes them comfortable enough to wear for several hours. 

Nose Bridge Materials

Masks need to have a bendable material for the nose area. This material* can be 3-4” of bendable materials, including: pipe cleaners, plastic covered twist ties, etc. 

*Make sure materials are machine washable and are sewn into the inside of one side using a zigzag stitch. 

The Importance of DIY Mask Breathability

The comfort of a mask depends on the material’s breathability. Comfort will influence how long a person can wear your mask. 

Mask Elastic & Fabric Ties

The best materials to use are elastic bands that go around the ears. If you don’t have elastic material, fabric strings (2 for the top and 2 for the bottom) or bias tape for strings work well. Make sure to fold the fabric in half. 

There are many great tutorials online. This one does not include nose bridge materials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FB–BOyTiU

Click here for a printable version of guidelines.

Food Bank

As of Monday, March 23rd, Fishline will require that people call in to have a box of groceries put together. We are moving to pre-packed boxes with limited choices in an effort to serve the greatest number possible. Please call 360-779-5190 for grocery pickups and leave your name and number and a Fishline sfaff person will call you back. Modified pick up hours are as follows: 

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday: 12 pm – 4pm
Wednesday: 2pm to 6pm

The volume of calls is increasing daily Our staff is returning calls for food orders and client services as quickly as possible. We are requesting that clients stay in their cars and drive through the delivery lane. Because of the drive through situation, for everyone’s safety, we are discouraging any walk-in orders other than those for clients who arrive on foot.

If you are not feeling well or cannot pick up your groceries, you can assign a friend, neighbor or family member to pick up for you. If you that is not possible, we can deliver. We are working on ways to get groceries and essentials to those at home: elderly, sick, or high risk. Please let the staff person who returns your call know if someone else is picking up your groceries or you need a delivery.

Client Services

Fishline will continue to provide  all client services remotely via phone only. Please call (360) 779-5190 to arrange a phone appointment.

Donations

Donations of food items (non-perishable only, please) will be accepted at the old Fishline building (Annex) and held for 96 hours to ensure no spread of the virus. Here are our most needed items:  Pasta, Chili (w/meat and w/out meat), Beef Stew, Soups, Top Ramen, Pasta Sauce, Canned Fruit, Canned Meat, Cooking Oil, Cereal, Sliced Bread, toilet paper, Diapers, sizes, 4, 5 & 6

We understand it might be difficult to get to a grocery store, and as such we are highly encouraging financial donations over food. Our buying power through Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline allow us to stretch our dollar further, while stocking our inventory with our client’s most needed items. Any donations you can provide financial, food, or gift cards will be very appreciated. You can share a financial gift directly to Fishline here: https://fishlinehelps.org/get-involved/donate/

We have suspended accepting donations to Second Season for the current time.  We have closed our Thrift Store and do not have the room to store items or staff on hand for the present time.

To our community and neighbors,

We are all seeing measures being taken that are altering our daily lives, and Fishline is no exception.

With the announcement of further actions being taken by the Governor, Fishline has decided to take additional steps to respond to this crisis.

• As of Tuesday, March 17th, Fishline will require that people call in to have a box of groceries put together. Please call 360-779-5190 and leave your name and number and a Fishline sfaff person will call you back. Boxes will be available to pick up between noon and 4pm and can be ordered a few days in advance.

• We will be packing boxes for clients with a limit of 6-8 staff/volunteers in the market at any given time.  This means that we are asking all volunteers other than those we specifically contact to stay at home.  We will need the help of a limited number of volunteers, specifically for picking up grocery rescue and home delivery to those that may need groceries delivered due to being homebound or illness. 

• Fishline will be providing all client services remotely via phone only. Please call (360) 779-5190 to arrange a phone appointment.

• As the need grows we will be reaching out to volunteers as we move forward and the needs become more apparent.  We are expecting to need drivers who are willing to deliver boxes to those in need as well as backup drivers for our grocery rescue operation.

• Donations of food items (non-perishable only, please) will be accepted at the old Fishline building (Annex) and held for 96 hours to ensure no spread of the virus.

• We have suspended accepting donations to Second Season for the current time.  We have closed our Thrift Store and do not have the room to store items or staff on hand for the present time.

We have all been asked to limit social contact as a means to give our medical community the time and resources they are going to need to fight this virus.  Please know that you staying home is a selfless act of kindness and compassion towards your fellow volunteers, the clients and the staff.

During these times, we can build community outside of these walls and still retain our Fishline heart.  We know that the social distancing that’s been asked of us will create a sense of isolation for many.  Please- call your fellow volunteers!  Chat with them, play cards over the phone, share watching a movie over the phone, read and share books- reach out to your friends, neighbors and family members.  In our ‘isolation’ we can grow stronger and more connected than ever before. By staying home, we are truly showing how much we care about each other and our community.

We will continue to keep the community informed of any new developments. In the meantime, reaching out and taking care of each other, your neighbors and friends can provide the sense of community that we need in these times.