Like most of us these days, ShareNet has a packed calendar.

Wasn’t technology supposed to help with that?  Technology has saved time in some areas and added more in others, for a net gain as we all diversify into more formats.

ShareNet’s calendar, usually relentless anyway, kicks into even higher gear September-December. It falls into three main categories: community partnerships and sponsorships, seasonal events, and administrative deadlines.

These are regular signposts of our year, but they must never become routine, because that would be losing sight of why we do this work: hungry faces, people in desperate situations, lots of elderly folks, lots of people with disabilities, lots of people who work but cannot make ends meet, and the children of these families.

The community is at the heart of what we do, and that means all members of our community — our clients and the donors and volunteers whose support keeps ShareNet going.

A lot of documentation, logistics, and manual labor keep ShareNet operating, but it never loses its human face or focus, or the knowledge that, underneath it all, ShareNet is a place made by community support, made by compassion from community members who care about people who don’t have enough.

In 2014, ShareNet sponsored a parent education series with Wolfle Elementary School as well as their summer school session and clothing closet.  We partnered with Kitsap Community Resources to bring a series of continuing education for adults to Kingston, classes with a financial focus. We have also partnered with KCR to bring their system for energy assistance appointments to Kingston.

Every Monday, six to eight clients are served by appointment by a KCR representative at offices at Bayside Community Church, because of space limitations at ShareNet. Why did we set this up? So clients in need won’t have to use already scant resources to get to another part of the county for help. This is separate funding and does not conflict with or repeat ShareNet’s own screened eviction and utility shutoff funds in partnership with the Poulsbo chapter of St. Vincent de Paul.

The unseen part of the calendar is administrative in nature: monitoring, recording, and reporting to a larger community of food charities and federal programs such as senior commodities which bring additional benefits to clients.

501c3- and board-governed, ShareNet requalifies annually and is inspected for membership in Northwest Harvest, Food Lifeline, and federal program administration. We maintain key partnerships with our local schools, the Washington Food Coalition, the Kitsap County Food Bank Coalition, Kitsap Community Resources, and the related social services of Kitsap County.

Our goals are to provide the best service possible to local residents in need and the best stewardship of your donations to this cause. Good stewardship means financial checks and balances, regulatory accountability, refining historical service, and innovating new service.

Why do we go to all this trouble?  Because participation in this network allows us to leverage the support we receive from the community to provide more benefits and services to clients. Because in the last 20 years, a system of best practices has evolved for the operation of food banks even as it means increased workload and expenditure.

The end-of-year crunch starts with our Back to School Supplies event in late August, providing local children with the tools their families can’t afford. Leftovers from the event are kept around for late starters and folks who missed the event, and then distributed among local schools to use at their discretion.

In September, our Food to Grow On program resumes, providing weekend supplementation of the diets of needy children every week of the school year. In Spring 2014, when Food to Grow On served more than 100 kids per week for the first time, we wondered, “Will we have the support to continue to pay for this program?”

In October, Neighbor Aid began, the annual campaign which determines the level of service ShareNet is able to offer the following year.  Neighbor Aid has been successful enough the past few years to allow us to meet a huge increase in client numbers, to have no reduction in service once it was clear those numbers weren’t going down, and even to innovate with programs like Fresh Look — targeted large-scale purchases of produce which have increased fruits and vegetables to as much as 30 percent of what we distribute.

In November, we host our Thanksgiving distribution, often serving as many as 200 families with a complete holiday meal.  December means the Christmas Gift Shop, the Kingston area’s best source for toys for families in need.

Please help us say yes to all these community commitments by considering a donation to Neighbor Aid, P.O. Box 250, Kingston, WA 98346.

— Mark Ince is executive director of ShareNet.