BREMERTON — The Coffee Oasis is hosting its third Garden Gala Sunday, Sept. 18, and inviting people to “join in the mission of changing the world for homeless youth, it stated in a news release.

Megan Sheppard, director of marketing for The Coffee Oasis, said the gala is a night to bring together people who know and support The Coffee Oasis, not only those people just learning about the mission, but also for the people who are helped.

“We cater a really delicious dinner and have a fun and elegant atmosphere,” Sheppard said. “Our kids share stories. They’re actually doing performances this year, as well.

“We just really want to invite people into seeing what is going on in our kids’ lives.”

Starting at 6 p.m. Sept. 18, the gala will kick off at 12500 Camp Court NW in Poulsbo. Tickets are $50 for individuals and $400 for a table of eight. Tickets can be purchased online at thecoffeeoasis.com/gala.

“It is a fundraiser event, but it’s also just such a unique night of hearing about The Coffee Oasis and just being so captured by that (so that) you want to support what’s going on,” Sheppard said.

The Coffee Oasis was started in 1997 by Dave and Cindy Frederick with the intention to support homeless youth.

“They, through foster care, through Dave being a police chaplain, began really building relationships with kids who were homeless or living on the streets, seeing that great need for them to be cared for, to know that they were loved and had a place to go,” Sheppard said. “So, they purchased a coffee shop on Warren Avenue and opened it to support these programs … and have a late night (Friday nights) for kids to just come down and shoot pool and just have a place to go.”

Now, almost 20 years since opening the doors at the Warren Avenue location in Bremerton, The Coffee Oasis has a presence throughout Kitsap County, with shops in Port Orchard, Bremerton and Poulsbo. A groundbreaking ceremony was recently staged for a new location in Kingston, as well. According to its website, thecoffeeoasis.com, the faith-based nonprofit organization “supports youth programs that offer street outreach, mentoring, job training, a youth shelter and youth centers, community and belonging to homeless and street-oriented youth.”

Sheppard said the annual garden gala is an extension of The Coffee Oasis’s mission to support homeless teenagers.

“I believe a lot of people see our kids or they see kids hurting in our community, and they’re not quite sure how to show they care,” Sheppard said. “I know just a lot of people they meet in different communities are really eager to see kids rise up and have successful lives.

“The Coffee Oasis really provides an avenue for people to do that. It bridges the gap between those kids and people who want to care. It gives them the opportunity to do that.”

In the garden gala’s first two years, The Coffee Oasis was able to raise about $20,000. Sheppard said the goal this year is to match that, if not exceed it. The proceeds will go into the general fund, which supports the operating expenses of the youth programs, which includes case management, overnight shelters, youth centers, mentoring, resources and job internships.

Sheppard said The Coffee Oasis’s Garden Gala is a way for people to get involved and be “a part of making that difference, caring for that generation of kids in our community.”

“By financially supporting, by giving to The Coffee Oasis, (supporters) know that they’re creating very real opportunities like job internships, nights at a shelter, mentoring, having a place to go to do laundry and know that they’re cared for,” Sheppard said. “They’re providing very real opportunities for kids in their cities to live better lives and to know that they’re loved at wanted.”

To purchase tickets for the gala, visit thecoffeeoasis.com/gala. To learn more about The Coffee Oasis, visit thecoffeeo asis.com.