Our New Home
LET'S BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR A BETTER BAINBRIDGE
Helpline House has served Bainbridge Island for over 50 years, supporting one in ten residents. We offer food, counseling, and resources to any community member in need. As the need is increasing, we are currently serving over 350 households in the food bank each week in a severely limited space. Our case management and counseling services have expanded as well to include more youth counseling, support for seniors, and housing-sustainability programs, all highlighted in a recent Community Needs Assessment.
TOGETHER, WE CAN MEET THE NEED
As our current facility struggles to support program expansion the Helpline House Board will construct a new building on our existing property at 282 Knechtel Way to meet the growing needs of the community and provide support for decades to come.
Did you know we help any community member in need? Our community includes vibrant and diverse neighbors that call Bainbridge Island home. Sometimes a neighbor has an unexpected crisis. A crisis can range from a sudden job loss, a mental health difficulty functioning, domestic violence, assisted living or Medicare resources, to name a few. Needs vary.
Additionally, housing prices and the cost of living are rising at rapids rates, and the median salary in the region isn't keeping up with the changes. Making it harder to stay in their homes during a crisis.
Some of our neighbors or 3.6% of islanders, are not earning enough income to live in our community, their incomes are below the federal poverty level, but they are an essential part of our community.
-BCF State of the Sector Report 2021
Bainbridge Community Foundation (BCF) publishes an annual socioeconomic data report from local and national resources along with their own annual nonprofit survey to educate the community.
Watch How Supporters Enable Neighbors helping Neighbors
"There truly are no words to describe just how grateful my family and I are for everything you have done for us. From all the services you offer, to the compassion you have shown to us, in some of our toughest times. - A GRATEFUL ISLANDER
HOW WE EMPOWER THE SOCIAL FABRIC OF OUR ISLAND
In 2022, our social work staff provided counseling and therapy for over 594 households. This included $302,000 in housing assistance to help our neighbors stay in their homes. Additionally, our food bank staff and volunteers provided 481,670 pounds of nutritious food to 1,219 individuals in need. This takes place every year in a small structure not suited for groups of volunteers, large storage, commercial equipment, meeting rooms or private offices.
Then, in 2023, we experienced another 26% surge in demand in the food bank due to inflation. Now, the food bank serves over 360 households weekly. In response, we plan to double the size of our food bank and social services to better accommodate possible future increases. This expansion will allow us to offer more programs to meet the need.
HERE'S HOW TO HELP IN A COMPASSIONATE AND SUSTAINABLE WAY
MORE SOCIAL WORK MEETING ROOMS
To meet the need, there will be a second floor that will more than double the number of social work rooms available. Additionally, there will be two larger therapy rooms, allowing Helpline House to offer group therapy and a dedicated space to work with children and families.
Ask Jonathon for a social work room view.
Our aim is to simplify the process of donating food and ensure that it's a hassle-free experience, regardless of whether it's an individual or a community that's contributing, or even a wholesale truck order. For this reason, we have included a loading dock and dedicated parking spaces to provide our volunteers with convenient and swift access to our food storage area. By making it easier and safer for volunteers to receive donations, we can impact more lives and assist a greater number of people in our community.
A NEW AND IMPROVED FACILITY
Our new home on the first floor has a commercial kitchen where our certified volunteers repackage fresh or prepared foods or cut up fruits and vegetables to efficiently repackage and portion them out. By doing so, we minimize waste and make the donations go further. This helps us serve our shoppers better, minimize waste, and make the most of food donations.
COMMUNITY CONFERENCE ROOM
The new building features a standalone conference room that doubles as a community room. It is a versatile space for organizations to meet, host workshops or classes, and can even be extended to the lobby area to accommodate larger events such as food drives or fundraising gatherings. The interior of the new building is twice the size of our current facility and includes an elevator and ample space for collaboration. We have ensured that our space is ADA accessible to foster connections within our community.
OUR COMMUNITY'S NEW HOME FUNDRAISING UPDATE
We are raising funds to build a new home that can meet the needs of our community, and continue to make a positive impact for neighbors who need it the most. We need your support.
$0
$11,000,000
Every donation makes a difference. Together we can make a positive impact.
Reflect on the spirit of compassion and support in a private or group tour behind-the-scenes.
This is a perfect opportunity to ask questions about the project as you see first-hand how Helpline House has put Neighbors helping Neighbors at the forefront for a Healthy & Whole Community.
Make an impact. We welcome you to bring your friends along as our tours can accommodate groups of up to 6 people. Parking is offered for free in front of the building or up the driveway in the back. You will be greeted by your tour guide inside the house. Please walk up to the front porch and locate the red front door, where you can check in at the front desk.
Helpline House
Capital Campaign
Create a Plan
Work with Helpline House to identify the easiest and most effective way to make a gift that achieves your giving goals. How to contribute to the Helpline House Building a Better Bainbridge campaign:
Dean Lierle, Fund Development Manager
Cell: 206.551.0008 | Office: 206.842.7621
Email: dlierle@helplinehouse.org
HelplineHouse.org/capital-campaign
282 Knechtel Way Northeast
Bainbridge Island, Washington 98110