As you may have read, the South Kitsap Helpline has purchased the Port Orchard Nursery with a very generous grant from the Birkenfeld Trust. This provided our agency with our first permanent home after 30 years, thus ensuring the nursery which began in 1949, would continue to be a part of our community. Using the time and talents of local gardeners and horticultural experts, we have begun growing vegetables on-site to provide fresh produce for our food bank, and providing vegetable starts grown in our greenhouses to other local food banks.
The existing home on the property houses our agency offices. The former storefront now provides a home for the food bank. We have plans to renovate the food bank building to better fit our needs and make it more energy efficient in the coming years. We also have plans to construct a classroom with a commercial kitchen. The kitchen will be used to offer regular classes in nutrition, cooking, food growing and preservation to our food bank clients.
Thank you to everyone who has shown support for us in our new phase of helping the community!
Press:
Helpline Closes Thrift Shop, Moves into Nursery, Port Orchard Independent, May 27, 2010
South Kitsap Helpline Buys Port Orchard Nursery, Kitsap Sun, February 24, 2010
South Kitsap Helpline Buys Port Orchard Nursery, Port Orchard Independent, February 24, 2010
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