POULSBO, Wash. — North Kitsap County may be a unique area, but it faces many of the same challenges as other communities around Western Washington.
Fishline Food Bank in Poulsbo has spent the last 55 years in the area cutting into food insecurity.
When you look around the facility it could fool you for a full-service grocery store. There is lots of fresh produce and other perishables.
"We want people to be able to cook from scratch," executive director Charlie Thompson said.
KING 5 visited the food bank the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. There was already a line outside the building before it opened at 10 a.m.
That Tuesday, Fishline served 460 people and distributed an estimated $56,000 in food. That is a single-day record.
“We’re seeing more new to us households than we have in a long time," Thompson said.
Thompson said there are 40-50% more people relying on their services this year than last.
"Housing costs for sure. Inflation. Food costs. Just the cost of living is going up," Thompson said.
They’ve managed to keep up with the demand thanks to Northwest Harvest, grocery rescue and donations that help pay for those items like fresh produce and eggs.
Leaders at Fishline pointed out how philanthropic their community is. For example, the day KING 5 visited there was a donation drop off from a food drive at nearby Poulsbo Elementary School.
There are also 200 volunteers a month, which the food bank said is the equivalent of 16 full-time workers.
"Everything they do here is just amazing,” Vinny Rupp from Keyport said.
He comes to the food bank once a week to feed his family of six.
“There's really no words to describe what they do here," Rupp said.
Fishline Food Bank accepts donations online and at select drop-off locations.