Salvation Army will re-open food pantry after purchase of neighboring bar

A longtime Bremerton watering hole will become a food pantry on a block of downtown Bremerton known for social services, following the Salvation Army's purchase of the Monica's Social Club building.

The food pantry, to be named "Shelves of Hope," according to Salvation Army Captain Dana Walters, could potentially open later in 2023, bringing back a service provided by the agency until the COVID pandemic. The Salvation Army until 2020 had hosted a food pantry at its location next door to Monica's, but closed that service due to physical space restrictions after shifting to offer a full-time shelter under a state-funded pandemic program.

With the Salvation Army building neighboring to the west and a building purchased by Peninsula Community Health Services, slated to become a 22-bed respite care facility, to its east, Walters said the food pantry can help restore a service that helps her agency's existing clients and hopefully enhances the entire block.

"That there are going to be three services provided, I'm so excited people can get those," Walters said, noting a plan for the food pantry, known as "client choice" so users may select items they'd like, to be open during evening hours. She said that fills a unique need for residents who may be food insecure but work during the day and can't always access a food bank due to limitations on hours.

The front doors and windows of Monica's Social Club, an 85-year-old building owned by Monica Capps for the past three decades on Sixth Street just west of Park Avenue, were boarded up after the bar's last day of service on St. Patrick's Day and the closing of the sale on March 20. Renovations to the approximate 3,000-square-foot building, which includes about a dozen parking spaces, will feature a main entrance from the rear, which is currently an alley access to a beer garden at the club, to keep foot traffic off of Sixth Street, Walters said. Architecture prep for the overall renovation has not yet begun, she said, but she expressed hope that the project could work collaboratively with PCHS's renovation of the former Kitsap Rescue Mission to improve access, sightlines and atmosphere of the alley and parking lots facing north toward Dr. ML King Way.

The Salvation Army has a food pantry coordinator on staff, and plans to operate the new location with the assistance of volunteers. Walters said the importance of offering another option in Bremerton for food insecure families is important, citing rising prices due to inflation, anticipating a return of clients who used the former Salvation Army food bank.

"I want this to be a place where community members can come, not just the homeless population, but all people who have needs that need to be met."

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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Salvation Army in Bremerton buys Monica's Social Club building