The Sun, and our readers, are ready for another season of Bellringer generosity
As we start to plan coverage for the end of the year in the newsroom, we like to think back at any story that may need an update before 2024 arrives. "Whatever happened to..." we'll ask, and turn a story for you if there's a noteworthy follow up from what was last reported.
One that has been echoing in my mind has been "What happened to the 'hunger cliff'?" That was a term I first heard last February, when I was dropping checks to local food banks that distributed the $62,207 that you all raised through the Sun's 2022 Bellringer campaign. The hunger cliff, as I wrote in a column last February, was a worry that anti-poverty advocates expressed as the deadline approached for a major cut in pandemic-era federal food assistance, or SNAP, and the burden it would shift to local food banks.
Though inflation has mercifully eased during 2023, those on the margins are unlikely to feel much relief, particularly anyone who did see those SNAP benefit go away. There was an adjustment to SNAP benefits based on inflation, according to the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, but that did little to make up for the average decline of $108 in SNAP benefits experienced per individual receiving them in Washington state.
That all tells me we already know the answer to the question "What's happening with the demand on Kitsap and North Mason food banks?" Just imagine what happens when folks who depend on those agencies now have a hole of $100 or more in the food budget each month.
There has been good news at a few of those safety net providers this year, as we've reported on a new director at Bremerton's Foodline, St. Vincent de Paul's expansion of its thrift store in Bremerton, and the capital campaign for South Kitsap Helpline's new home. Now it's our annual turn -- and I'm including you readers in that "our" to show those providers how much this community can help.
The Sun's annual Bellringer campaign is now open, and once again I invite all readers to join and spread the word widely. Many of you have participated for years, from $25 individual gifts to larger donations from groups of friends or in memory of loved ones, and of course the traditional early check for $500 from the Bremerton Central Lions. If you haven't participated in this community fundraiser in the past, please do so this holiday season. I'd love to top last year's total, but I know the nine food banks we support will be grateful no matter where we end up. And as a challenge, maybe consider a gift of $108, or any multiple thereof, as a way to fill in the gap for one of your neighbors this year.
Once again we'll be working with the Kitsap Community Foundation for the collection and distribution of donations, to ensure your gifts are tax deductible. KCF will then provide us list of donor names, along with any dedication or acknowledgement message you would like to add, for publication in the Kitsap Sun print edition during the month of December and early January. We'll continue accepting gifts through Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
Donations may be made to the Bellringer by visiting Kitsap Community Foundation's website, www.kitsapfoundation.org, and click the "Donate Now" button to search for the "Kitsap Sun Bellringer" and make a gift online. Or you may mail a check, made out to the Kitsap Sun Bellringer, to the Kitsap Community Foundation, P.O. Box 3670, Silverdale, WA 98383. The Kitsap Community Foundation is a partner in the fundraiser by acting as the fiscal agent for the money raised, and ensuring all donations are tax-deductible.
Thanks in advance, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
David Nelson has been editor of the Kitsap Sun since 2009. Contact him at david.nelson@kitsapsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Ready for another season of the Kitsap Sun Bellringer
