$32,561: You did it | In Our Opinion

The community — you — raised more than $30,000 for the Poulsbo Lions Bellringer Fund this campaign. You gave $7,000 more than in the 2010-11 campaign.The money you gave will help more than 300 families put food on the table, keep the lights and heat on, and keep a roof over their heads.

Times are tough and wallets are tight. But know this: Every dollar helps. During this campaign, we saw children bring in bills and change, we saw donations of $25, we saw checks for $1,000. Each is equal in its power to do good. Know that whatever you gave to the Poulsbo Lions Bellringer Fund, you made a difference in the life of a neighbor.

Local churches and organizations like North Kitsap Fishline and ShareNet provide a safety net in the community, providing food, emergency shelter and emergency financial assistance to neighbors in need.

One of the major threads in that safety net is the Bellringer Fund, founded in the 1940s by Frank and Mabel Raab as a vehicle for neighbors to help each other during emergencies. Chances are good you know someone who has been helped at some time by the fund.

The Poulsbo Noon Lions Club administers the fund for the Raab Foundation. Fishline and others periodically turn to the fund for help providing assistance to a family facing eviction, emergency assistance paying a utility bill, and keeping a home supplied with heating fuel. This Christmas, Bellringer supplied 100 Christmas food baskets to local families.

Thank you for being part of a solution in the community.

Be heard in the halls
Speaking of making a difference: You can, in the halls of government, by letting your voice be heard on issues being considered by your elected officials.

On average, four to eight people attend meetings of the Poulsbo City Council, which on behalf of the city’s 10,000 residents manages a budget of $25.7 million (of that, $9.3 million is the general fund), makes laws, establishes policies, and is the final word on conditional use permits and zoning changes.

On average, the same number of people that do not work in the district attend meetings of the North Kitsap School Board, which manages a budget of $64 million, establishes policies, and this year will hire a new superintendent.

Fewer people attend meetings of the Poulsbo Port Commission, which has the authority to exercise the right of eminent domain, levy and collect assessments on property within the district without voter approval to provide services to the public, and issue bonds and impose excess levies for specific purposes.

These elected officials are just that — elected, by you, to make decisions on your behalf. The decisions they make affect how your tax dollars are spent, the quality and level of services they provide, and whether their agencies sink or swim in future economic storms. They all have one thing in common: They work for you.

Attend meetings and feel free to speak. The City Council meets the first, second and third Wednesday of every month, in the Poulsbo City Hall Council Chambers. The North Kitsap School Board meets Thursday’s in the second and fourth weeks of each month, 6 p.m. in the District Office board room, 18360 Caldart Ave. NE, Poulsbo. The Poulsbo Port Commission meets on the first and third Thursday of each month, 7 p.m.,  in the multipurpose room on E Dock, 18809 Front St. The Kingston Port Commission meets the fourth Wednesday of each month, 7 p.m., at the Port Office, 25864 Washington Blvd, NE, Kingston.

 

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