Rats take a bite out of holiday giving
Crate, after crate, after crate of food, office chairs, desks, bulletin boards - it's all got to go. "We're pretty tired," says Hopelink's Kirkland manager Jessica Ivey.
The staff and volunteers at Hopelink's Kirkland food bank have just two days to move everything to a new building and a scheduled food bank opening Wednesday night. The move was planned in just a little over a week.
"It was a phone call one day and a move the next - almost," says Hopelink spokeswoman Denise Stephens.
Why the rush? Hopelink didn't want to move, they were forced to - they had no choice. It all came down to a problem with rats. Big furry rats - lots of them. Since March Hopelink has removed as many as 20 rats a week from the building's basement.
But more just keep coming. "We could not have stayed in this facility," says Stephens, "it's just not healthy."
With the cost of rent, hiring movers, cleaners, wiring the building for the big coolers and installing a security system, the bill is over $40,000. "It's always the little things that end up killing you," Stephens adds.
The city of Kirkland is chipping in $24,000, but that still leaves Hopelink at least $16,000 short. So for the first time, the food bank can't afford to give their clients holiday gift cards for local grocery stores.
That means nothing extra for the 2,000 families who need Hopelink. "It's going to be a big challenge and it's going to be hard for us," says Ivey. "Things are going to be tight."
Staff are staying positive and keeping their sense of humor. Ivey adds, "we've had to make rat jokes," to get through an exhausting move - and what looks to be a tough holiday season.
Hopelink does have two big fundraisers coming up over the next few weeks including their annual Turkey Trot fun wal November 19th. You can find more information at their web site: www.hope-link.org.