UPDATE 2021-

I lost the battle with KCHA, my housing to save the free shop. I am still trying to re-start this loved community project that helped hundreds of people and families last year. I am now petitioning the city of Kirkland, and Jay Inslee to allow/help me start this needed 24/7 service especially during these still hard times for too many. My apt KCHA, even offered to help build something, I only need a small plot of ground to be allowed to restart this on. There is a lot of support from locals for this, and a lot of need for this. 

-Old info from 2020, this was the work I was doing and I will just leave this as in instead of edit or delete this, so any Decision makers can hear the origin story of my work last year for consideration. 
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Hello neighbors, I am starting this petition because, as many of you know, Kirkland's free community shop, which has been wonderfully running, growing, and providing critical aid for many many individuals and families, for months now, was tragically threatened by my apartment for removal just days ago.

The shop has been featured on King5 news, as well as a pending issue of Living Kirkland magazine, under the "hometown heros" section. It has not only helped feed, clothe, and provide people with toiletries, necessities, hand sanitizer and masks during this pandemic, pet food, laundry soap, diapers, ect- but it has also proven to have an emotional need to the community as well. Many people have been very bonded to the porch shop, even a nurse offered her valuable time to come just break down boxes and clean. People have started pulling weeds in the small garden bed outside and wanting to cheer the porch up, because they love, respect, and connect to it.
This isn't just a porch anymore, its a beloved community project.

It has been open 24/7 the entire time its been here, and there has never been a single incident. My neighbor I talked to has felt safe, he mentioned hes never heard anyone be loud after hours, mentioned none of our cars here have been broken into, nor property stolen.
I have felt 100% safe, even with people on MY porch at 2am. They are always quite, thankful and respectful. They do not even make a mess, and no one shockingly has even taken all of everything. I notice people seem to leave the last mask, the last deodorant, TP, ect. They respect this and it feels like there place too. Like a loved, favorite store, no one comes here to trash, steal things not here to take, or vandalize anything.

They do not even dump things they shouldn't. At first it was a slight issue and growing/learning experience for the community and myself, but now, no one dumps things I don't ask for. People have gotten very upset when anyone even has slightly inconvenienced me, or donates a couple cans of expired food. One lady said when helping take out trash for me, "They should be ashamed of themselves!" For donating a couple expired cans. Because people also know I am disabled and doing this great thing to help my neighbors and community. I personally check all the labels on donated food to verify they are unexpired, not tampered with, and safe to eat.

I also sanitize things all day, keeping this place safe during COVID. This shop works like great clockwork, it has become a smooth, successful operation. I post to the community when high need items get low, the community comes and drops them in bags on the porch, and I and others who volunteer there time, help sort, fold clothes, stock food items, and check expiration dates with me. Its been a safe, and extraordinarily helpful, vital resource and place of community for many now. I have many regulars that are even connected to me and a community board, where people leave kind comments and thanks to the shop for helping them.

And there is nothing else like this shop. It is unique in the way it runs. 100% free, community donated, and especially, 24/7 access, with no paperwork, no need for an ID, no long wait times in chairs that even I, a disabled person, couldn't sit through an hour in a chair while waiting my turn at many food banks Ive had to use. Undocumented people can come here without fear, and get what they need to survive during these times especially. There is no feeling of desperation or urgency here. Unlike many food banks, I do not limit people to 1 visit a week. They can come every day if they need. There is no feeling of panic or desperation to take a whole weeks supply all at once and hope you got enough. That is also why no one just takes everything. They feel stable with this resource and feel like they can come back anytime if they need more of something. It allows this to run even smoother.

But most importantly, its 24/7. Unlike any food bank or church, this place does not close the door on people after 5pm, or sooner. It is open on weekends as well. Many people work 9-5, mon-fri, and cannot even make it or get time off approved, to get to any help or resources in time. When I was still able to work a stable job, I myself had this issue. I couldn't get even my managers to let me have the time off I needed to get to a food bank. I went hungry many times.

It wasn't until I discovered free groups on Facebook that I realized, I was able to get more food and resource help more effectively then any food bank or church I have ever been to. I couldn't even handle the wait times in a chair, the extremely limited food most had with my diet, and even the anxiety, and at times fear, being stuck in a crowded room of other desperate, sometimes angry people who would at times start shouting and causing fights over the wait times, which would set my PTSD through the roof. It would make me want to, or need to even leave at times before I could even get help.

This place, this community project, has been nothing short of a beautiful success. This petition is to mostly show and prove the need for something unique like this, that allows EVERYONE to have pure, direct access to help. Those who work during food bank hours, graveyard shift workers who have to sleep for work in the day, disabled people like myself who often cant make it in time nor sit for the wait, or handle the crowded stressful rooms of people, even the undocumented who don't feel safe going to other help or cant because of an ID issue. We all still need to eat, have laundry soap, feed our pets, and have necessities. People have started driving up to 2 hour round trips to come here, a porch, rather then there local food banks and churches, because this is more accessible to them. That to me, proves without a shadow of a doubt, the extreme need and rarity that this "shop" has been, to many.

Please help support the shop that's touched the hearts and lives of many in WA state, and feel free to write a kind, non assertive/accusing letter with your signature, especially if you have been personally helped here in any way. The managers here are actually supportive of the shop, but aren't sure how to proceed or figure out the safety/ect, of this project. I would like the community to help explain and show how safe, well run, and helpful this resource has been. It is still uncertain if the shop will be fully removed with no real replacement that functions in this exact way that makes this very different and more direct accessible help then anything else around, or if hopefully, a compromise that still keeps the uniqueness and reason this is successful intact. Please help me show the support and need for our beloved community resource here, and stay strong, stay safe.