On November 20th, homeless and at-risk youth and their families were invited to come to each of The Coffee Oasis youth centers in Kitsap County for a community meal: a Night of Thankfulness. While social distancing made the event different this year, it was still an encouraging and meaningful evening for the 70 youth and their family members who attended and enjoyed a free Thanksgiving dinner.

In Bremerton, one youth was especially excited that we still had the dinner and was glad she could bring people. She was also glad that she could bring a friend who could sign up for a gift through the Family Christmas Project!

In Port Orchard, youth, staff, and volunteers all sat with Martenelli’s in hand giving personalized thank-you’s and toasts. Many youth thanked The Coffee Oasis staff for being there for them during this season. Jacob, the Port Orchard Oasis Center Supervisor, thanked the youth for their cooperation in this year’s Thanksgiving protocols and for accepting him as the Oasis Center Supervisor this year. The youth responded with a huge “awwwww and we love you Jake,” nearly bringing Jacob to tears. It was precious.

In Kingston, the community put together “a true Thanksgiving feast.” One of the youth brought his mom and she expressed special thanks and appreciation for the encouragement and care that she and her son have received from The Coffee Oasis both ongoing and specifically through the Night of Thankfulness event.

In Poulsbo, our meal providers and volunteers went above and beyond—incredibly willing to help and give where needed. Although we didn’t have a large turnout, some of our old staff members and volunteers were able to reconnect with youth they had worked with previously. We also got the chance to celebrate the birthday of a loyal volunteer—Stuart Whitford. We spent a good two hours sharing a meal with the youth and getting very competitive over many rounds of Spicy Uno. Overall, it was time together well spent!

Thank you to all our volunteers and community partners who helped make each of these community dinners possible for youth experiencing homelessness in our community this year!