South Beach Christian Outreach has served the community for ten years, offering a weekly hot lunch, food pantry, and a boutique with clothing and household goods, all free to those in need. Some people come every week; others only when they need a little extra help to get by.

I visited near the end of the month, when, according to Jack Block, community relations manager for South Beach Christian Outreach, it was a full house.

“We are the largest human services provider in the South Beach area. We serve about 150 clients a week, and through their family members that adds up to about 1400 people, or nearly a quarter of the South Beach area,” Block said.

The larger number reflects the households behind those clients. One person may come in to pick up groceries but take them home to a family of five.

The menu that day was a spaghetti bake, green vegetables, applesauce, bread, and dessert if you wanted it. A peppy group of regular volunteers helped with every facet of the day: serving food, filling grocery boxes, organizing clothing donations, and creating a genuine feeling of positivity and service.

*South Beach Christian Outreach Kitchen Volunteers pictured from left to right, Beverly Nelson, Pat Hopkins, and Durand Dickman.*

Where the Food Comes From

People lined up for groceries donated by Coastal Harvest, a hunger relief agency that supplies food to local food pantries and programs like SBCO. Groceries included canned goods, grains, bread, potatoes, fruit, leafy greens, fresh beans, lemon cucumbers, and some really impressive zucchini.

Much of the in-season produce is grown at Stafford Creek Correctional Facility, where Coastal Harvest partners with the facility on an agriculture program that grows fresh produce on over an acre of land. According to Coastal Harvest, “Since June 2017, this program has yielded over 8,000 pounds of fresh produce for our local community.”

Keith Inman, aka “the produce man,” has volunteered at SBCO for four years, handing out that fresh produce each week. "My friend Chuck and I go over Tuesday morning, and I pick out what we're gonna take, and this is what I picked this week," Inman said.

*Keith Inman, aka “the produce man,” is a regular volunteer at South Beach Christian Outreach.*

His wife usually volunteers alongside him, though she was recovering from surgery the day I visited. Inman served 17 years in the United States Army before becoming a special education school teacher and now spends his Tuesdays giving back to his community. What brings him back, he says, is the people.

"I enjoy what I do, and I have fun doing it," Inman said. "I get to talk to people. People sometimes come through, and they're not so happy, but I make sure before they leave my section, they're smiling."

*Jack Block, Community Relations Manager for SBCO*

Growing Need, Shrinking Support

While SBCO relies heavily on Coastal Harvest, Block says reductions in government food support and allocations are putting increasing pressure on the program. He said SBCO is now receiving only about 40% of the food it was getting just four months ago.

Grants and community donations help round out the program, but Block is gearing up for a larger fundraising campaign. “We are under a lot of pressure, so we're gonna have to move out in the community and do some fundraising in order to keep our doors open,” Block said.

Operations Director Joe Deyoung has seen the need grow over his nearly 10 years with the organization. He said the COVID pandemic changed things almost overnight. "As soon as COVID hit, we went from 40 to 260 people a week. And we were sitting here going, ‘What are we gonna do?’ At that time, we had nothing. Luckily, we got picked up by Coastal Harvest. That gave us access to government food. But unfortunately, most of that was emergency food supplies. That emergency support has now largely dried up. So now, most outreaches, including us, are not doing well with food.”

Faith in Service

SBCO is an ecumenical organization supported by three South Beach churches: South Beach Christian Center, St. Paul’s Catholic Church, and Coastal Community Church. There are no religious requirements to volunteer or receive services, but if you are looking for faith or curious about it, you can find it here.

There is some paperwork to fill out the first time someone comes in to receive services, but the income guidelines are broad. For example, a single individual with an income under $60,000 qualifies, and the organization does not verify income.

Block has been involved with SBCO for three years. A former longshoreman and Burien City Council member, Block moved to Westport after retiring.

"I strongly believe that the community is made up of people who live in it, and in order for the community to succeed, people have to get involved," Block said. "This is a manifestation of my faith, which is service-based, and seeing people come in here, being able to meet their needs, and watching them walk out with a smile, is a way of carrying through with my beliefs."

Inside God's Closet….or Boutique

After a hot meal and a stop at the food pantry, visitors can walk over to God's Closet for free clothing and household goods. I toured the “closet” with Jeri Ramsey, a longtime volunteer who runs it with a small crew. She recently renamed it God’s Boutique after its recent makeover with fresh paint and new carpet.

Volunteers sort through donated goods each week and organize everything into sections: baby and kids, men, women, household goods, toiletries, and hygiene items. The boutique is open every Tuesday from noon to 2 p.m.

"We're busy every week," Ramsey said. "It’s amazing how much we go through. Everybody and anybody can come through here, and they're all welcome. There are no restrictions as to who can come."

*Jeri Ramsey and a team of volunteers sort through donations to keep God’s Closet (aka boutique) organized by section and size.*

Like the rest of SBCO, the boutique runs entirely on volunteer labor, much of it from retirees. "We've all got the time," Ramsey said. "We don't have to worry about kids and things at home."

Her ask for the community is simple. "We need the donations, and we need churches to step it up, and people to keep donating.”

The boutique accepts clean, gently used clothing, along with shoes and working household goods such as plates, pans, sheets, lamps, baby items, and toiletries. Men’s clothing is especially needed, which Ramsey says is “harder to come by.”

The Big Event: September 22

SBCO is hosting a special event Tuesday, September 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are calling it “The Big Event,” and the community is invited.

Along with the usual Tuesday lunch, food pantry, and boutique services, several local and regional service providers will be on site, including

“It’s going to be a really fun event, and we hope the South Beach community turns out for it,” Block said.

What It Means To People

One recipient of SBCO's services, who asked to remain anonymous, said the outreach has made a real difference for her family. She doesn't come every week, only when the month gets tight. "We don't come here every week. We only come here if we need the food, just to kind of get through the month until we can get our benefits again," she said.

She said SBCO has carried her family through more hard months than she can count.

“When we first moved back to Westport, I mean, honestly, we really didn't have much. And God's Closet really pulled through for us. And during the holidays, this place is amazing. They provide turkeys for Thanksgiving, hams for Christmas, and the volunteers come from multiple congregations and denominations, and they're just kind and gracious people. I'm glad that we have something like this in the community, because if not, there'd be a lot of people going hungry."

Writer’s Note: When I left South Beach Christian Outreach, I had a smile on my face. The volunteers' warmth and commitment to serving the community were palpable. Recipients were grateful, especially that day, for the half-gallons of milk. But I also heard more than once that the food pantry is struggling to keep up with demand. If you’d like to help, here are a few ways:

Make a financial donation: Give online, in person at the Outreach on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (617 S. Forrest St.), or mail a check to SBCO, PO Box 133, Westport, WA 98595.
Donate clothing or household items: Bring lightly used items to God’s Closet, the little gray house in the parking lot at 617 S. Forrest St., Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. No furniture.
Donate food: Bring unexpired food donations to the main building Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Serving South Beach: Inside South Beach Christian Outreach