Kingston Cares Stories & News

Community Conversations are returning in 2022 on a virtual platform to provide Kingston residents the opportunity to gather and discuss topics of interest that impact our quality of life. Kingston Cares, a non-profit that works within the community to address poverty, food insecurity and homelessness, hosted Community Conversations in 2018 and 2019. These were held in person at the Village Green Community Center and attracted as many as 100 local residents to identify and discuss a wide array of topics such as transportation, economic development, youth services and affordable housing. The events were sponsored by the Port of Kingston, Kingston Citizens Advisory Council, Village Green Foundation, Kingston Chamber of Commerce and North Kitsap Fire and Rescue.

The pandemic precluded further large in-person meetings in 2020 and 2021, but digital media has provided us all with exposure to virtual meetings. Kingston Cares has initiated a project to reproduce the Community Conversations via Zoom. These meetings are planned for two hours on Saturday mornings in January, February, and March. The first Conversation is scheduled for Saturday, January 22 and will feature four preplanned topics, selected from popular themes from previous Conversations. Participants in the January Conversation will be asked to suggest topics for the Conversations scheduled in the following months. Further details will be available at a later date. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate – whether you have recently relocated to Kingston or have deep, multi-generational roots here.

Kingston Cares is seeking assistance for discussion facilitators and technology support for the Community Conversations. If interested in helping, please contact Kingston Cares through the website, kingstoncares.org. 

The Kingston Severe Weather Shelter at the Village Green will be open Winter 2021-22!  Thank-you to the volunteers who have been trained and are ready to welcome guests during inclement weather.  We still need additional volunteers and also donations of items to give to the guests.