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Once a pantry client, Jacqueline Speer is now helping build a new vision for food assistance in Bremerton, Washington.
When a new Hope Market opens later this year at The Salvation Army Bremerton (Washington) Corps, Social Services Aide Jacqueline Speer will be there to welcome families through its doors.
For Speer, the future client-choice food pantry represents more than a new way of serving the community. In 2020, she came to the Bremerton Corps seeking food assistance while facing homelessness. Instead, she found the support that helped her family rebuild their lives.
Without a stable place to live and with five children depending on her, Speer said she went into survival mode at the time, working two jobs and often sleeping just four hours a night to support her family.
“I was trying to work as much as possible to bring in as much money as I could,” Speer said. “I thought if I could save up for a truck, at least we’d have some shelter, but I knew it wasn’t practical.”
With winter setting in and Thanksgiving approaching, the future felt uncertain. Looking for food assistance, Speer reached out to a friend who worked at The Salvation Army.
“I didn’t really know what The Salvation Army did—I just knew it was the place people told me to go,” she said. “I thought we would get a food box and that would be it.”
The first visit opened the door to much more, she said.
Staff referred her to Kitsap Community Resources, which connected her with emergency shelter options for large families.
“Being able to go in and choose what’s right for your family gives you a level of self-respect, and I think people are going to be a lot happier with that experience.”
Jacquline Speer
“I finally had a chance to catch my breath,” she said. “Because I didn’t have to think about just getting through the day or putting food on the table, I could start planning what came next.”
As she searched for permanent housing, a job opportunity opened at the Bremerton Corps. She applied for the shelter monitor position and was hired, later taking on a role in social services. She eventually qualified for a housing voucher and moved her family into low-income housing.
Today, she helps clients access food, housing resources and other assistance—the same support that helped her family get back on their feet.
Eric Harold, Social Services Director at the Bremerton Corps, said Speer’s firsthand experience helps her relate to clients and guide them through unique situations.
“A lot of people come to her for housing information because she has so much knowledge,” Harold said.
He said Speer has taken on additional responsibilities over the years, including case management and training volunteers on the corps’ operations.
“She always has a smile on her face and is eager to make a difference in someone’s day or life,” he said. “We couldn’t do the work that we do here without her.”
For Speer, many of the families she meets remind her of her own journey. She said food is often the starting point for identifying other needs, an approach reflected in the Bremerton Corps’ vision for the Hope Market.
“There are so many working families in Bremerton that still struggle to get food on the table,” she said. “Needing help can look like many things.”
In 2024, 11 percent of Kitsap County residents experienced food insecurity, higher than the statewide average of 8 percent, according to Hunger Free Washington. Downtown Bremerton has also been designated a food desert, leaving residents with limited access to affordable and healthy groceries.
“When people come in for food or other essentials, they get to know us and begin to trust us,” Speer said. “They start opening up about other challenges they’re facing and we can usually help.”
Recognizing growing needs—and inspired by stories like Speer’s—former Bremerton Corps officers Captains Lance and Dana Walters, now retired, began developing plans for the Hope Market after a vacant building next to the corps became available.
“We looked at the old tavern next to us and thought our dream would be to expand across the alley to help even more neighbors in need,” Dana Walters said.
The $2.2 million project will transform the former building into a grocery store-style, client-choice food pantry where individuals and families can shop for groceries at no cost. The Hope Market will also offer extended hours for working families while connecting clients with case management, housing support and other resources.
With nearly 80 percent of the funding secured, the Bremerton Corps expects to break ground later this year. Speer said she’s looking forward to serving families there.
“I see it as an opportunity to really come alongside clients and meet their needs,” Speer said. “Being able to go in and choose what’s right for your family gives you a level of self-respect, and I think people are going to be a lot happier with that experience.”
Once the Hope Market opens, she hopes every family who walks through its doors leaves feeling welcomed and encouraged, just as she did when she first turned to the Bremerton Corps for help.
Do Good:
- The Salvation Army is dedicated to alleviating hunger in our community. By working together, we can ensure that everyone has access to the food they need to thrive. See more here.
