A celebratory potluck open house is planned for Thursday, according to information released by organizers of the Community Space in Whitewater.

According to a news release, the nonprofit organization will be celebrating its five-year anniversary.

The open house will be held at the Community Space, 834 E. Milwaukee St., Whitewater, between 4:30 and 7 p.m.

Participants are invited to bring a “picnic-inspired” dish to share, the release stated.

During the event, participants will find a “short program,” which is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Additionally, tours of the Community Space facility will be made available and the food pantry will be open, the release noted. 

About the Community Space

According to the release, the Community Space is a building in which visitors will find ESL (English as a second language) classes, and bilingual health advocacy, among other resources.

“It is a food pantry, a clothing and household goods shop, and resource center,” the release stated.

The facility serves some 500 people weekly, and is “open to all,” with “no residency or income requirements,” the release continued.

Members of the broader community are able to “walk in” and select from the available items, all of which are offered free of charge.

The building offers evening and weekend hours to accommodate working families.

Visitors to the facility will find it open Tuesdays, between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; Wednesdays, between 3:30 and 7 p.m., and Saturday’s between 8:30 a.m. and noon, according to the organization’s website.

The space closes on holidays and when the Whitewater Unified School District closes due to inclement weather, the website notes.

“Our open doors put community into practice by sharing food and other resources, reusing clothing and furniture, and welcoming everyone’s contributions,” the website notes as the organization’s mission.

The initiatives offered by the Community Space are funding fully through donations, with those monies used to pay basic expenses, which, according to the release are “largely utilities.”

The space is operated by volunteers. The organization does not have a paid staff.

“Most of the food is provided by Feeding America of Southeastern Wisconsin at no charge,” the release read.

The organization was founded by Kay Robers, who serves as site manager; Marjorie Stoneman, and Kristine Zaballos, who serves as its executive director. The organization opened the doors to its space in 2019.

Since its inception, the release noted, the Community Space has become a “vital resource for people in Whitewater and neighboring communities.”

“It’s not a model we’ve seen anywhere else, so it sometimes takes newcomers a minute to understand they are welcome to take what they need (and) to share what they don’t need with others,” Zaballos was quoted as saying in the release.

Offering some history, Robers said the space grew from a “multi-decades effort,” called the Community Clothes Closet, which was begun by Art Hughes. The idea was to provide coats to those in need. The initiative operated, in the beginning, from Hughes’ car trunk, and later from space within a local church.

Robers followed Hughes, and “managed for years,” before moving the operation to the Community Space.

“We have so much more space to accept donations or sort through them now, and the facility is much more accessible to older people or people with mobility issues. It’s amazing to see how it’s grown and how many people it serves,” Robers was quoted as saying in the release.

For more information about the Community Space, contact Kristine Zaballos by phone: 206-972-9936 or email: thecommunityspaceww@gmail.com.

Information also is found by visiting the organization’s website: https://communityspacewhitewater.com/.