KC HELP (Knights Community Hospital Equipment Lend Program)

KC HELP is a local volunteer organization that loans hospital equipment to those in need in our community, AND IT'S COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE. We carry everything from walkers to hospital beds, from lift chairs to portable bathroom items—if it’s hospital equipment likely to be needed during convalescence, rehabilitation, or aging, it’s probably available for loan. Regardless of circumstances, we try to help everyone we can.

We were established locally in 2017 when our Executive Director, Larry Devlin, drove an 18-ft trailer full of used hospital equipment from the KC HELP organization in Tri-Cities to his home on Bainbridge Island. He and his wife, Kathy, had hearts full of a desire to serve and a mission to help those in need of the medical equipment in our Kitsap community.

Three years into the venture they were pleased beyond their hopes to have helped almost 400 people in 2020, and by last year, it had rapidly grown to about 1800 people served—over a four-fold increase in only 3 years!  Over the course of the past 12 months, we loaned about 4,000 pieces of equipment from our two facilities on Bainbridge Island and in Bremerton—thousands of items put to good use rather than contributing to a landfill.  The economic benefit to KC HELP recipients is estimated to be over $1,000,000 for 2023!

Throughout our area, from Gig Harbor to Hansville, from Bainbridge Island to Seabeck, KC HELP is now routinely helping those in need of medical equipment. Without a doubt, things have changed since Larry first set out on this charitable work less than seven years ago.

Our remarkable story, however, could not have come about without the help and incredible support of our community.  People hear of KC HELP and readily donate medical equipment they no longer need.  It is cleaned, maintenance completed, and quickly made available for loan to someone else.  Many clients make cash donations, their gratitude spilling over to others who also make donations.  These contributions help us with ongoing costs associated with warehousing our equipment, insurance, transportation, repair parts, new batteries, etc.  And 100% of the labor for cleaning, repairing, and transporting our equipment, along with answering our phone, has come from volunteers. Whether it’s cash, used medical equipment, or volunteer hours, we are very appreciative of all the help we receive.

Now, 2024 is shaping up to be a particularly crucial one for our organization.  We need to move our equipment to new warehouse facilities before the end of the year, and we have not yet secured a new space.  (Anyone with ideas or space relative to this need, please feel free to contact us!).  Additionally, because of our rapid growth, we will hire at least one paid position in coming months to help with administrative tasks.  We will continue, however, to rely on our few dozen volunteers to do all the day-in and day-out work necessary to provide top-notch products and service to our clients. So this campaign is an especially good time to show your support of our efforts with a KGG donation!

For further information, or if you have any questions (or if you’d like to help in any way), please call us at: 360-329-2461, or email: kchelp.kofc@gmail.com.

KC HELP is a tax-exempt public charity under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). Although it was founded by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service order, and most the volunteers are members of the Knights, they are a standalone, separate nonprofit organization from the Knights of Columbus.