BREMERTON – Since suffering a broken back in an ATV accident two years ago, Kristin Hammer has relied on a hospital bed to manage her pain, which allows her to continue working as a speech therapist.

The bed was provided and delivered by KC Help of Western Washington, a nonprofit program of the Knights of Columbus that lends durable medical equipment — from walkers to wheelchairs — free of charge to 200 people a month living on the Kitsap Peninsula.

“The relief and appreciation (the clients) show is uplifting,” said Joe Schweiger, a Knight who is a member of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Bremerton.

In 2023, 3,600 items worth about $1 million were given out, said executive director Larry Devlin, a member of St. Cecilia Parish on Bainbridge Island who founded the local program in 2016.

“The Holy Spirit is at work here, and we have to ask for the grace to keep going,” said Schweiger, a retired firefighter/paramedic who is a chaplain with the Central Kitsap Fire Department. He began volunteering with KC Help in 2023.

Medical equipment donated to KC Help (Knights Community Hospital Equipment Lend Program) is stored in warehouses in Bremerton and on Bainbridge Island, where 30 volunteers clean and repair used equipment. KC Help doesn’t purchase equipment, but does get some new wheelchairs from the Knights of Columbus Global Wheelchair Ministry, Devlin said.

The program is supported by Knights of Columbus members at five parishes: Our Lady Star of the Sea, St. Cecilia, St. Olaf in Poulsbo, St. Nicholas in Gig Harbor and Holy Trinity in Bremerton.

Wheelchairs and wheeled walkers are stored in the KC Help Warehouse in Bremerton, ready for those who need a help getting around. (Courtesy KC Help of Western Washington via Facebook)

Four days a week, KC Help opens its doors to distribute the equipment to local residents in need. People can show up at the warehouses to get the equipment they need, or call to have larger items delivered to their homes.

“We ask for (the equipment) to come back, but we don’t track it or chase anyone down,” Devlin explained.

Some of those helped express their thanks on the organization’s Facebook page.

“You and the Knights of Columbus are truly angels,” wrote Anne, who said she was “struggling with the thought of bringing my husband home from emergency (broken) hip surgery with no usable bed on the main floor.”

But the KC Help team sprang into action, and by the time she arrived home with her husband via cabulance, a bed, wheelchair and other necessities were set up in their home.

“Without your help, we would have had to send him to a nursing home. You made it possible to bring him home to heal and recover,” she added.

A woman writes her thanks for assistance on the KC Help of Western Washington Facebook page.

Devlin said he learned about KC Help while working in the Tri-Cities, where the original program was founded in 1996. (There is also a chapter in Wenatchee.) When Devlin’s company transferred him to Houston, he helped create a KC Help program there.

“When I retired and got back (to Bainbridge Island), I thought someone should be doing something similar here,” Devlin explained.

One of KC Help’s volunteers is Joe Gostin, a semi-retired physical therapist who pairs people with the equipment they need.

As a physical therapist, Gostin said, “I knew the problems people have in getting medical equipment, and now I’m able to help people get the equipment they need. It’s very gratifying.”

Colleen Scott, a physical therapy assistant for CenterWell Home Health in Silverdale, echoed that sentiment.

“KC Help is a lifesaver for families and individuals to be safe at home,” Scott said, noting the variety of items offered. “It’s really an absolute miracle that their charitable work is focused on such a critical need,” she added.

Hammer, who received the hospital bed, later went to KC Help to get equipment for her mother, who had knee surgery.

Hammer said Devlin is “so comfortable and approachable, it makes me feel like it’s something I deserve. He doesn’t get the thanks he deserves,” she added.

Devlin wants to expand the KC Help program to other areas of Western Washington.

“There’s no other program in the state that helps like this,” Devlin said. “It wouldn’t be hard to expand quickly if other (Knights of Columbus) councils stepped up.”

Learn more

For more information, or to donate used medical equipment or money, visit kchelpkitsap.org.