PADDOCK LAKE — The purpose of the first open house at the Sharing Center Saturday is twofold, said director Liz Peyton:

It will give the public a chance to see what the organization does for the community and give the organization the chance to thank its supporters.

“It is partly to let the community see who we are and what we do,” said Peyton. “But we also have so many wonderful people who support us whom we have never even met and would like to thank in person.”

The open house is noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the center, 7001 236th Ave. Ice cream will be served and photographs dating back to the organization’s infancy will be on display. Visitors can tour the facility to see what goes on behind the scenes. A “helping hands” hand print wall will also be created.

The mission of the Sharing Center is to meet “basic needs and empower people in their transition to independence.” To this end, the center provides food and clothing to its clients, which reached 180 this month. It also administers the adopt-a-family giving drives to coincide with three major holidays and the start of school.

Peyton said the center also serves as a resource referral service, connecting clients with other service providers and important programs.

“They can come to discuss their struggles and frustrations with someone who cares,” said Peyton. “They come in looking confused and a little bit dazed. It is our job to make sure families know all that is available to them.”

Peyton said the center has long-range plans to offer financial literacy education and nutritional classes. It has employed W-2 workers over the summer to help further their job skills. Another goal is to have a thrift store, proceeds from which would help advance the center’s mission.

The center is in need of food, diapers sizes 3-5, and fresh eggs and milk to be stored in a new cooler it will purchase with a United Way grant. To help meet this need, Trevor School is holding a “stuff-the-bus” donation drive on Sept. 11. Non-perishable food items can be dropped off at the school, on Highway C in Trevor, until 8 p.m. that day.

For more information on the center and its programs, call 262-997-0783 or visit the Web site at www.thesharingcenter.net.