KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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At our recent Let’s Talk event in Olathe, neighbors shared their concerns for the Starfish Project Foundation. It’s a free resource nonprofit in Olathe that’s acing against the clock to find a new permanent home after receiving a 90-day notice to vacate its current location.
The nonprofit serves around 1,000 customers a day — offering free food, clothing, and other necessities with no questions asked. But that growing volume has become a nuisance to neighbors, prompting the notice to leave.
"It's sad that we have that much need in our community, but at the same time that need is what's driving our numbers up and being very disruptive," Starfish Project Foundation President Joni Moreland said.
This is not the first time the organization has been forced to move. Last year, they were forced to relocate due to construction. At that previous location, the Starfish Project served around 1,200 customers a week. At its current site, that number has grown to roughly 1,000 customers a day.
For those who rely on the nonprofit, the stakes are high. Jeffrey Lewis, a regular shopper and volunteer, said the community impact is hard to overstate.
"If you're here through the day, you'll see a lot of people coming in and going and helping everybody," Lewis said.
Lewis described the atmosphere inside the nonprofit as something special.
"The camaraderie with everybody," Lewis said.
Starfish Project Manager Shay Gilliland said the nonprofit's no-questions-asked approach is central to its mission.
"We don't question people… People's lives are stressful enough. They do not need us being nosy in their business," Gilliland said.
As the organization searches for a new space, Moreland said they are hoping to find a location with a loading dock, warehouse space, and a retail-style front to preserve customer dignity. Most importantly, she wants a place the nonprofit can stay for the long term.
"We just really want to make sure we make a solid move, and we can stay for a very long time," Moreland said.
The Starfish Project is hoping to find a permanent home by May 2. If a permanent location is not secured in time, the organization said it will look for a temporary space, though that would require cutting back services — something leadership said they want to avoid. I reached out to their landlord for a comment but have not heard back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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