A local nonprofit expanding to a new location this summer recently got a big boost to help fund it.

An anonymous donor has given Lutheran Community Services Northwest $500,000 toward its expansion into a new Kennewick facility – and committed to matching community donations dollar for dollar up to $1 million.

The gift comes as the nonprofit prepares to move into a former Amazon call center at 7011 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick, a space that will double its current footprint.

Lutheran Community Services Northwest, which serves youth in crisis in Benton and Franklin counties, has been pushing the limits of its space at two Kennewick locations, where the leases are set to expire this summer. 

Sharon Gentry

But it’s been a heavy lift to outfit the former call center. Sharon Gentry, district director for the Tri-Cities arm of Lutheran Community Services Northwest, said the project has cost $3.9 million.

The organization has pursued private donations and grants but also has had to finance parts of the project. 

The anonymous donor has a strong connection to the local community, has a passion for youth mental health and recognizes the growing need for behavioral health services in the Tri-Cities, according to a release from Lutheran Community Services Northwest. 

“It’s just a great relief to us because this has been a big undertaking,” Gentry said. 

The nonprofit is looking for donations to meet the $1 million match, and Gentry said that even small amounts make a big difference since they’re doubled. The matching campaign runs through March 31, 2027.

All donations will go toward the expansion, directly supporting its services. 

“It just fills our hearts because we know that this is really meeting this need. We see these youth and children that have, you know, depression or anxiety and are facing these worries and this big sadness, and so we can help address that need in our community, and it feels great,” Gentry said. “We’re excited to be able to move into this space and get going.”

New space

In addition to a larger overall space, the new facility will include 25 new offices, eight conference rooms, three staff break rooms, a food pantry, a play therapy room, training areas, a teen room and more, according to the nonprofit’s website. 

The organization worked with Seattle-based MG2 on a “trauma-informed lens” of interior design, the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business reported in October. 

Permits for the new 38,000-square-foot office were issued in late 2025. 

The project is nearing 90% completion, at which point there will be final inspections, a certificate of occupancy, a new business license and any last-minute fixes needed prior to move-in, Gentry said.

If all goes well, the new space will be up and running in mid-July, in time for a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony planned for 11:30 a.m. Aug. 5. 

The area around the Canal Drive building has been busy this past year, with Chick-Fil-A and Habit Burger opening nearby and work on a Nordstrom Rack underway in the commercial center just west of the one Lutheran Community Services Northwest will share with Hobby Lobby. 

Gentry said the location is also near the Benton-Franklin Health Department and the Juvenile Justice Center. The nonprofit partners with the Juvenile Justice Center to provide mental health services to those in detention. 

Giving Machine donations

In other fundraising news for the nonprofit, Lutheran Community Services Northwest had success this year with the Tri-Cities’ first-ever Giving Machine, a vending-machine style donation initiative which was in place at the Richland Fairchild Cinema from Nov. 21 to Dec. 10, 2025. 

It was one of five local nonprofits to be included. The organization received scores of community donations, resulting in 590 Christmas gift donations, 70 student therapy sessions, 315 self-care journals, 535 months of snacks and 105 medication lock boxes. 

The Giving Machine generated more than $300,000 in donations to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties, Grace Clinic, Grace Collective, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Safe Harbor and international nonprofits Care and Water for Good.

Lutheran Community Services Northwest has already applied to be a part of this year’s Giving Machine, which will be coming back to the Tri-Cities. 

Gentry said the Giving Machine was about the whole community, not just their organization, and that’s what their recent donation is about, too. 

Gentry said it reflects something deeper about the region itself — that people here genuinely look out for one another.

“We love to take care of each other. ... That’s what I appreciate about living here,” she said.

Go to: lcsnw.org/project/tc-expansion.