After 39 years of serving the community, the physical space at the Salvation Army’s Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) is in need of an upgrade.
Enter HeroWork Victoria.
The charitable makeover organization is teaming up with Salvation Army and tradespeople from around the region to do a “radical renovation” at the ARC. It includes a transformation of the commercial kitchen, which serves 15,000 meals a month, upgrade of a short-term shelter space to allow for 20 beds and a remake of the lounge area at the men’s facility.
“It’s been a long time coming; we’re incredibly excited about getting started,” said Major Sheldon Feener, executive director of the ARC. “This is a project we’ve been talking about for three years now. It’s one of those projects that will be good for our staff and the morale around the building.”
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He said the “last-legs” state of the kitchen’s walk-in coolers led to this more substantial project. Not only will the makeover include new coolers, the redone kitchen includes a new grill area and counters and will give staff the ability to provide made-to-order breakfasts.
“It’ll be a whole new experience, being able to provide options for people – it adds dignity for our clients.”
This project was originally scheduled to begin last fall, but public health protocols pushed it back.
Unlike typical HeroWork projects, which see community volunteers do labouring and other jobs onsite, this project will have minimal onsite volunteer work, said HeroWork Victoria executive director Trevor Botkin.
That will add a few weeks to the overall project timeline, but it’ll be business as usual at the busy facility while the work takes place.
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Cooking will be done offsite and work areas will be cordoned off to residents.
Botkin said a typical HeroWork job sees them spend roughly $100,000 on materials, but this project, due to its technical nature and size, could require up to $200,000.
So, this Friday (April 16) at 6 a.m., he’ll climb into a lift at Dodd’s Furniture and Mattress and stay there for 36 hours to help raise funds for the project. The goal is to bring in $70,000 by the date of the reveal at the ARC on June 19. To find out how to donate, visit victoria.herowork.com.
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