WHAT A WONDERFUL SPRING! The daffodils and the flowering bushes and trees are beautiful! It seems to be a sign that the virus is just about finished and we’re experiencing an Earth rebirth.
The crew here is doing a great job with feeding our clients. We’re still hitting record numbers toward the end of the month. In some cases, over 300 meals were packaged and handed out. You can see the statistics on our website: www.hoseaserves.org.
It is hard to believe our mission is 29 years old this year. We filed for our tax status in 1992, moved into 901 York a couple of years later, and purchased the building in late 2018. Since then, we have invested heavily in electric service updates, replaced the roof, corrected faulting sewer lines, repaired plumbing issues, replaced yards of concrete, and secured the Orchard Street lot with approved fencing. Bruce has been very successful in securing grants from local foundations to accomplish these required projects.
This is also a time for some badly-needed renovations. We are planning on renewing the interior of our dining and reception areas and adding a receiving room in the back. Over 1,000,000 clients have come through our doors in addition to receiving tons of food. This ‘good’ traffic has taken a toll on the walls, floors, bathrooms, tables, chairs and our backs as we move these donations inside, downstairs and then upstairs. As a point of reference, in 2019, we received over 200,000 pounds…same as 100 tons (9 elephants!) of food through the doors. As such, we are interviewing general contractors to begin an interior remodel to serve our needs for the next 20 years. Please see HOW YOU CAN HELP on the next pages!
Lastly, we are anticipating reopening our dining room later this summer. This will probably be in the August-September-October time period. As a heads up, to ensure safety, once the dining room is open to the general public all of our volunteers should be fully vaccinated.
Enjoy the weather… it’s refreshing!
By Steve Ader, Hosea House Board Chair
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