by Melissa Ligertwood - Castanet Jun 21, 2013 / 5:00 am
The fundraising never ends for Upper Room Mission manager Lisa Froom
and her dedicated team of staff and more than 100 volunteers. Over the past few years, the Mission has been dealing with several
important building renovations to improve their level of service and
meet increasing demands. In 2010, proper multi-stall bathrooms were installed, and last
February the organization renovated and extended the kitchen, which is
now serving up to 250 meals per day. Each project has cost in the neighbourhood of $100,000, all of which the Mission has successfully fundraised for. “The community is our biggest supporter. It’s pretty amazing that we
can complete these kinds of projects without taking on any debt. We’re
proud of that,” said Froom. Unfortunately, when the kitchen was upgraded in February, a City
inspector informed the Mission that the building’s sprinkler system
needed to be brought up to code. The sprinkler system upgrade is a big project with another $100,000 price tag. “Just when I thought we were in the clear for a while, nope, time to
start fundraising again,” said Froom, with a slight chuckle. She takes it all in stride and manages to keep herself in good humour. “Fundraising is never ending. We always manage to find a way, and I’m sure this time it will be the same.” Thanks to a walk-a-thon event in February, the Mission was already well on their way to paying for the new project. And now, a grant from the City of Vernon will get them even closer. “We raised $25,000 at the walk-a-thon, and then we heard the news
last week that we’re getting $15,000 from the City,” said Froom. The City of Vernon awarded close to $300,000 in community grants in
2012. This year, the City has budgeted just shy of $250,000, a 15 per
cent reduction from last year. Vernon city council approved $24,795 in community grants on June 10.
It was the first round of disbursements from the Council Discretionary
Grant Budget for 2013, which is managed by the City’s finance committee.
Froom says they are thrilled with the support from the City, but there is still much work to be done. “We are working together with Save-On Foods to run a canteen at this
year’s Funtastics. We’re hoping to bring in another $7,000,” said Froom. The rest, she says, will likely come from the generosity of people in the community. The project was scheduled to being in May but they are still working on raising the necessary funds. Froom says the City has been very supportive. “They know we are working on it. It’s in process, so no, we haven’t been given a strict deadline,” said Froom. The Upper Room Mission Society provides three meals a day for people
in need as well a work experience opportunities, day programs, and
social events, as well as life skills and other training. The Mission helps to fund its activities by operating a bottle depot,
traditional thrift shop, and a volunteer-run bargain basement shop
called ‘The Loonie Bin.’
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Meat donations sought at mission
By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: June 21, 2013 1:00 AM
Community support is vital to ensure nutritious meals are available for those in need. The Upper Room Mission is asking residents to donate
hamburger, chicken or other forms of meat to keep up with the 250 meals
served a day. “We have very little right now,” said Lisa Froom, general manager. “Our freezers are almost empty.” The alternative is for the mission to dip into limited
financial resources and purchase meat but that would take away money
needed for programs. “A huge part of our budget is reliant on donations,” said Froom, adding that she is confident residents will lend a hand. “A lot of people doing a little bit does a whole lot of good.” Donations of meat can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday at 3403 27th Ave. For more information, call 250-549-1231.
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