The equipment has either been purchased or is available but installation is on hold as the building that houses the Salvation Army’s soup kitchen and food bank undergoes renovations to bring the structure up to the B.C. Building Code.
The initial $110,000 project to install a new walk in fridge/freezer unit, improve the food preparation areas, and install larger cooking units — equipment formerly used at the old Cariboo Lodge site — has been planned, largely funded, and put on hold while the organization completes $80,000 worth of building renovations.
Bringing the building up to code will cost more than the organization was prepared for when it decided to make improvements to its kitchen.
“There’s a number of things that need to be addressed,” confirmed Salvation Army Capt. Claudine Kadonaga of the code requirements.
That includes improvements to the front and back entrance of the facility as well as installing fire walls and doors. It was for health reasons that the organization felt it necessary to redo its kitchen.
“Our old walk-in fridge and freezer no longer hold temperatures properly and they are very ancient; our counters are all chipped and cracked and need to be replaced; our stoves and ovens need to be upgraded,” Kadonaga says.
“At this point it’s not a commercial kitchen; it’s a home set up. When you’re cooking for 130 a home set up is not conducive.”
To raise funds to bring the building up to code, the Salvation Army will host a dinner on Monday, June 20. A reception is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m.
Major Brian Venables will speak on “The Salvation Army: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow an International Perspective.” John Sykes and a brass ensemble will play. Tickets are $50 each and available through the Salvation Army office or the Thrift Store at 167 Borland St. Tickets will be on sale until June 17. For more information call 250-392-2423.
