Snacks donations are being sought this week to help fuel the efforts of volunteers who will be pitching in to Surrey Urban Mission Society’s ‘radical renovation’ project this coming weekend (Sept. 23-24).
On Wednesday and Thursday (Sept. 20 and 21), Patricia Mulvaney will be at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in South Surrey (2350 148 St.) between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to accept donations of beverages, store-bought muffins and individually packaged chips.
“We’re providing snacks for 75 volunteers each weekend day,” an email appeal notes.
“Please consider dropping off your donation of one or more of these items.”
Cash donations are also welcome, Mulvaney notes, however, tax receipts will only be issued for funds that are not used for purchasing snacks.
The $150,000 renovation effort itself is set to get underway on Sept. 20 and take two weeks. Organized by HeroWork, it’s taking place at SUMS’ 42-bed transitional shelter in Whalley, known as The Cove.
The 24-hour shelter, located at 10607 King George Blvd., provides hot showers, laundry, meals, overdose prevention and community connection services, “But it is also unsightly for the neighbourhood and needs a transformation to better serve clients as they transition to recovery and permanent housing,” explains a summary at vancouver.herowork.com/surrey-urban-mission/
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HeroWork is a “charity that transforms other charities by transforming their buildings through big community events we call ‘radical renovations,’” founder and CEO Paul Latour explains in an online video, noting the SUMS project will be the charity’s first in Surrey.
Planned work is to take place both inside and outside The Cove, and includes repairing and painting damaged walls, improving washroom facilities, updating furniture and reorganizing the site’s outdoor courtyard to include a sports area, refreshing an existing gazebo and adding more covered seating areas.
The building’s current condition has a “penitentiary esthetic” that does not reflect the place of belonging that it strives to be, Latour continues.
Dozens of companies and 300 volunteers are involved in the project. For more information, to donate financially or to volunteer, visit vancouver.herowork.com/surrey-urban-mission/
Mulvaney – who organized a weekly call for drive-thru donations during the pandemic to help SUMS – said while her group has only committed to collecting snacks for the upcoming weekend, any extras received will go to volunteers who are on-site during other renovation days.