Vancouver – Share House’s kitchen, which serves hot meals to homeless people in downtown Vancouver every day, will close for eight weeks of remodeling beginning July 9. During this time, Share will serve brown-bag meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner at its day center, about a mile away at 1600 W. 20th St.
The men’s homeless shelter at 1115 W. 13th St. opened in 1999 and its kitchen hasn’t been upgraded since then, said Jessica Lightheart, spokeswoman for Share.
“To lessen the impact on the clients served through Share’s Hot Meals program, the remodel was purposefully scheduled during the warmer, drier weather of summer when the need for a hot meal indoors is minimal,” Executive Director Diane McWithey said in a news release. “A kitchen remodel will greatly improve the efficiency, capacity, and safety of the kitchen, benefiting both Share’s clients and volunteers who prepare, cook and serve meals.”
The kitchen at Share House prepares almost 92,000 meals annually. A fundraising campaign for the kitchen was held in May, which included an anonymous $75,000 donation. Another $45,000 remains to be raised to cover costs.
