A local non-profit service organization is over half way toward their goal to put a new roof on their facility and be able to stay in operation at the site.
The building which houses the Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen and the After School Reading Program for students in the area located at 632 North Main Street, has been in dire need of a new roof that is estimated to cost $50,000.
Program Director Polly Pulley says that enough funds have been raised to secure the work of the contractor who plans to install the new roof, but they still have a long way to go both to raise the funds, and to get through winter.
“We were trying to get it done before winter set in, but now that it is here, the company that we are going through came in and sealed the leaks to get us through the winter. So the first first good weather we get during the spring, they are planning to start work on it for us. I hope we won’t have any problem getting the rest of the money raised but, we are getting pretty close to that goal.”
Pulley says that after years of of working toward being able to afford the new roof, and feeling like it was never going to happen, she is very thankful for the support the soup kitchen has seen this winter both for donations for the roof and of food to help keep the kitchen going.
“Overall we are doing pretty good, because once people heard about the roof, they have been coming out. We have had four or five different people come out to do a food drive for us, so we are doing pretty good on everything else. Our main focus right now is trying to come up with the rest of the funds for the roof.
And in the winter time we basically focus on keeping the power and stuff going because the only support we usually get is from the United Way and what comes in from private donations.”
As of today, the Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen has raised a total of $36,332.54 toward the $50,000 needed to replace the roof. Pulley says that the Spirit of Faith facility continues to serve the needs of local residents.
“We provide a good hot nutritious meal Monday through Thursday from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm and we offer a nice safe place for children to come in after school to do their homework and be able to play until 5:00 pm”
Pulley says that her and her volunteers hope the community will continue to help them reach their goal, and that they are very thankful for all of the help and support that they have received.
“And we appreciate it, we appreciate all of the help. And if you are going to announce this, would you please just thank the people that went and made a donation at the bank because I have no way to send them a thank you card.”
To make a donation to the roof fund, donations can be taken to CNB Bank where an account has been set up for the project. Donations can also be dropped off to the soup kitchen directly, or mailed to the Spirit of Faith Church in Jacksonville, located at 105 East Dunlap Street.
All donations to the Soup Kitchen’s Roof Project are tax deductible. For more information about the roof project contact Pulley at 217-371-6363, Dennis Doyle at 217-602-1769, or Alan Bradish at 217-719-9358.