Nicole Crescenzi/Contributor
Residents of Broadmead Care’s Veterans Memorial Lodge need to see an update to their dining areas—and you can help.
The retirement facility is home to 225 residents — half of whom are veterans— and hasn’t seen any updates to six of its dining areas in more than 25 years.
“There’s peeling linoleum, and due to increased washing protocols the varnish is coming off of the cupboards,” said Shannon Donnelly, fund development coordinator at Broadmead Care. “It really needs a facelift.”
The residences are divided into separate living areas, or lodges. While the food is made in a central commercial kitchen, each lodge has its own serving and dining area for residents to enjoy.
“It’s part of our residents’ homes. It’s where the coffee is poured and the toast is toasted,” Donnelly said. “It’s an important part of their routine.”
Altogether six kitchen serveries will be replaced, including new cupboards, drawers, countertops and two fridges, bringing the grand total up to $150,000.
To help cover costs, Broadmead Care is launching its Serving Smiles campaign. The campaign allows community members to contribute in several simple ways.
Firstly, Broadmead Care has partnered with Country Grocer in Royal Oak and Esquimalt, where donation boxes are now available until Sept. 30.
Another easy option is to simply text the word “SMILES” to 20222. This will give you the option of donating $5, $10 or $20 to the campaign, and the cost will simply be tacked onto your cellphone bill.
Lastly, you can make a donation or get more information about the campaign online at broadmeadcare.com/serving-smiles/.
“The pandemic brought home to us the many ways we receive support from the community,” said Derrick Bernardo, president and CEO of Broadmead Care, in a statement. “We’re really looking forward to working together through the summer and early fall, to help bring well-being and happiness to the people who live and work at Broadmead Care.”
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