Community effort renovates New Hope shelter
Suzi Fode/courtesy photo Renovation of the New Hope domestic violence shelter was made possible not only by a donation of over $21,000 from the Rotary Club, but also steep discounts from vendors. Furniture, flooring and fresh paint pictured here were provided below cost by Walker’s Furniture and Mattress, Cost Less Carpet and Integrity Painting, respectively.
MOSES LAKE — The New Hope domestic violence shelter in Moses Lake received a dramatic makeover in September due to a donation of over $21,000 by the Rotary Club of Moses Lake, as well as the support of local businesses that provided services and products at steep discounts.
New Hope is an organization operating across Grant County to assist domestic violence survivors in removing themselves from violent or hostile home environments. New Hope’s shelter services are available for survivors and their children who have nowhere else to go, and allow those families a confidential place to reside temporarily.
While survivors are lodged at one of the organization’s shelters, New Hope’s advocates also work with those families or individuals to arrange for long-term housing and other social services that might be available.
“We help them start planning for their future,” said Suzi Fode, director of New Hope and Kids Hope. “We all should be able to live life free of the fear of violence.”
Fode said that the community’s incredible efforts made short work of a huge project, and those living in the shelter were able to return after only seven days of renovation.
In that time, flooring, carpeting and furniture were removed and replaced with products offered below cost by local businesses. Paint was provided by Lowes, wood trim by Home Depot and flooring by Cost Less Carpet, while Walker’s Furniture and Mattress provided beds of various designs and sizes to accommodate both adults and children, and Damon J’s Interiors provided window blinds.
Employees of the companies that provided discounted services also donated a significant amount of their time to help install and arrange their products, Fode said.
Organizers for the project particularly praised the efforts of Walker’s Furniture, Damon J’s Interiors and CAD Homes – which worked to cut out the buildings subfloor and install baseboards. The Rotary Club of Moses Lake’s Juliann Dodds, who helped lead the club’s involvement in the project, said the phenomenal support from these organizations made it possible to finish the renovations so quickly.
The Rotary Club’s own volunteers also helped make the project a success, Fode said.
“People from the Rotary were incredibly generous,” Fode said. “Every single day for a week, they had a team that was very professional.”
Funds for the project were raised primarily by the Rotary Club of Moses Lake, with support from the Rotary Club of Quincy and a match grant from Rotary International.
“Working with Rotarians is easy,” Dodds said. “It’s the only service organization I’ve work with where you send out a sign-up sheet, six people sign up and when it’s time to get to work, 20 people show up.”