A room where 25,000 meals are served every year now looks much more welcoming.
The Lighthouse — which boasts the new tagline, “More than a shelter” — has spruced up its dining room thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Home Depot Canada Foundation.
Representatives of Orillia’s Home Depot and R&F Construction were at the shelter on Peter Street South on Tuesday to check out the updated digs.
The area that houses the dining room was constructed as an addition to the building in the early 1990s.
No significant renovations or upgrades had been made prior to the latest work.
Gone are the old, worn ceiling tiles and beige paint on the walls. The room has been painted with blues and greys; it has new lights, ceiling fans and stairs.
“Everything’s been updated, but it also made it more energy efficient and homier for our clients,” said Lynn Thomas, development co-ordinator with the Lighthouse, noting there is now better temperature control in the room.
Local company R&F Construction was hired for the job. It went above and beyond, also painting the main hallway in the building.
“We just wanted to help the Lighthouse, and we put a little extra in,” said Dave Rimkey, vice-president of R&F Construction. “(Company president) Rick (Rimkey) and I, over the last 25 years, have given to charities and we try to help out youth. We just want to give back.”
The Lighthouse receives plenty of local support, and Thomas and the staff are grateful.
“We all kind of look after each other. That’s the kind of community we have,” she said. “I’m proud of Orillia, the people of Orillia and the way they care for those who are most in need.”
While officials hope to break ground on the new shelter and community services hub on Queen Street in May, the upgrades to the current dining room were still needed, Thomas said.
“When we go to sell it, we want it to be marketable,” she said.
Thanks to the grant from the Home Depot Canada Foundation, the Lighthouse was also able to purchase a new TV and a PlayStation 4 video game console.
The shelter serves clients as young as 16, and now they and other clients will have more entertainment options. The Lighthouse is accepting donations of PlayStation 4 games rated T (teen) and under.
As a snowstorm hammered Orillia on Tuesday afternoon, Thomas commented, “Weather like this is the reason we stay open and provide for our vulnerable.”
