Good morning. My name is Kimberly Meyer, and I am the chairman of Transforming for Tomorrow.
Today I wanted to give you a brief tour of our kitchen, which is in sore need of a refresh and new appliances. You will see that the video clips are showing a working kitchen. The team for Last Saturday Lunch is preparing the meal and what you see is typical for Second and Last Saturday Lunches. My thanks to the team for allowing me to video their busy morning.
Let’s talk appliances. While the appliances are working today, they are approaching the end of their useful life.
Our dishwasher is original to the 1983 build, and being 40 years old, we have been told there are no longer parts available for repairs. Through prayer and skill, the dishwashing team successfully caresses it to work “just one more time,” and while needing a “nap”every now and then, we’ve been lucky.
We aren’t quite sure of the age of our ovens, but we are sure one of them was purchased used. We are usually successful in figuring out the right temperature, but there are times when 350 degrees is really 250 degrees. And if the pilot light goes out, that means someone is laying on the floor with a match to bring the oven back to life. We have more than enough burner space, but oven space is always tight when cooking for 200, so the purchase of a double deck convention oven will eliminate the need to cook some casseroles at home.
Have you met our refrigerator? He is loud and moody. At times he doesn’t like friendly conversation, so he roars his fan to make you talk louder. And when he’s really feisty, he’ll freeze what ever is on the bottom.
Our baby ice machine is cute, but she’s not good at putting out a lot of ice. When we had to replace the old large one a few years back, the thought was that the little one would suffice until we were able to afford a full-size model. It’s now time for a full-size ice machine.
Our stainless sinks and our stainless counters are in great condition, so we are keeping them, and the garbage disposals and sink faucets will be replaced.
We will add a stainless table to the two existing tables and will add locking wheels which will allow them to be moved as needed for efficiency. New dish carts will enable dishes to be stored under the tables which will give more open floor space to move around. And the silverware will go to drawers so we can ditch the ginormous silverware and tray holder.
The stainless counter under the serving window will be kept, but we will swap out the tired cabinets with new cabinets with doors and drawers.
We are pleased that our coffee machine continues to make amazing coffee, and we look forward to more efficient storage for the coffee making corner.
Our wire shelving is also in great condition, and it will be reused.
I’ve been told our pantry area holds the cabinets from the original kitchen from 1958 that was located in what is now the Bell Room. The cabinets are inefficient for today’s use and will be replaced with wire shelving on wheels.
With the refresh will also come a good scrubbing, ceiling to floor, wall to wall, and new paint before everything is moved back in.
As of this recording, we are short about $100,000 to do the work in the kitchen, purchase additional main lobby furniture, and install wayfinding. If you would like more information on the cost of these projects, flyers are available on the easel holding the big Fork in the main lobby.
If you have donated, Thank you! If you have not yet had a chance to contribute, you may do so at any time, although sooner is better than later. If you prefer to spread your contribution out over one or two years, please contact our Financial Administrator, Rebecca Blackwelder.
This project will not move forward until we have reached our full funding. The folks who prepare meals for the Monday night Downtown Homeless ministry, the Second and Last Saturday Lunches, Bereavement meals, and all those special meals in between, thank you for generosity.
Plainfield UMC Today 