A RENOVATED MEN’S CENTER AND SORTING CLOSET THANKS TO VOLUNTEER GROUPS

Men's Center - After

The drop-in center for homeless and low-income men now has a brand-new industrial floor, renovated shower and restroom area, new cabinets, new furniture, and a fresh coat of paint, among other improvements. The renovations are made possible by two weekends of hard work from volunteer groups from Skanska USA Building Inc. and Anderson Carpet, with pre-event support from Rebuilding Together Oakland.

In addition to the Men’s Center, Skanska volunteers refurbished the SVdP Sorting Closet, which is used to store and sort donations inside the Oakland Community Center at 2272 San Pablo Street. The volunteers built new shelving to increase holding capacity, and replaced light bulbs with more energy-efficient tubes. Both projects – a massive volunteer service undertaking – included donated materials and skilled laborers volunteering their time. SVdP is extremely grateful for all the volunteer support the organization has received!

Donation Sorting Closet - Before & After

Men's Center- Before

The project kicked off on April 20, 2013 and was completed the following Saturday on April 27, 2013 during National Volunteer Week.

The partnership between Skanska, the lead volunteer group on both projects, and SVdP began during the 2012 holidays when Skanska collected coats and hygiene kits during a drive for SVdP clients. Skanska and SVdP started a discussion in the new year about a larger volunteer project, and then included Rebuilding Together Oakland, a Skanska collaborator, into the project planning. Rebuilding Together Oakland connected the project to free resource materials. Anderson Carpet donated and installed the flooring for the Men’s Center.

The Champion Guidance Center for Men will celebrate its 10th anniversary on June 3, 2013. In the past year, it provided services to 1,514 guests. These services included: showers, laundry facilities, hygiene kits, telephone access, the men’s recovery group, haircuts and referrals. The services are all free to those in need. The Men’s Center is located at 675 23rd Street, adjacent to the Dining Room.