Tearing down walls, building up a community
The Salvation Army El Cajon begins demolition of facility
to pave way for new community center
San Diego, CA – (December 2017) On Wednesday, December 27, at 10:30am, The Salvation Army El Cajon Corps will begin to tear down the walls of its old facility, paving the way for a new community center.
Located on the property adjacent to the current El Cajon Corps, construction of the new community center is expected to start next year.
The New El Cajon Community Facility will include:
New Choice Food Pantry & Social Services Center – Believed to be the first of its kind in East County, this program will give clients an opportunity to select items from pantry shelves, rather than being given a pre-packaged bag of food. Similar programs have been found to reduce waste and allow for teaching opportunities in nutrition and life skills training that ultimately help families return to food independence.
Gymnasium & Youth Center – With a limited number of community centers in the area, a multi-purpose gym will be opened for area youth and family. The Corps will use this space to offer free and affordable health, wellness and sports activities including after-school programs and leagues for community members. Currently, the after-school youth program is capped at 84 students.
Meeting space – Spaces for senior nutrition and youth classes are at full capacity in the current building. The new facility with meeting rooms of varying sizes, will allow opportunity for additional space for education and community events. The senior nutrition program is expected to double in size.
“With the new 29,540-square foot facility, we are hoping to see even more lives changed as a result of this project,” says Captain Sean Kelsey of the El Cajon Corps, “We are so blessed to have the support of the community to begin such a wonderful facility, and we hope that it will give back to El Cajon ten-fold.”
To date, The Salvation Army has raised $4,005,563 of the $5,200,000 needed to build the community center. To complete the building, the organization still needs to raise $1,194,437.
The poverty rate for San Diego is 13.9%, while poverty rates for El Cajon are significantly higher at 24.2%. In a typical month, The Salvation Army El Cajon Corps, provides 950+ families with food assistance, 300+ families with government commodities, and 1400+ lunches to senior citizens. Over 40,000 people are served by The Salvation Army El Cajon Corps each year. This number is expected to significantly increase with the new community center.
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