OF SPECIALTY CONTRACTORS
For Immediate Release:
(Orange,
CA) An
average of 100 people a day stop by Mary’s Kitchen to eat and clean up. After ten years, that’s a considerable amount
of wear and tear on the modular buildings.
New showers, floors, doors and a fresh coat of paint are just some of
what’s in store for this Orange, California homeless station. Members of the California Professional
Association of Specialty Contractors Orange County Inland Empire chapter
(CALPASC OCIE) are about half way through their project to bring new life to
the well used and much needed facility’s bathroom and laundry areas.
Modular buildings on West Struck
Avenue house the kitchen, restrooms with showers and a place for guests to wash
and dry their clothes. “We just want to
do what we can to help these folks have a fighting chance to get back on
their feet,” says project director and Dynamic Plumbing Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer, Mike Mahony.
“It's CALPASC’s way of giving back to the community, which has given our
companies so much work over the years.”
Mahony and his CALPASC partners are following in the same footsteps that first started Mary’s Kitchen over twenty years ago when Mary McAnena began fixing and delivering meals to the homeless in Hart Park. Her daily efforts, and a 1995 grant from St. Joseph Health Systems to buy the modular buildings, created the permanent program that now cooks up about 10,000 meals a year. Monday through Friday, volunteers serve breakfast and a hot lunch to those who stop by in need. Visitors also are invited to use the shower and laundry facilities and given dinner-in-a-bag to take with them. Local churches provide Saturday breakfasts and Sunday lunches at Mary’s Kitchen.
Mary McAnena died in 2002 at the age of 100. Mahony and his CALPASC crew say they were inspired by her legacy of community service. Dynamic Plumbing, Lucas & Mercier Construction, Tech Power Systems, West Coast Painting and Taylor Trim and Supply all signed on to help with the project, scheduled to be completed the second week of August. “The companies are eager to help out,” states Beth Curran, Executive Director of CALPASC OCIE. “It’s a natural for CALPASC since we have all of the trades under one umbrella. But the best part of this job is the heart of the contractors involved.”
Mahony estimates the demolition, repairs, replacements and refinishings will combine for a total donation of over $20,000. “It’ll be worth it for everyone,” he promises. “Visitors not only get a meal but a shower and a place to launder their clothes. It just makes you feel good.”
There is
no interruption in meal service while the kitchen undergoes its own planned
upgrading the first week of August.
During this time, food will be served at St. Norbert’s on Taft Avenue
for the few days until Mary’s Kitchen reopens, ready to continue the mission of
Mary McAnena.
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CONTACTS: Beth Curran - 866-320-7272
Executive
Director, CALPASC OCIE
Mike Mahony - 951-343-1200 (office) & 714-720-9308 (cell)
Dynamic
Plumbing
California
Professional Association of Specialty Contractors (CALPASC) is represented
and managed by its members. CALPASC’s mission is to advocate for specialty
contractors, suppliers and related businesses in the legislative, regulatory
and judicial arenas. CALPASC is committed to educating members on complex
issues and advancing safety and compliance within the building industry.