Floor donated to Hope Centre thanks to community kindness

The Hope Centre will soon have a renovation upgrade after a group of volunteers worked together to replace 1,900 square feet of flooring at the soup kitchen and transitional housing apartment building.  

A couple years ago, the staff at the Door of Hope replaced the aging tiles in the foyer of the building but could not afford to do the hall and daycare space. 

Janice Handspiker learned the Door of Hope purchased the flooring from Ace Lumber, where she works. When she heard about the financial strain the Door of Hope faced, she chose to help.

Handspiker made a call to XL Flooring Company and with help of some colleagues, organized for Jay’s Transportation to deliver the freight free-of-charge from Saskatoon to Meadow Lake. Ace Lumber brought the shipment to the Hope Centre yesterday, also absorbing the cost.

“I thought ‘What the heck, I’m going to call the company and ask what the odds of getting a donation,’” Handspiker said. “I managed to get 1,900 square feet at $5.20 a square foot. It’s a fair bit. They do a lot of environmental donations, but this is a great step for the company.”

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Unita Esau, executive director of the Door of Hope, said it will make maintenance easier, and building supervisor Derek Loseth will be able to install most of the flooring within the next couple of weeks.

“It means we’ll get new flooring in a lot quicker,” she said. “It’s quality flooring that will last a long time. We had some concerns that the [current] tiles were starting to lift, and worried that someone might trip on it.”

Esau said she appreciates the companies involved for their generosity, but gives Handspiker a great deal of credit for orchestrating the initiative, as she spent hours outside of work time on the project.

“She brokered all of this for us,” Esau said. “We’re incredibly grateful that this gift has come our way. It just goes to show in Meadow Lake, we don’t lack in social resources, advocates, and partners. When people do something this amazing, the community is better right from that moment.”

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca

On Twitter @ReporterKath