Tracy Press

More donations are needed for Interfaith to finish its new home.

Two years have passed since the groundbreaking of the 10,000-square-foot Tracy Interfaith Ministries building at the north end of Parker Avenue. The walls are up, the roof is complete, the windows and doors are installed. Inside, the walls are painted, tile flooring has been laid, the walk-in freezer is in, and the cabinets are built.

The building committee has raised $1.3 million in donations and grants, and it’s so close to reaching its goal.

But it still needs countertops, light fixtures, toilets, a water heater, phones, a landscape irrigation system, fencing and more.

Oh, and about $125,000.

At first, the volunteers thought they could open a new office and warehouse in 2004. Then, when construction began, the plan was to finish by fall 2006.

But construction costs were high, and labor and donated materials were hard to come by. Cement prices skyrocketed with the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.

More recently, with the housing slump, donations have slowed with the slowdown of the economy. 

But the community’s need looms larger, as more and more residents lose their homes and jobs. The 20-year-old food and clothes closet serves 60 to 75 families a day now, more than 50,000 people a year.

“We’re busier than we’ve ever been,” volunteer director Darlene Quinn said. “We really feel the crunch.” 

On Tuesday, as men, women and children crowded into the tiny waiting rooms at the aging, cinderblock building on Holly Drive, volunteers bustled to help them.

Truckloads showed up with day-old bread, cans of fruit and other items donated by local businesses, and space for storage was at a premium.

Volunteer Dick Spence said he looks forward to moving into the new building, saying with a grin, “It will be like the Clampetts moving to Beverly Hills.” 

But they’re not there yet.

As volunteer Maryann Kalina said at Saturday’s open house, if every person in Tracy would donate a dollar — maybe two — the new building could open sometime in 2008.

The Fourth of July has a nice ring to it.

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written by c.n. , April 02, 2008

I agreet that everyone can make a difference with $1. $10, $25 and more.....! Just think what Tracy would be like without this great organization. There would be social fallout with hungry children, doing poorly in school, additional panhandling and crime. Thank you for all you do!

Is there an online link for people to make donations?

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written by GreenGrocer , April 05, 2008

bleed us dry!