A few good “heroes” needed to renovate the Rainbow Kitchen

HeroWork founder Paul Latour (left), HeroWork Project Manager Peter Smither and CPO2 (Ret’d) Roxanne ‘Rocket’ Ogden get their shovels and wheelbarrel ready ahead of a massive renovation project of the Esquimalt United Church Rainbow Kitchen. Photo by Peter Mallett, Lookout

HeroWork founder Paul Latour (left), HeroWork Project Manager Peter Smither and CPO2 (Ret’d) Roxanne ‘Rocket’ Ogden get their shovels and wheelbarrel ready ahead of a massive renovation project of the Esquimalt United Church Rainbow Kitchen. Photo by Peter Mallett, Lookout

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

Military members past and present are being sought to join other volunteers in renovating Esquimalt United Church’s Rainbow Kitchen.

The $500,000 renovation project on Admirals Road, managed by Victoria-based non-profit organization HeroWork, starts the weekend of Sept. 16 and continues for the following two weekends.

The 4,600 square foot community wing of the Esquimalt United Church is home for several community groups and the non-denominational Rainbow Kitchen, which serves approximately 36,000 hot meals a year to people in need in Esquimalt.

HeroWork Founder and executive director Paul Latour says his group has carried out over $1.3 million in “radical renovations” since he founded the non-profit organization in 2010. He has relied on military personnel to volunteer in past projects and is counting on them to deliver again.

“Participating in something positive for the community and in a team atmosphere will give our volunteers from CFB Esquimalt an amazing experience, but also help them showcase to the public the difference the military makes in their communities, both at home and abroad,” says Latour.

HeroWork recently received a $20,000 donation from Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services Boomer’s Legacy Foundation.

As part of the reno kickoff volunteers will meet at the Canteen Road parking lot at 4 p.m. Friday Sept. 16 and march to the church with some musical accompaniment provided by the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy.

After the opening ceremonies, volunteers will start demolition work, including landscaping, excavating and removing decaying cedar shingles from the roof, replacing windows and doors, and painting.

Renovations on the inside of the building include a complete kitchen refit, the creation of an additional bathroom, fixture and appliance upgrades, flooring, wall and ceiling replacement, electrical work, furniture repair, painting, the construction of a new loading dock, and more.

HeroWork’s military liaison is Lt(N) Colin Dudeck.

Personnel from the base interested in getting involved should contact him at colin.dudeck@forces.gc.ca. Former military and civilians are asked to contact Latour at paul@herowork.com.

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