Upgrades at the Centre!

Can you believe it? The Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program has been in operation at the Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre for 15 years!

This program supports women and their families during pregnancy and until their babies are one year old, through a variety of activities and programming. It is funded by the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) through the Public Health Agency of the Canada.

We put a huge emphasis on connecting moms with community supports and resources, and especially fostering connections between participants to encourage important and long lasting friendships and support necessary in early motherhood.

In recent years, the program has supported between 60 and 75 pregnant women and women with babies each year.

In all of our activities, the kitchen has played a major role in the activities and services that we provide.  Unfortunately, it now requires upgrades to be an approved facility through Environmental Health Services, and to meet updated general safety requirements.

Currently we have discontinued use of the kitchen, have limited our programming, and are prepping and cooking upstairs in the main Centre kitchen for our drop in lunch.  This is a less than ideal situation and is meant as a very temporary solution. But we are applying to Yukon Government for Community Development Funding to find a long-term solution: a substantial upgrade and renovation!

To make this funding application (and the renovation project) a success, we need your help. We need to show that the community is behind this project, like we know that it is.

Specifically, here’s what we need:

Volunteer time

Electrician:  We require an electrician to disconnect power to the kitchen for before tear out commences.

Tear Out: We require volunteers to help tear out the flooring, old kitchen cabinets and counters. We also require some expert and/or manual labour volunteer time to help tear out the existing kitchen and floor.

Truck hauling to dump: Someone with a truck that would be willing to take items and debris to the dump, as well as distribute the old residential grade appliances that can no longer be used.

Painting: Near the end of the project we will need a couple volunteers to help paint the areas that have been renovated, as well as areas that have been patched to install electrical wiring.

Donations:

We require appliances such as a fridge, stove and dishwasher that the CDF funding will not cover (or you can donate here so we can buy them!) 

Appliance requirements – New, or possibly used but must be in top working order:

Stove: Full sized 30”W by 30”D electric range stove/oven

Fridge with freezer:  30”W by 63”H (approx) by 27”D (approx), preferably with a bottom freezer

Dishwasher: portable, NSF certified (this can be checked on the dishwasher labels, as well as in the manual)

We hope to have funding secured and the project commencing in mid to late summer.  This is when volunteers would be required, as well as the appliances ready and waiting for installation. And we need to show community support when the application goes in next week!

If you can help or you know a person or business who might be interested, please email Brandie Chetcuti, the Program Coordinator of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies or call (867) 667-4134.
 

Thanks so much, community! We know you’ll pull through!