BB&T helps House of Hope with goal of commercial kitchen

House of Hope, Danville’s only homeless shelter, is a little closer to having the commercial kitchen it needs thanks to employees at local branches of Branch Banking & Trust (BB&T).

Last year, BB&T’s launched its Lighthouse Project, where employees volunteer time and raise money for a local charity. The program was so popular, Joanne Prinsloo, BB&T’s business services manager at the Collins Drive location, said employees decided to do it again this year.
“It was a great feeling for our employees to be able to come together as a team and give something back to our community,” Prinsloo said.

The Danville branches chose House of Hope for this year’s project, and put together “care packages” for residents that included toothpaste, a toothbrush, deodorant, body wash and other items. The teams of volunteers also donated cleaning supplies, paper goods and some non-perishable food items, as well as a vanity and exhaust fan for one of the bathrooms, an extra monitor for the security system and sinks for the kitchen.

“We had no idea it was coming,” Anderson said “Our gratitude goes out to all who help to make us a place that you can be proud of.”

The 37 employees at the four Danville bank locations donated $3,120 in goods to House of Hope during the project, which was completed in September, Prinsloo said.

The 3-bay kitchen sink with sideboards, and a utility/mop sink, are items Steve Anderson, director of the shelter, that are a big step toward the group having a fully functional kitchen.

Shelter residents still get their evening meal from Danville Regional Medical Center, and many area churches often bring hot meals to the shelter, according to Anderson — but having an operational kitchen will give residents more options for meals.

The stove/oven area of the kitchen has been completed, with a commercial ventilation system installed — but the kitchen cannot be used for meal preparation until it meets all commercial kitchen codes, Anderson said.

Plumbing for the required sinks — the 3-bay dishwashing sink, a hand-washing sink and the mop sink — is now needed. The kitchen area also needs to have at least one wall put up, to separate the cooking area from the food storage area, Anderson said, as well as a few other changes before it will pass code.

The Rev. Stephen Cook, president of the shelter’s board of directors, said the organization now needs “skilled volunteers who can help us with plumbing, electrical and sheet rock work.”

Cook said they have obtained the necessary building permit, which is good through the first of next year, but they hope to get the work done this fall.

Anyone interested in helping with the project can reach Anderson by calling House of Hope at (434) 549-1459.