Tim Burris, Construction Project Manager and Jesus Garcia, Winchester Community Action Board member.
Thanks to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, SEAHEC has been able to install refrigeration and cabinetry in the Winchester Community Center. Completed in November, 2018, the additional infrastructure will not only increase availability of fresh food and nutrition information in the community. It will also bolster the overall sustainability of the Center.
One of SEAHEC’s chief goals in helping the residents of Winchester Heights to build a community center was to create public health supporting infrastructure in this isolated community. One outcome is improved service delivery access points for our community partners. Another outcome is improved organizational capacity that will enable residents to collaborate on projects to increase overall health and well-being in this community.
“On both counts, the generous support of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona has led to resounding success, ” said SEAHEC Executive Director, Gail Emrick.
New cabinetry and refrigeration will improve overall sustainability for the Winchester Community Center.
While the addition of refrigeration, cabinets and counter tops will enable the Food Bank to deliver fresh food and implement programming to improve health and nutrition, the new infrastructure will also provide increased organizational support to this emerging community assistance organization. Part of the community’s sustainability plan for the Center includes charging a user fee for community gatherings held at the new facility. The addition of the new installation will support this goal, enabling the community to cover the facility’s expenses.
Tim Burris, who led the community center construction project, and Jesus Garcia, a member of the Winchester Heights Community Action Board, donated their time and labor to install the new facilities.