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Everything but the kitchen sink

That's about what needs to be replaced in the kitchen at the Spring of Tampa Bay, a domestic violence shelter. Actually, that likely will need to be replaced, too.

By ELIZABETH BETTENDORF
Published September 15, 2006

TAMPA

When the kitchen at the Spring of Tampa Bay sorely needs a makeover, to whom does the state's largest domestic violence shelter turn?

To its most passionate volunteers.

"It's part of a home improvement plan for women and children led by a great group of volunteers," explained Stephanie Hobson, president of the Spring's Daytime Auxiliary Board of Trustees.

The auxiliary is launching an Adopt-A-Kitchen plan next week with a fundraiser for board members and volunteers.

The 102-bed shelter, which does not publicly disclose its location, has been a haven for 30,000 victims of domestic violence and their children since it opened three decades ago.

The Adopt-A-Kitchen idea, part of a home improvement plan for the whole shelter, took root last spring when Hobson, who is a professional caterer, and other volunteers decided that the old kitchen needed some serious redesign help.

The institutional appliances were aging, the walls and floors were dingy, the lighting was ineffective and the metal food prep tables were sagging.

It was a dismal place for the shelter's beloved cooks to prepare meals for women and their children, though they managed to do "a remarkable job," Hobson said.

Organizers estimate that the initial kitchen refurbishing will cost $29,000, which will cover replacing appliances, workstations, utensils and other necessities like highchairs and booster seats for toddlers.

The commercial grade appliances and food service utensils are the most important needs, Spring administrators said. They are necessities for a facility that serves large numbers of people.

A new custom walk-in cooler, for example, costs $12,965.

A reach-in refrigerator and freezer costs $5,164.

A Vulcan commercial six-burner range with a grill and two ovens costs $2,870.

Many of the items are required by food safety regulations.

Refurbishing the space could cost much more. The trustees hope that professional designers will come forward and volunteer their time and skills. They also hope for donors.

"I would love to find a kitchen designer who would come in and do this," Hobson said. She envisions a well-designed space that is easy to clean and offers the amenities of a restaurant kitchen.

"Ideally, you want the kind of kitchen here you would have at home," Hobson added. "Any guy or woman who cooks knows how important this is."

Late on a Tuesday afternoon, a dinner-shift cook began setting out a buffet of chicken patties, string beans and scalloped potatoes as the mothers and their children began trickling in.

Although the dining room has new booths and tile flooring - a gift from Outback Steakhouse - it still has a long way to go. Volunteers envision framed children's artwork and a cozy decor that will eventually tie in to the new kitchen.

It's a place where kids sometimes come to curl up in the booths and do homework, or where newly admitted families come for a much-needed meal after the intake process.

"Once everyone sees the passion and the women behind this effort, it will be a pretty easy effort," said Hector Perez, the Spring's director of development. Last year, 1,000 people ate meals prepared in the Spring's kitchen, he said.

The shelter's piece de resistance is the toddler room and its adjoining bathroom, said Cheryl Bushy, supervisor of the Spring's child care center.

The cheerful room is decorated with hand-painted jungle murals that flow into the bathroom, where a yawning hippopotamus greets the potty-training set.

The project was the effort of the auxiliary volunteers. They enlisted family members to help paint the room, designed the theme and bought the changing table, furniture and even the miniature play stoves and refrigerators.

Bushy jokes that she doesn't usually show bathrooms on a tour, but the murals and fun decor make this one a highlight for a lot of visitors.

That's why they will redo the kitchen area and give it the treatment it deserves, no matter how long it takes, Hobson said, even if they have to roll up their sleeves as they did for the toddler room and do the work themselves.

It would be nice, she said with a smile, if an HGTV or Food Network star stepped in.

Longtime Spring volunteer and past auxiliary president Pat Tabone agreed, adding that with love, funding and volunteer sweat, the job will get done.

"It takes a village," she said. "It really does."

Elizabeth Bettendorf can be reached at ebettendorf@hotmail.com

[Last modified September 14, 2006, 10:17:26]