A Capital Campaign to Sustain, Improve, and Grow Project Host
This video was generously produced by the Foundry. Learn more about their work at https://foundry.film/
Funds committed to date.
At Project Host, we strive to go beyond being just a soup kitchen, both in terms of the programs that we run, and in terms of the environment we create at Project Host. Our facilities, however, no longer match our ethos. Our original Soup Kitchen building, which encompasses a commercial kitchen and dining hall, is over 25 years old, and it shows. While there have been some modifications and upgrades over the years, our kitchen bears the marks of near-daily use for going on three decades, and the dining hall is institutional and unwelcoming.
We find ourselves at a moment when we need to renovate our space if we are to sustain our current operations—and also improve and grow them. Renovations would extend the life of our South Academy Street home and would also expand the utility of our space, making it a multipurpose facility that supports all our programs and the full scope of our mission.
Read about our priorities below or view our full prospectus here.
Before & After
Phase I - Kitchen completed march 2022, Hallway Near Completion
Project Host Soup Kitchen before renovation.
Project Host Soup Kitchen after renovation.
Project Host Soup Kitchen before renovation.
Project Host Soup Kitchen after renovation.
Old stove and double oven in Soup Kitchen.
New appliances in Soup Kitchen.
Project Host hallway for welcoming visitors prior to renovation.
Our vision for our visitor entry.
Phase II - Spring/fall 2023
Current Project Host dining room.
Our vision for the Project Host dining room.
Phase III - TBD
Includes improvements to outdoor space, including lighting, parking lot, security, building façade, etc.
2
Not Just a Course: Fight unemployment by training better, training more.
3
Not Just Advocacy: Build community by engaging better, engaging more.
Priority 1
Not Just a Meal: Fight hunger by serving better, serving more.
Our renovation and revitalization plans will allow us to:
Continue to meet need in our community at the level we do now by ensuring that we have reliable kitchen equipment and a space that is safe and sanitary to prepare meals.
Do a better job of serving our guests by welcoming them into a space that conveys that they are valued members of society who deserve comfort, beauty, and to be treated with dignity.
Have the potential to reach more people by harnessing and leveraging the gained efficiency of new appliances and by having a space that draws more volunteers.
Priority 2
Not Just a Course: Fight unemployment by training better, training more.
Our renovation and revitalization plans will allow us to:
Maintain strong relationships with our guests, volunteers, and community service assignees, all of whom serve as or recommend potential candidates for our culinary training programs.
Strengthen our training opportunities by using our dining room as a multifunctional event space for on-site catering engagements. Such events present paid opportunities for our students and interns to learn while working in real-life, high-pressure kitchen and service settings.
Provide Greenville restaurants and other employers with a growing pool of well-trained, vetted potential employees who have diverse service experiences under their belts. In the post-pandemic boom, restaurants will need skilled workers they can trust.
Priority 3
Not Just advocacy: Build community by engaging better, engaging more.
Our renovation and revitalization plans will allow us to:
Show our appreciation for and maintain relationships with our strong base of volunteers by providing them with a safe, clean, attractive work environment.
Foster stronger bonds between volunteers, staff, and guests by having a welcoming physical environment that encourages everyone to interact as equals.
Open our dining hall for event rental and catering, allowing for wider Greenville to interact with us in ways that require less obligation and commitment than consistent volunteer service, but that still allow them to support Project Host’s work in the community.
Give to Our Campaign Today
Invest in Project Host’s plan to sustain, improve, and grow our organization, and help us be so much more than just a Soup Kitchen in both deed and spirit.