The Dream Center closed about 24 months ago after the building was damaged by a winter storm and vandalism. Financial difficulties also were behind the closure, but fundraisers and insurance on the building helped with renovation to a like-new interior and reopening of the soup kitchen.
The soup kitchen began nearby in the home of Louella Thompson, who during the 1980s fed families that were suffering with drug-addicted family members, White said.
“She continued to feed any family members, no matter what,” said Lisa White, a volunteer at the center. “She wanted to provide them with a warm meal, whether it was breakfast, lunch, dinner. That was her mission.”
“We’re just carrying out her dream,” said Deborah Patterson, director of the Dream Center.
About 75 people from the community visited the center for its reopening Monday, and on Tuesday, more than two dozen ate breakfast. The soup kitchen hopes to expand its offerings to include dinner and lunch in the future.
“My vision is to make this a community resource center, where anybody can come,” Patterson said. “If anyone needs a direction of what they need, they can come here, and if we can’t help them, we can direct them elsewhere in the community.”
Meanwhile, the building’s basement is being renovated now for use as a youth center.
Starting in about March, the youth center will welcome elementary students from 4 to 6 p.m., offering them a meal, helping with homework and giving them some recreation time. From 6 to 8 p.m., teens will have their time at the center, which Patterson envisions being open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Unlike before the renovation, the building’s elevator now works.
Patterson said one of the volunteers who worked Monday was amazed by how much nicer the facility is now, compared with its state before the winter damage.
“He said, ‘Oh my gosh, before the building was destroyed, the dishwasher didn’t work, we had to rig up stuff, this and this didn’t work. The elevator didn’t work, nothing was working.’”
But now, “We’ve got everything working,” Patterson said.
Contributions can be sent to Feed the Hungry Project, P.O. Box 1657, Middletown, OH 45042. The organization can be contacted at feedthehungryproject@gmail.com or 513-320-1001.
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