is currently under way.
Although the center serves meals to over 1,200 people daily,
the kitchen is original to the facility and not well equipped to
handle such volume.
“It’s been the same since the beginning, when they were only
serving breakfast,”Vega said.“Now we serve breakfast, lunch
and dinner to the residents, and lunch and dinner to the community.”
Plans for the project got a boost with a $1 million grant from
the City of Jacksonville,Vega said, which will allow the center
to purchase a dishwasher, install non-slip flooring and add food
storage areas, among other things.
Because of the limited space, the center can’t do food drives
and must purchase food and rely on twice-weekly orders from
Second Harvest.
Sulzbacher will also use the funds to purchase reusable
plates, cups and cutlery to aid the “green” effort at the center.
A facility-wide recycling effort has been successful,Vega
said, and compost from the kitchen is used in the community
garden, which is tended by residents.
There they grow vegetables as part of a life skills course, and
all the vegetables are then used in meals the center serves.
The life skills courses available to residents are part of the
“positive progress” residents must make to continue living at
Sulzbacher Center,Vega said.
“People can stay here as long they need help,” she said.“They
have to be making positive progress, like helping with chores
and taking life skills classes.”
Residents also have the opportunity to further their education through a partnership with Florida State College at Jacksonville to give them a chance to earn a GED.
About 45 percent of the center’s residents don’t have a high
school diploma or equivalent,Vega said, and education is key
to finding stable work.
The program just graduated its pilot class, and students were
excited about it,Vega said. About 20 students per semester can
participate, and participants may continue their program even
if they move out of the shelter in the process.
Getting a better education is part of the three goals the Sulzbacher Center has for every resident: income, stable housing
and health care.
“The biggest barrier to gaining those three things is lack of
education and employment,”Vega said.“Through education, we
hope to enable people to meet the other goals and become
independent.”
elizabeth@opcfla.com
(904) 686-3941
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