Rebuilding Together Solano County to fix up Salvation Army facility

Usually, the Salvation Army is the organization helping those who are in need. But starting Saturday, Rebuilding Together Solano County volunteers will be offering their helping hands to rehabilitate the charity’s building in Vallejo.

“Rebuilding Together provides health and safety repairs for low-income seniors, veterans and disabled homeowners as well as community facilities in Solano County,” explained Elizabeth Hoffman, Rebuilding Together Solano County executive director.

And if the Salvation Army is to continue providing services to low-income youth, its building needs some work, Hoffman said.

This is the sixth year Rebuilding Together Solano County and one of its partners, Kaiser Permanente, have organized rehabilitation projects during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.

That’s because Kaiser offers its employees time off to perform community service during the holiday, Hoffman said.

The Salvation Army offers food, utility aid, emergency shelter, exercise activities and other services through its many programs, she said.

Last year, the Salvation Army provided food every month to more than 900 Vallejo families from its building, which it acquired in 1995 so it could offer services to Southern Solano County residents.

This year the Salvation Army wants to pay more attention to young people, Hoffman said, a shift that coincided with Kaiser’s announcement that it, too, wants to focus on youth services this year.

For a six-year period starting in 2000, the Salvation Army building had no maintenance, and as a result, she said, the charity had to curtail or discontinue some programs until 2013.

Hoffman said the building needs specific attention if the Salvation Army is to provide after school programs, computer laboratories and other youth-related activities.

“They want a third of the space converted,” she said.

She said once this weekend’s rehabilitation work is done, the Salvation Army will have space for after-school tutoring, dance and exercise programs, music and art education, a healthy food program, a reading room and counseling for college and careers.

Under the umbrella of Rebuilding Together, Hoffman has assembled an army of her own. Joining Kaiser Permanente are Home Depot Vallejo and Recology Vallejo, as well as other volunteers and groups that donate their time.

Volunteers will meet at noon Saturday at the Salvation Army building, 630 Tuolumne St., Vallejo, to put in four hours of preparatory work before the actual rehabilitation begins at 9 a.m. Sunday. Work will continue through 3 p.m.

Workers will return to the site at 8:30 a.m. Monday and expect to wrap up at 4:30 p.m. that day, Hoffman said.

There’s plenty for volunteers to do, she said.

“Our tasks include interior cleaning and painting, minor wall repair and much more.”

Among those jobs will be preparation work for painting as well as painting two youth rooms, a hallway, a chapel, a dining room and offices.

The building’s exterior will be pressure washed and painted as well, she said.

The windows need cleaning both inside and out. Meanwhile other volunteers will be busy cleaning other areas, digging dirt below the sidewalk level in preparation for rock landscaping, picking up trash, helping clean other parts of the neighborhood and tree trimming.

If possible, volunteers also may help reorganize the front office, remove some false walls and do other interior work, Hoffman said.

Volunteers are welcome, she said, whether for unspecialized tasks or for specific services, such as plumbing, electrical work and carpentry. And, she added, those who are unable to do physical labor during the rehabilitation can help in other ways to show support for Rebuilding Together and the Salvation Army.

First of all, Rebuilding Together is accepting cash donations. Donors can make checks payable to Rebuilding Together Solano County, a nonprofit organization with the tax identification number 80-0473076.

They also can donate such supplies as paint brushes and buckets, solicit in-kind donations of tools and supplies or handle volunteer tasks in such areas as registration, refreshments, safety, transportation and photography, Hoffman said. Volunteers also may help in fundraising and finance, marketing, administration, site selection and in other areas.

Potential volunteers and contributors may contact Elizabeth Hoffman at 707-580-9360.