The Daily Hampshire Gazette
Wednesday, March 28, 2012

AMHERST – There will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Amherst Survival Center building at 138 Sunderland Road April 13 and it could open by the end of the year, said Executive Director Cheryl Zoll.

The center, which provides about 4,000 low-income people a year with free lunches, groceries, housewares, clothes and medical care, has operated out of a cramped basement at 1200 North Pleasant St. The new 6,000-square-foot building will double the center’s space, providing room for the 70 people who eat lunch there daily, a private medical area for volunteer doctors Daniel Clapp and Paul Berman, counseling rooms and adequate parking, Zoll said.

The center, founded in 1975, bought the former Rooster’s restaurant for $265,000 in 2010. On March 14, the restaurant was torn down, and a concrete foundation will be poured before the April 13 ceremony, Zoll said. It will start at 2 p.m. and feature comments from Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, Rep. Ellen Story, both D-Amherst, and Town Manager John Musante.

“The building is possible because of incredible community support in recognition of overwhelming community need,” said Jan Eidelson, president of the center’s board. “This is more than just a building. It is a statement that everyone is precious, and it makes it possible for people to come together to get their basic needs met with dignity and respect.”

The center has raised more than $2 million for the building and hopes to reach its $2.5 million goal by the time it opens, Zoll said. It is seeking to raise the remaining $437,000 through grants, large and small donations and a mail appeal this spring, she said.

The cost of the new building is estimated at $1.55 million. The rest of the money will pay for furnishings, architects’ fees, campaign expenses and a 10 percent contingency fund. It will also replace the $200,000 that was borrowed from the center’s reserves to purchase the property.

The center’s operating budget this year is $378,000, which comes from donations and grants.

There are two full-time and five part-time staff members.

The Amherst Survival Center is pleased to announce our campaign for a new facility. Read the details about our capital campaign.

Our plan is to create a home that reflects and respects the dignity of the people we serve and the compassion of our community.

Thanks to the generosity of many local friends and neighbors, the ASC Capital Campaign has already raised $2 million toward the $2.5 million target that will make our plans a reality.

If you’ve visited the Center, you know firsthand that we provide a broad range of safety net services in our cramped basement quarters. Unfortunately, the demand for these services continues to grow – up 56% since 2007. Our staff and volunteers do an admirable job managing within these physical constraints, but we’ve long known that in order to provide more efficient services, with the respect and dignity that are hallmarks of the Survival Center, we need more space.

You’ll hear more about the campaign in the coming months as we work to raise the remaining $500,000 for this new construction at 138 Sunderland Road-just up the street from our current home. In the meantime, please contact us if you’d like to learn more about the project.

Monday Free Clinics Are Back!!
Mondays from 12:30-2 pm
with Dr. Paul Berman & Nurse Trish
Thursday nights continue with Dr. Daniel Clapp, 5-6 pm

On Thursday, October 6, the Amherst Survival Center will receive one of the coveted 2011 Amherst-area Chamber of Commerce’s A+ Awards at the annual community dinner! The award is given to “community leaders, organizations and businesses that have worked to make Amherst a better place.” We feel very honored to have been chosen.

ROTARY DONATION: The Rotary Club of Amherst announced that it is awarding the second annual Rotary Club of Amherst Community Grant in the amount of $25,000 to the Amherst Survival Center. The grant money will be used for the building and outfitting the kitchen in the new facility which is due to break ground in September, 2012.

One in 10 Hampshire and Franklin County residents don’t know where their next nutritious meal might be coming from. Click on this link for a great tool from Feeding America to understand more about what’s happening in our own country.

BAKED GOODS AND FRESH PRODUCE, donated by local companies, are distributed Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 11 a.m. and again at 1 p.m.

CLOTHING AND HOUSEHOLD GOODS are free to everyone. We also try to accommodate emergency & special requests.

Our FREE MEDICAL CLINIC provides basic medical services on Thursday evenings.

Join millions of Americans to help Stamp Out Hunger on May 14th
without even having to leave your home! (VIDEO!)

On May 14th, just place a bag of non-perishable food next to your mailbox.

Your local letter carrier will pick it up and bring it to local food banks and pantries like the Amherst Survival Center!

Click HERE for more information!