$50K grant transforms dining facility at Boys and Girls Club

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown is ringing in the new year with a brighter, new kitchen. It’s all thanks to the Lowe’s Renovation Across the Nation grant, which awarded $50,000 to one Boys and Girls Club in each state.

Germaine McAlpine, the club’s executive director, applied for the grant last May through a hefty application process and received an approval letter in June. He said the renovation couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Before, we could fit maybe 50 to 55 kids in the kitchen, so we’d eat in shifts,” McAlpine said. The kitchen capacity was far less than the 90 to 95 children the club sees daily.

The renovation included a complete paint makeover, a wall to enclose the kitchen, new appliances, floors and restrooms, plus tables and chairs for everyone to sit and eat together. McAlpine said it was important everyone could be together at mealtime.

“I think the staff has a new sense of pride. The kids are taking pride,” McAlpine said. “They volunteer to help prep for and clean up afterward.”

The road to renovation was a lengthy process and a meaningful one after the club, located at 2105 Oak Hill Ave. on the South Side, almost closed four years ago, McAlpine said.

“The club was in a bad place financially. We’ve come a long way since then,” he added.

The club’s rebirth began last summer when it closed for two weeks to prep for renovations. McAlpine and his staff spent the day after it closed ripping up carpet, preparing for the local contractors to create the new space.

The project lasted a month and a half and included a volunteer day where 35 Lowe’s employees, 20 club staff and a few board members donated their time painting the once-brown walls to a lighter gray.

“The kids had no idea there were gonna be renovations. They were shocked,” McAlpine said. “This is our building; we’re taking care of home.”

McAlpine said the new kitchen is a nice touch to go along with the Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown’s 50th anniversary this year. He said a cooking program for the kids is expected soon.