Sonoma shelter gets kitchen upgrade

When the cold hard truth dawned on Kathy King, that storage in her Sonoma Overnight Support kitchen could not handle all the donated food coming in for fire relief, she realized the Sonoma shelter needed a new freezer. The same thought occurred to Mary Evelyn Arnold of Kiwanis of Sonoma Plaza, and the group approved an allocation of $5,000 to provide a new, professional-grade refrigerator and freezer.

“With SOS feeding more homeless people due to displacement from the fires, we very quickly decided it was a project we wanted to fund,” said Kiwanis President Liz Treacy. King added, “We really needed them. Our fridge was tiny, and the food kept coming in. We were storing it in people’s homes.”

The new units will provide for clients at the Sonoma shelter as well ongoing outreach programs in the Springs. Pictured, from left: Dan Kahn, Kathy King, Mikayla De Rosier, and Justine Filipello, SOS; Suzanne Berube, Bob Albright, Liz Treacy and Jack Nisson, Kiwanis; and Maddie Murray, SOS