Federal government investing $2.2 million into new community centre for The Working Centre

The Working Centre has received more federal funding to help with the construction of a new community centre.

At an announcement on Tuesday, Waterloo MP Bardish Chaggar announced that the federal government will invest $2.2 million from the Green and Inclusive Building Fund. The new centre include a new building for St. John’s Kitchen with a glass front exterior and solar panels and a new central courtyard.

“It’s very important that St. John’s Kitchen has an actual grant towards its construction,” said Joe Mancini, co-director of The Working Centre. “It’s a four million dollar project just to build the new building and to have the federal government contribute a substantial amount is really great.”

In total the federal government has invested around $12 million to the centre. Last year, the federal government announced a $9.8 million investment from the Rapid Housing Initiative to help with the construction of 44 units at the site of the current St. John’s Kitchen. Mancini added that Strassburger Windows in Kitchener will be donating the windows for the 44 units for free.

In July, The Working Centre received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to help with the buying of new kitchen equipment.

Construction of the new St. John’s Kitchen is currently being excavated and Mancini said he is expecting to have construction completed by next summer.