New committee to meet to review strategic plan for future facility

It’s back to the drawing board on plans for the Salvation Army’s new community and social services center.

The Pasco branch of the international charity recently took down its sign on a vacant lot on Lewis Street in Pasco, between 18th and 20th streets, as it prepares to regroup.

Capt. Jesus Quintanilla, executive director for the Pasco temple, said the organization has struggled to raise the $3.5 million required to get the project moving forward.

The new facility would include two to three buildings for a shelter, gymnasium and church, and would be the new home for the Pasco nonprofit.

Quintanilla, who runs it with his wife, Adriana, said they aren’t giving up.

A new advisory board comprised of community members will be meeting for the first time this month to identify the community’s wants and needs related to a new center.

One of the primary goals of the meeting will be to establish a committee to strategize fundraising efforts in the community, where the Salvation Army prefers to raise money for branch projects.

Previous mailed appeals to local donors regarding the new center went largely unanswered.

“The money is out there,” Quintanilla said. “But we need more exposure to local businesses.”

The Salvation Army, which provides free services to those in need, requires the help of community partners at all levels — businesses, organizations, and individuals — to step forward and support the project, Quintanilla said.

All donations are tax-deductible.

Founded in England in 1865, the Salvation Army provides a range of services for impoverished and disadvantaged people.

Programs offered in Pasco include food pantry and meal programs (administered at the temple and in-home), drug addiction rehabilitation, after-school programs and homework help for youth, housing assistance, emergency shelter, supplemental utility and rent payments, employment assistance, and a variety of church services.

The vision for the new center was conceived in 2008 as the renovation needs of the charity’s existing, aging facilities were identified. In 2012, the Lewis Street property was acquired.

Almost 10 years since the need for a new facility was established, the Pasco Salvation Army is placing the project on another 10-year timeline, shifting its immediate focus on the preservation of their current spaces.

“Our social service office we’re planning on restoring to get 10 more years out of … we’re trying to keep our church building stable too,” Quintanilla said.

Quintanilla said the agency might even be forced to sell the Lewis Street property until more definite plans can be developed for the new community and social services center.

For more information on how to get involved, contact the Pasco Salvation Army temple at 509-547-2138, email [email protected], or visit 303 W. Clark St. in Pasco.