The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is kicking off a capital campaign to replace the roof of the Community Care Center at 401 W. Main St. The building, gifted to St. Vincent de Paul in 2007 by Lincoln Community Bank, houses the offices of 10 human services organizations.
The campaign’s goal is to raise $100,000 for roof and insulation, ductwork and cooling, and window repair and maintenance. The Merrill St. Vincent de Paul conference has contributed $5,000 and the Merrill Area Community Foundation has pledged another $5,000 to kick off the campaign.
Since forming in Merrill in 2003, this is the first capital campaign that St. Vincent de Paul has undertaken, said conference president Denis McCarthy. Lincoln Community Bank donated the building, along with the funding to complete the initial renovation that converted the building from a bank to a multi-office facility.
Along with the SVDP Outreach office, the building now houses the following agencies: Merrill Community Food Pantry, Merrill Area United Way, Comunidad Hispana, Children’s Health Alliance of WI, Merrill Area Salvation Army, Children’s Hospital of WI Services, Bridge Dental Clinic, North Central Community Action Program, Lincoln County Respite Office and SVDP Free Clinic.
SVDP’s mission is to provide individual assistance to anyone who is lacking the basic necessities of life. To date, the Merrill conference has shared $767,000 in direct assistance to 11,198 individuals in 3,064 households.
At the Community Care Center, each agency partners with SVDP to cover the basic operating costs of the facility. These funds do not extend to building a fund for repairs and upgrades to an aging building. Any funds raised in excess of what is needed for the current project will go to establish a capital improvement fund for future need of the building.
The current flat roof is beyond the point of temporary patching. The cooling and ductwork exposed on the roof are badly deteriorated and beyond obsolete. There is little insulation in the upper portion of the building causing extensive heat loss. The large window panes need routine maintenance, with two panes having failed and need replacement.
To donate to the capital campaign, contact the SVDP Outreach office at 715-539-2666 or the SVDP Thrift Store at 715-539-1131.