Raising the ceiling in more ways than one

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This article was published 07/09/2022 (1315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. BONIFACE

Centre Flavie has a new place to call home.

The St. Boniface-based non-profit organization, formerly known as Centre Flavie-Laurent, held a grand opening of its brand-new location at 301 Archibald St. on Aug. 30. It was due to open its doors to its clients on Sept. 1.

After 15 months of construction, Flavie’s new headquarters provides nearly twice the space of its previous location at 450 Provencher Blvd. This means the centre is now better positioned to offer clients and visitors a warm, spacious welcome, and its large side entrances means donations of material goods can be dropped off and received more efficiently.

As well, the centre — which provides essential household goods and supplies to between 100 and 150 families a day — will be able to offer its clients a more organized and dignified shopping environment.

Julie Turenne-Maynard, the centre’s board chair, said Flavie had to establish an online system for its clients to shop during the earlier days of the pandemic, and she’s now looking forward to this new chapter in the organization’s history.

“Now we’re in this new space, it’s going to be a much more pleasant experience,” Turenne-Maynard said, noting the new location is 13,000-square foot, whereas the former location was 8,000-square-foot.

“There’s much more room to move around here, and there’s parking now. And the ceilings are higher, so we can stack more. There’s also a loop at the side of the building for drop-offs, which will make things much easier,” she noted.

“Our target families include refugees, immigrants, members of the Indigenous community, the working poor, and the homeless. These are all vulnerable populations.”

Turenne-Maynard added the new location — which has further expansion potential — should benefit everyone involved with the organization, not just its many clients.

“For our staff and volunteers, this new space gives them the opportunity to breathe and be able to do work in a much more effective and efficient way,” she said.

The centre has also invested in two adjacent properties on Rue Plinguet, so it can expand further in the future if it needs to.

The new building has been made possible because of an ambitious fundraising campaign, which has garnered about $3.5 million to date.

Turenne-Maynard said she’s been moved by the generosity of the community that “massively supported this large-scale project to help the most disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our society.”

“Thanks to donations from organizations, foundations, businesses, members of the community, as well as contributions from the provincial and federal governments, and the sale of our old building, we reached our goal of financing this $4.3 million project.”

The centre now also includes a new social enterprise called Boutique Unique; revenues from the venture will be used to support Flavie’s operations. There are also plans to create a community garden in the future.

Go online at centreflavie.com for more information.