Mission Salem is reaching out to the community for help as they try to find a new location.
The non-profit group has been utilizing the Save-a-Lot building, but they have to find a new location because the city council is expected to authorize its sale Monday night.
The President of Mission Salem Angie Courtright has been unsuccessful in finding a location since receiving notification from the city about a week ago.
“We have a great deal of lumber that we keep on hand for our builds as well as small equipment like a forklift and our tool trailer. We do most of our building indoors. We try to build in one session and set the ramps on a second day which worked out very well for us. But it means we need a place to build and to store.”
Courtright says they are looking at several options, depending on what is available in the community.
“If someone has a building that they would sell or donate or lease we are willing to talk. If they have just a small lot where we could look at the possibility of putting up our own pole barn-type building. And if they don’t have any of that to offer, but have a donation to help us with cost, we run completely on donations.”
Courtright says Mission Salem started in 2018 as a project of the Greater Salem Area Foundation. In 2022, they officially became their own 501c3 non-profit organization with the focus on providing handicap accessibility projects, mostly wheelchair ramps and modified steps) to individuals in need.
Since 2018, they have completed over 170 projects in the Salem Community High School District. 37 of those projects were completed in 2022 and another 34 last year. Before moving to the Save-a-Lot building, they were able to only complete about 20-25 projects per year. By having a location to store lumber and build inside, they were able to increase that number by 30 percent.
If you can help, you can contact Mission Salem through their Facebook page or by calling Courtright at 618-367-0104.
Mission Salem is now reaching out to anyone who might have a building of at least 40 by 60 feet with electricity and possibly water for the storage of their lumber and some of the work they do in building accessibility ramps to allow residents to remain in their homes. Mission Salem could also look at building a structure on a vacant property. Anyone who can assist can contact Mission Salem through Facebook or by calling 618-367-0104. The organization built 34 ramps last year. The meeting begins at six on Monday night at Salem City Hall.
