Demolition begins at Bucks County homeless shelter kitchen

Wham! Wham! Wham!

Patty Pizzo was the first to pick up a sledgehammer Wednesday and repeatedly strike a wall to kick off the official demolition of the outdated kitchen at the Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter.

The kitchen, which Pizzo runs, serves three meals a day to the 70 to 80 adults and children living at the shelter run by the Family Service Association of Bucks County.

Soon after Pizzos ceremonial swings, volunteers poured in to begin what Ian Dove, construction manager with The Huffman Group, said will be three days of demolition. Officials said construction is expected to take a month and a half to two months.

As it (the kitchen) stands, its not efficient, said David Ford, Family Service Associations director of development. Its not necessarily the safest way to prepare food.

Once the demolition is done, workers will begin building a new kitchen for the shelter, located near Five Points in Bristol Township.

The renovation is the result of the Buck Up Bucks County! campaign that the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer newspapers, along with the Family Service Association, launched in February.

The concept was that the money for the project could be raised easily if even one-third of the countys population gave $1 each. The communitys response was deafening. Single dollars rolled in, along with everything from $5 bills to $100 bills and checks for even more.

The $200,000 goal was met in just four weeks and county residents asked that the fundraising continue because the cause was so worthy. In May, the FSA reported that more than $264,000 had been raised.

Plans include adding about 150 square feet to the kitchen area, installing commercial-grade materials and equipment, including bigger sinks, a dishwasher, proper shelving for storage, an ice maker, a mixer, a food prep area and a new walk-in refrigerator. Workers will create a laundry room and a small kitchen office, plus all-chrome shelving in the donations area. The design also calls for a new donation and inspection area for community members to drop off food.

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Demolition begins at Bucks County homeless shelter kitchen