People In Need, Inc. has raised more than half of its capital campaign goal to help retire the mortgage on the organization’s new facility on Johnson Drive.
Today, the American Electric Power Foundation announced its $150,000 pledge to the campaign, which will be paid in installments over three years.
PIN now has raised $507,000 of its $850,000 capital campaign goal, which would retire the mortgage on the 7,200-square-foot location on Johnson Drive in Delaware, fund the building’s renovations and support building maintenance and repair. PIN has now moved into the 138 Johnson Drive facility and operations will start up Monday.
Instead of offering an oversized check, AEP Ohio president Joe Hamrock on Friday afternoon was harnessed and took a ride in an AEP bucket truck. He affixed a piece of tape to the PIN campaign total sign located 20 feet high on the side of the brick building next to the concrete plaza at the corner of South Sandusky and West William streets.
“Ohio has been particularly clobbered by this economy,” Hamrock said. “We hope this pledge will help PIN breathe a bit easier about the financial burden they took on, so that they could serve the spiraling needs of the people of Delaware County from a larger, more efficient location.”
The donation comes from the AEP Foundation, which was created in 2005, to support organizations in AEP communities. The dollars are from shareholders’ earnings, Hamrock said.
“We are extremely grateful for the generosity of the AEP Foundation,” PIN executive director Kevin Crowley said. “This gift validates everything we intend to accomplish with our new location. On behalf of all of us at PIN, I thank the foundation for its support and the vote of confidence in us that it signifies.”
PIN’s services have been discontinued at its previous location at 274 N. Sandusky St. since Aug. 11 in order to move to its new headquarters. The new, larger facility will allow PIN to receive large quantities of donations with ease and provide food distribution to Delaware County residents once a month. Food now is only provided five times a year due to current space limitations.
Those interested in donating to the capital campaign can visit PIN’s Web site at delawarepeopleinneed.org. Donors can download a donation form to send in the mail or make a donation by credit card through PayPal. Questions can be directed to Dorothy Spain at 740-363-6284 or by e-mail to dspain@delawarepeopleinneed.org.
PIN assists families and individuals of Delaware County by providing personal emergency assistance. Services include a food pantry; limited help for utility bills for those facing service disconnection; shoes and school supplies; smoke detector batteries and fans; emergency housing, dental and medical assistance; advocacy for those searching to attain self-sufficiency; and the Holiday Clearing House.
mmackey@delgazette.com
