A non-profit in Washington state is getting ready to reopen its doors and get back to helping people in need.
The Lodge at Columbia Point received their grant from the Paycheck Protection Program and are now re-hiring their staff to help with a special project.
The Lodge at Columbia Point in Richland had to furlough most of their employees back in March due to the restaurant and bar being closed and tourism being slow.
Wendy Higgins, general manager of The Lodge, says, “I’ve been in this industry for over 30 years and this is like opening a brand new hotel, it was that bare bones.”
Now they’ve received their grant from the Paycheck Protection Program to hire back all 52 employees full-time, but they won’t necessarily be working at the hotel just yet.
Their team will be helping remodel Grace Kitchen in Pasco. Grace Kitchen is located next to the women’s shelter and will become a restaurant and catering business, creating employment opportunities for women in poverty.
So far, their non-profit has received enough funding to hire three women from the shelter, and once the renovations are done, they’ll be able to start operating there shortly.
Higgins is excited to re-hire her employees to help with a meaningful project during a difficult time, saying, “what a great opportunity to bring them back, but also to know that we’re having an impact on the lives of people in the future. We had no idea that out of this storm was going to come this beauty.”