Volunteer Tina Jarnagin planted bright flowers and carried water to keep them blooming through a long hot summer "because I wanted people to notice the sign and donate money!"

MULTI-FAITH BLESSING/GROUNDBREAKING

Representatives from a variety of faiths each offered a brief reading, song or blessing, and then turned one shovel of dirt, to create a hole for burying a container of blessings written by attendees of the event.

From L-R above: Josey Shun, Tzu Chi Foundation; Heng Yin, City of 10,000 Buddhas; Rev. Larry Ballenger, Greater Ukiah Ministerial Association; Lois Lockart, Little River Band of Pomo Indians; Father Michael Cloney and Christian Romo, St. Mary of the Angels Church; Plowshares Director Mary Buckley; Carol Rosenberg, Kol Ha Emek Jewish Community; and Heng Je, City of 10,000 Buddhas.

MULTI-FAITH BLESSING/GROUNDBREAKING

Board member and volunteer Will Barker weed-whacked two-plus acres of empty land. Don't worry, he didn't do the whole thing himself!

Volunteer Building Committee Chair Gary Smith oversees volunteer Ben Kohler digging pits to test the integrity of the soil for building. The old fill failed the test, and had to be over-excavated 5 feet deep, then re-compacted before building

Executive Director Mary Buckley takes a turn on the backhoe

Volunteer ElizaBeth MacFarland from the City of Ukiah helped clear brush & trash on United Way's Day of Caring 2004

A volunteer maintenance-crew chief from Fetzer Vineyards, shown with volunteer Tony Reha, grandson of Office Manager Bev Metcalf, did more clearing and cleaning on United Way's Day of Caring 2005

Director Mary Buckley in "bag lady" mode, collecting abandoned trash from the property

They only came for the shade? A remarkable number of people braved the 115-degree heat to attend Plowshares' July 2006 Groundbreaking Celebration

The Blue Sky Band not only volunteered their time and talent for the groundbreaking event but figured out how to make it work on bare land with no stage, electricity or shade

Rev. Larry Ballenger was joined by Catholic, Buddhist, Jewish and native Pomo celebrants for a multi-faith blessing of the land. The can others were holding contained brief blessings written by participants of the event, and was buried as part of the ceremony (re-buried later after soil recompaction)

On the frosty morning of January 23, 2007, heavy machinery mobilized to the site and started moving dirt

After five years of planning, fundraising, grantwriting, delays, and plenty more of each of those, it was a climactic moment to see the building at last beginning to become a reality

Trenches show where future walls will be. Looking SE from the back corner, the walk-in coolers are in the foreground, with the kitchen to the left and the dining room and offices to the upper right

Larry Brooks of Northwest Construction mans the backhoe, installing 400 feet of utility trench along the driveway from State Street

Ridgeview Builders and their subcontractors, pouring footings for the foundation, March 2007

Drainpipes are laid in the future kitchen--for the vegetable sink to the right, and a pot-filler over the stove to the left.

Vapor barrier, lava sand and rebar are laid in readiness for slab-pouring.

A giant "grease interceptor" is lowered into position. With no deep-fryer or grill, our cooking is actually far lower-fat than most restaurants. We will have to pour a lot of grease down the drain to get our money's-worth out of this baby.

Cement is poured through a hose and spread in the future dining room location

The slab is nearly complete in the kitchen area.

Plowshares Building Committee members guide us through the technical complexities of the project. L-R: Jim Lohr, construction manager (owner's representative); Bob Axt, project architect; and Gary D. Smith, volunteer construction consultant and Building Committee chairman.

Walls are framed out before being raised.

A worker consults plans before putting walls up--not a bad idea!

Walls starting to go up.

All of a sudden it starts to look like a building!

The interior of the dining room, looking SW towards the offices and volunteer locker closet. The serving line will be to the right of the closet.

The interior of the dining room, looking SW towards the offices and volunteer locker closet. The serving line will be to the right of the closet.

The multi-use room, to the right of the dining room, will provide a place for Santa's Toyshop and other meetings, events and the potential for a personal care center or other program activities that we feel may be needed in the future.

The north wall shows the rear kitchen windows and exit door, opening onto a future volunteer break patio. Beyond the kitchen (to the left) is the multi-use room.

Staff offices (south wall) will have an exterior exit and break area, a conference room and copier/storage room. Anyone who has been in our old office lately will appreciate this!

An overhang over the exterior benches will keep waiting guests out of the sun and rain.

The southeast-corner Conference Room will serve as a boardroom, R.O.P. classroom and homeless services center at mealtime.

Someday this northwest corner will be packed with food stored in the walk-in freezer and cooler.

Workers installing clerestory windows find a new use for the protective cardboard covers.

Asphalt roof shingles are in place, as well as tarpaper and wire mesh on the exterior walls in preparation for stucco application

The interior of the new Dining Room in progress -- it won't always look like this!

The Multi-Use Room will give us great flexibility to provide activities, programs and/or a meeting venue.

Workers prepare to pour a sidewalk in front of the Dining Room.

Concrete is poured for a volunteer break patio behind the kitchen (north side of building).

Concrete is poured for a volunteer break patio behind the kitchen (north side of building).

Half-dry stucco on the Multi-Use Annex shows exterior color. Bike racks will be in front of large planter.

Foreman Hal of Ridgeview Builders, on the jobsite.

The parking lot and driveway are installed. The building had to be set back away from State Street due to airport zoning restrictions.

The brand-new parking lot awaits striping and landscaping.

The Dining Room receives a fresh coat of paint. (The off-white color choice was "Soap Suds".)

Quarry tile is laid in the kitchen, a 5% terracotta tint.

Voila! The new floor looks forward to supporting years of busy feet and utility carts.

Releaf President Miles Gordon and landscaper Peter Reynolds measure locations for tree planting.

Volunteers Brian Corcoran and Jim Werner check the planting depth for a young apple tree.

Volunteers Judy Pruden and John McCowen add finishing touches after planting a Fuyu persimmon.

Several Mendocino College Phi Theta Kappa members brought pizza and helped plant trees, including these lemon trees, handy to the kitchen as well as fragrant for those waiting for a meal.

Workers assemble newly arrived kitchen equipment near the walk-in freezer and cooler.

Islands in the kitchen will allow volunteer cooks to chat and visit as they work.

New ovens and stoves, fresh off the truck.

Board member Robert Klayman attaches a bike rack in the parking lot of the new Dining Room.

Volunteer Jim Mastin mounted our new woodcut sign, which was created and donated by Craig Seamas of Potter Valley Woodworks.