Work to chip away at a fundraising goal of $14 million is underway for the Salem Home Foundation.

Mike "Pinball" Clemons, the evening's guest speaker, greeting a couple of supporters at Thursday's banquet.The foundation held its 'Building for Tomorrow' banquet Thursday night, with proceeds raised being put aside for a future large-scale expansion to the Winkler nursing home.

Foundation Chair Arlen Hildebrand says the expansion is still at least several years away, but they have to start somewhere, and he believes this will be an initiative people will get behind.

As a recent example of the generosity, the foundation has received for various projects, during the past year through the banquet, other fundraising initiatives, and generous donors, it only took a handful of months for the $325,000 dining room expansion to be fully paid. "It's encouraging to see there's support behind the need for additional beds that we so desperately need for our home," said Hildebrand. He adds it's the foundation's goal to give the home's residents the "best-lived experience" for as long as they can.

The numbers from Thursday's banquet are still being crunched. However, Hildebrand notes they have already received overwhelming support for the expansion through some anonymous donations, including a donation last week for $120,000.

Hildebrand notes Salem CEO, Sherry Janzen has been working hard to draw attention to the desperate need for more beds and has been in discussion with people at the provincial government level on the matter.