The Rotary clubs of Central Johnston County and Smithfield spent almost two months this summer revamping the kitchen and training room at the armory. The clubs do community projects every year, and this year, they wanted to give something back to the military men and women risking their lives in Iraq.

“This project meant a lot to the members of both clubs,” said Chris Key, a past president of the Central Johnston County Rotary Club. “We wanted the men and women of the Bravo Company to have a usable kitchen and updated and comfortable training room to get ready for their re-deployment. We cannot thank them enough for their service in Iraq.”

For a few thousand dollars, 40 club members replaced the cabinets, countertops and appliances in the kitchen. The walls in both rooms received new coats of paint, and the training room got new carpet. Of the two rooms, the kitchen needed the most work.

“The door would fall off the oven, so they had to reattach the door to the oven when cooking,” Key said. “The two microwaves did not work consistently. They had an ice machine plugged into the drop cord in the ceiling because there was not a nearby outlet. The cabinets were falling apart.”

Several Bravo Company members pitched in to help the clubs. “The first workday we painted, we had nine or 10 guardsmen,” Key said. “The second day, we installed all new countertops and cabinets and had two guys come in who did that for a living.”

Key hopes the renovations show the military members how much they are appreciated. “This is a small token of our appreciation for what they have done for our country,” he said. “We wanted to thank them in some way.”