The Eatonia Oasis is a non-profit organization and is home to many seniors from the surrounding area. Locals are usually placed in the facility when they are no longer able to live on their own but also do not qualify for long term care in a government facility.

The living facility offers 24 hour care for the residents that call the facility home, eleven of which come in from other communities around Eatonia.

Because the facility is non-profit, they rely on the kindness of the community as well as the surrounding communities and businesses to help cover the cost of equipment, repairs and operating expenses.

West Central Online spoke with Kora Knuttila Administrator for Eatonia Oasis Living, who detailed some of the other expenses donations go towards.

"Sometimes it's to buy and repair equipment, sometimes it's just for basic operating costs. We are a non-profit organization, and the actual rent we get would not cover the expenses of the building. So if we didn't have the support from the surrounding towns and RM's we wouldn't be in business or we would have to put the rent so high we would run ourselves out of business."

Knuttila also mentioned that often times communities will donate money to go towards specific projects such as their electric beds. 23 new electric beds where donated in 2013, as the RM of Chesterfield donated approximately $35,000 to cover the costs of the beds. Knuttila also added that donors usually don't choose where the money is spent.

The electric beds among other facility equipment upgrades have been completed in the past five years, with this year's focus on the facilities boilers.

"Right now our main focus is paying off the boiler and chiller replacement, that was a $385,000 project. We have an Eatonia Co-operative (The Eatonia and District Community Services Co-operative), they actually took a loan out on our behalf. So we are kind of obligated to help pay that loan off, so that is where any extra funds we have are going to that project."

Other upgrades that have been provided thanks to community donations include: In 2013 the facility replaced two bathtubs, one of which a walk in tub and the other a hydraulic lift tub. All at a cost of $28,000. The buildings fire alarm system was also updated, totaling to $37,500.