A supermarket group has donated half a million dollars to help build a new Agape House hospice.Giorgio Zanol, the president of the Lindo’s Group, said his family had benefited from Agape and challenged others to match the company’s donation.Mr Zanol said: “The Lindo’s family have been the beneficiaries of the extraordinary work that the people at Agape House do. “Our father and grandfather, Harry Lindo, had a brief stay at Agape House and our mother and grandmother stayed in Agape House for the last three weeks of her battle with cancer. “The doctors, nurses, and support staff at Agape House are amazing people and do an amazing job supporting both the patients and the families of patients enduring their most vulnerable moments.” Mr Zanol added: “We are proud to support Agape House in building a new facility that will give patients and their families the privacy and acute care that everyone deserves at their most sensitive moments.”Zach Moniz, the manager of supermarket chain Lindo’s Family Foods, also praised the work of the Agape House team.He said: “They are special in every way looking after the needs of their patients and patient’s families. They are the heroes of our community.” Tom McMahon, the deputy chairman of Friends of Hospice and the chairman of the campaign for funds for a new building, said the donation was a landmark moment.Mr McMahon added: “To receive such a significant contribution at the outset of our funding campaign for the new hospice is very much appreciated and hopefully builds momentum and encourages other potential contributors to commit to this project in the coming weeks. “We are moving quickly to get commitments from potential donors so that we are in a position to break ground in the spring of 2020.”Friends of Hospice and the Bermuda Hospitals Board announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in July to develop a purpose-built hospice on the BHB-owned Harbour Vista site on Berry Hill Road, Paget.The new hospice, with equipment and furnishings, will cost an estimated $13.7 million and Friends of Hospice has already committed $1 million to be used as seed money for the project.The fundraising campaign has raised $1,734,200 for the project with the Lindo’s donation.A planning application for the project, submitted on October 11, said: “The new hospice facility has been designed to current guidelines for hospice care. The building has two floors with both levels having several egress points at grade. “It will accommodate the new hospice and all the support functions, a day hospice and offices for the BHB, which will replace those being demolished.”The plan includes eight bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and verandas, a communal living room and dining room, several gardens and upstairs offices for doctors and the Friends of Hospice.The Agape House hospice opened its doors in 1991 in a former home on Point Finger Road, Paget.Improvements have been made to the building, but it is no longer considered up to the job.A spokeswoman for the hospice said: “Despite the exceptional care provided at Agape House, the medical team need appropriate facilities in order to provide the best care possible, and patients and their families and loved ones deserve privacy in a setting that allows dignity at a crucial time of life.” Alison Soares, the chairwoman of Friends of Hospice and daughter of hospice founder Hillary Soares, said: “It is an incredibly proud and exciting time for me personally and the organisation as we begin to realise the vision that my mother started so many years ago. “The new Agape House will provide the community with the level of care that every patient and family deserves during this stage of their lives journey.” • To view the Agape Capital Campaign Brochure, click on the PDF link under “Related Media”