Salvation Army Relaunches Outreach Program to Serve Vulnerable People
The city of St. Catherines, Ont., like many other places across Canada, has seen homelessness rise in recent years.
As the city continues to see an increase in encampments, The Salvation Army is stepping up to serve those without shelter.
“A lot more people are out on the streets since COVID. It requires us, The Salvation Army, to pay close attention and to see where there is a need we can meet,” says Rose Amer, director of community and family services.
Delivering Meals and Hope
In response to the crisis, the Army relaunched an outreach food truck, delivering hot meals, hygiene kits and offering conversation to those living outdoors. Due to budget limitations, the program was halted during the pandemic, but it is now back on track, running three nights a week.
“During the cold snap this year, there were many people out there with no place to go. So, we decided to provide a hot nutritional meal and hot drinks. We are a small team, so we do whatever is possible,” Rose adds.
The program is run entirely by dedicated volunteers, six per night. Three prepare the meals and the other half distribute them. Despite the small group, in the first couple of weeks, they served over 135 meals and 200 hygiene kits across different locations in St. Catherines.
More Than Food
Beyond meals, the outreach members offer winter clothing as well as meaningful connections.
“We are making sure not to just give out food. If somebody has something they want to talk about, our volunteers are always available to talk and listen,” Rose shares.
Fitzgerald Christie is one of the volunteers serving on the food truck. He describes the experience as eye-opening and says it has also given him an opportunity for family connection.
“It feels good to do something like this. I’m happy to have joined this food truck,” Fitzgerald says. “I also bring my mom along. She loves it, even with the language barriers she has.”
A typical shift begins at 5 p.m., Fitzgerald and the rest of the team begin to load the truck before heading to different spots throughout the evening. At each location, they invite people to have a meal.
“The people we serve are nice! They come to the truck, greet us and we answer questions. We ask them how everything is going and they tell us,” Fitzgerald shares.
Based on his first few shifts, Fitzgerald believes that those considering volunteering would find the work both rewarding and straightforward.
“It’s a very good experience. And it’s not confusing or hard. We deliver the food and talk to our friends we serve,” he adds.
How You Can Help
For Rose, this is just the beginning. She hopes to see the truck running seven days a week, but that potential expansion will require community support.
“We need as much food as we can; we also need community partners to help spread the word and just get involved in it, maybe becoming a sponsor for a day, or by bringing volunteers to work in the truck,” Rose says.
By Juan Romero
