Bishop Bob blesses the food, and warmly welcomes the guests, to the reopening of the Fellowship Centre noon Meal at St. Paul’s Cathedral on December 1
On December 1, the Fellowship Centre meal program reopened at St. Paul’s Cathedral and approximately 40 guests shared how pleased there were to be back downtown.
A hearty lunch of beef/pasta soup, egg salad on a kaiser, green salad, fresh fruit salad and a pastry, was enjoyed by everyone.
It is expected that once word gets around, the number of guests will return to pre-covid levels of up to 100.
Over the course of the pandemic, the Centre had to adapt to keep guests and volunteers safe. When it was no longer able to provide a sit-down meal, take-out lunches were offered, including hot lunches on cold winter days.
In September 2021, the Fellowship Centre Meal Program temporarily relocated to St. John the Evangelist Church in London, and served 70-80 people on Thursdays. The kindness and hospitality offered by St. John the Evangelist Church was greatly appreciated!
Many guests were happy to again be offered a safe place to have a tasty meal. Currently, there is only a weekly lunch on Thursdays. The hope is to add more meals throughout the week in the near future, but more volunteers are needed. To volunteer, please contact Heather at 226-456-5165.
The need for food and meals in our city has increased drastically. St. Paul’s food bank has seen a 52% increase in guests since the beginning of the year and the meal program feeds 70 people every Thursday. It is anticipated that once we get back into the downtown core that our Fellowship Centre numbers will rise.
A Christmas Lunch with turkey and all the trimmings, and a small gift for each guest, is scheduled for December 15.
The hard work and dedication, of Heather McNamara, Fellowship Centre Coordinator, Shiella de Leon, Coordinator of the Food Bank and Barbara Symington, Program Director, SPSS, and all of the volunteers, has enabled those facing food insecurity to receive needed sustenance, support and encouragement for many years, including the extremely challenging circumstances of the past couple of years.
“And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'” Matthew 25:40
Sarah Chase
Heather, and volunteer Ron, prepare to serve up on of Tom’s amazing soup creations, beef w/pasta.