On a cold, wintry afternoon
in February, a young boy, perhaps eight or nine, stood beside his mother
greeting guests as they entered the soup kitchen. His mother, a long-time
volunteer at the soup kitchen, informed each person who arrived that it was her
son’s birthday. He had asked, in lieu of a gift, if he could buy lunch for the
people at the soup kitchen and his mother had proudly agreed. Each guest of the
birthday-boy stopped to speak a few heartfelt words of gratitude before going
to their table. A smiling server brought a hot plate of turkey, gravy,
stuffing, vegetables, cranberries and bread along with chocolate cake for
dessert and a six inch submarine-type sandwich of cold meat to take away.
St. Joseph’s Hospitality Center, at 707
Dundas St. East in London, does more than open its doors to feed low income and
struggling clients each day of the week. It is a hub of activity involving
businesses and other community organizations in the city. The coordinator, Bill
Payne, has been with the “soup kitchen,” as it is commonly called, for
approximately 22 years, the last 10 of those as coordinator.
“It’s primarily supported by the Sisters
of St. Joseph. It is their kitchen and they fund it, the majority of it,” he
says.
The soup kitchen opened in 1985 and has
been at its present location for over 25 years.
Numerous businesses donate food supplies
to the soup kitchen, among them Metro, Parkwood Hospital, Canada Bread and Tim
Horton’s. Volunteer drivers pick up the supplies, the surplus being
redistributed to other community organizations in the city like the Men’s
Mission Services. The staff also refers guests to other services in the city
such as the London Intercommunity Health Centre, the Unity Project, St. Vincent
de Paul Society and the Men’s Mission.
The soup kitchen has approximately 120
volunteers. Between 60 to 70 work each week. Each shift four work serving meals
at tables, two do clean up and two are dishwashers. Three “doughboys” rotate
shifts picking up and delivering supplies.
“[The kitchen] couldn’t be run without the
volunteers,” says Payne.
Breakfast and lunch are served Monday to
Friday. Approximately 400 meals are served daily. The cost to guests is 50
cents and $1 respectively. For $25 a month they can eat both meals daily. The
soup kitchen is also open for short periods on three Saturdays a month. These
can be mornings for guests to sit and have coffee and read the newspaper in an
unhurried fashion, or an evening coffee house setting with beverages, food,
cards and music.
One of the reasons guests are charged for
meals is to avoid the temptation to think they’re getting something for free
and have no right to complain or expect better. The food is good, the service
is prompt, the smiles genuine and the conversation friendly. Volunteers make it
a welcoming, social place.
“[The guests are paying] so the food needs
to be good,” says Payne with a smile.
Payne says many of the volunteers are in
transition in their private lives when they contact the soup kitchen.
Retirement, isolation, new to the city, are some of the reasons that people
volunteer there. There are also many students from Western University.
“It’s much more than just food,” says
Payne. “[The] one word is community.”