Number of meals served at Salvation Army shelter rising
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Updated: July 28, 2009 4:44 PM
With a growing number of people on Employment Insurance in B.C., the Salvation Army has seen an increase in attendance at meal services this summer.
Last week, the Maple Ridge location served 170 people in one night, which is the largest turnout the centre has ever seen, said Darrell Pilgrim, director of Caring Place Ministries.
“We’re seeing an increase overall, but that was an eye-opener for us,” he said.
During warmer months, the number of people needing meals usually goes down, but this year more people than ever are looking to the Salvation Army for help.
“It definitely has to do with the recession,” Pilgrim said.
More construction workers, farm workers, and families have been eating at the centre recently, he said, and many new faces have been seen in the last few months.
After Alberta, B.C. had the second-highest increase in the number of people receiving EI benefits between April 2008 and April 2009, according to a Statistics Canada report.
Salvation Army spokesperson Brian Venables said more people than ever are dropping in for meals at locations throughout B.C.
At Harbour Light Centre in the Downtown Eastside, there has been an average of 450 people a day in the soup line, which is up from the usual 300 per day.
People who were once donors are now dropping in for meals themselves, including families, Venables said.
The Caring Place in Maple Ridge serves three meals a day, seven days a week, averaging about 7,000 meals per month.
No one has been turned away as community donations have not declined, but Pilgrim said more volunteers to help serve meals would be helpful.
“Probably the most difficult thing is the taxing on our staff,” said Pilgrim. “We have about 40 people who work for us, but for meal service we have about five staff on. But when you consider trying to serve a meal ... for 170 people, it’s not that easy.”
Pilgrim said it is important that children and seniors have access to balanced, nutritious meals, which many in this community do not get on a daily basis.
“We want to encourage them to come here and eat good quality meals,” he said. “It’s for anybody in the community who needs it.”
The Caring Place in Maple Ridge is located at 2218 Lougheed Highway at the Haney Bypass.
Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and dinner is from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. to anyone who drops in, while breakfast is only for those staying at the shelter.
To volunteer
• To find out about volunteer opportunities, call volunteer co-ordinator Connie McGonigal at 604-463-8296, ext. 112.
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