With the COVID-19 shutdown, the Sault Ste. Marie Soup Kitchen Community Centre’s dining area is closed though the soup kitchen now serving bagged lunches to clients.
Lots of them.
“We’re averaging between 125 to 150 bagged lunches a day. Our busiest day so far has been 225 on the Thursday before Good Friday,” said Ron Sim, Sault Ste. Marie Soup Kitchen Community Centre general manager, speaking to SooToday.
The increase in clients at food banks everywhere comes as a result of COVID-19 shutting down a multitude of businesses, employees laid off from their jobs and collecting government benefits.
“Even during that really stormy Monday we still had 100 people walk here, and that’s kind of scary. It was so miserable and cold,” Sim said.
Sim said the soup kitchen switched to bagged lunches from in-house hot meals March 17, serving those in need one person at a time just inside the building’s front door, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with an extra sandwich in each bag on Fridays.
Two Sault business owners stepped up to help the soup kitchen with the cost of feeding the needy.
John Palmerio, Palmerio Insurance (The Co-operators) owner, approached his friend Don Bruni, MicroAge owner, the two agreeing to donate $1,000 a month ($500 each), to the soup kitchen for each remaining month in 2020.
“My family and I were sitting around the supper table and lately we’ve started this ‘what are you thankful for today?’ and it just hit me how thankful I am I’m still able to keep working and keep my employees working, our health, and I thought ‘I need to help people,’” Palmerio said.
“I reached out to Ron at the soup kitchen and I was quite shocked by how many more people they need to feed per day because of this pandemic. I called my good friend Don Bruni and we agreed we had to do something, so that’s how it all started.”
“It makes me feel good I can help people out,” Palmerio said.
“I think it takes times like this, while we’re in isolation, for us to look inside ourselves and reflect on how fortunate we are in so many ways. The bottom line is there have always been the hungry, before this pandemic. It was a great gesture John made and I said maybe I could step up to the plate and encourage other people to come forward as well,” Bruni said.
“They called the day before last, just wanting to know how things are going here, if they could help in any way,” Sim said.
“I said it’s costing quite a bit of money to keep doing the bagged lunches each day, to get the fruit, the granola bars, the bread and all the stuff for the sandwiches, so John said let me think about this a bit and I’ll get back to you.”
“That’s so generous,” Sim said of Palmerio and Bruni’s efforts.
“I’m always overwhelmed with the generosity of not just these two individuals but the city as a whole.”
“This means we’re going to be able to service the needs of so many citizens of our community in this crisis as we work our way through this.”
“It could be a while, that’s what we’re planning,” said Sim of the bagged lunch option, anticipating social distancing measures will still be in effect in the soup kitchen’s dining area and all restaurants once the worst of COVID-19 has blown over and the economy slowly restarts.
Meanwhile, the St. Vincent Place soup kitchen and food bank is continuing its mission to help the hungry.
The St. Vincent Place soup kitchen serves a bagged meal from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. each Wednesday, the food bank open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays.
Bagged lunches are also provided from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each Saturday, the food bank also open Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Like the Sault Ste. Marie Soup Kitchen Community Centre, social distancing is in effect at St. Vincent Place for those picking up a bagged meal or using the food bank.
Delivery of food from St. Vincent Place is available to those who are disabled.
“We’ve been getting a lot of new clients, a lot of new people accessing for the very first time. We had 26 new clients accessing the food bank in the month of March, not including the number of clients already signed up with us (about 20 to 25)” said Nat Cicchelli, St. Vincent Place general manager.
“One person could also be representing a family of four, so we could be providing food parcels for as many as 200 people.”
“With regard to donations, a lot of people in the community have been sending cheques through the mail to donate to the food bank,” Cicchelli said.
“Through Harvest Algoma and Social Services, which was government money, they were able to secure some non-perishable items for all three food banks here in the community. We’ve been able to access some of it and there’s still more coming.”
Cicchelli said Harvest Algoma has also been able to donate perishable food items to St. Vincent Place, which go straight to the first clients on Wednesdays and Saturdays (the facility is unable to store perishable items for long).
“Currently, we are stocked. The food we received from the government money for all three food banks has helped (though he added donations from the public are always welcome).”
“It’s gratifying we’re able to still provide a service in this very difficult time with COVID. I'm glad people (new clients) are seeking the help that’s available and not feeling bad about accessing a food bank or soup kitchen,” Cicchelli said.
“No one is judged. We accept everyone, people in need.”
As reported earlier, the Salvation Army’s Elgin Street food bank has benefited greatly from donations of food from local businesses and government funding during these extra needy COVID-19 days.
