LOWER SACKVILLE: A group of volunteers from several churches in the Lower Sackville area come together once a month to provide a hearty meal for those who want it.
Caroline Gallop of Beaver Bank is one of the main organizers who puts on Meals Ministry the third Thursday of every month. It began in January, and is held at Knox United Church on Sackville Drive in Lower Sackville, running from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“We started the program because we knew there were people in Sackville that were having difficulty with food security issues,” said Gallop in explaining the initiative’s start-up. “We felt we had to do something to help.”
She said they contacted a number of other churches in the community, and they also felt there was a need for a program.
“Everybody is welcomed to the meals,” she said. “We’re keeping the meals simple, doing soups and sandwiches and desserts. As it grows, we’ll revisit and see if we want to change it up a bit.”
The response to the program has grown steadily since starting. The first one had 15 people. In May, there was 85 people.
“It’s growing very quickly,” said Gallop.
Gallop says it’s hard to make assumptions, but it tells her there are people in the community that are lonely, and find the Meals Ministry is a good place to come and connect with other people.
“Some of the other families, it’s kind of a sensitive topic, but it’s my suspicion that money starts running out around the third week of the month, and it’s nice to go out and be served a meal,” she said.
She was asked about how it makes her and the other volunteers feel providing the meals program.
“I think we all feel good about what we’re doing,” she said. “We want Sackville to be a strong, vibrant community and we don’t want people going hungry. We don’t want people feeling as if their life is at full capacity, sow e want to help them out.”
On this day, councillor Lisa Blackburn visited to provide Meals Ministry with a cheque from herself, as did the Sackville Kinsmen Club who provided a $2,000 donation to the program.
From the looks of things, those donations will be put to good use by the organizers of the Meals Ministry program.
phealey@enfieldweeklypress.com
