THUNDER BAY – Local groups offering food and shelter grappled with a Christmas like none other in living memory Friday, handing out hundreds of meals to go and foregoing traditional gatherings.
At the Shelter House in the city’s south end, volunteer Mandi O’Connor had prepared a massive, elaborate cake for the shelter’s Christmas dinner.
Few of the hundreds who enjoyed it would take in its full glory, however, as they picked up packaged meals outside the organization’s George Street location thanks to COVID-19 restrictions.
“It’s very different from our typical Christmases here – typically we’d have tablecloths on the table, we’d have a big sit-down dinner,” said executive director Michelle Jordan. “Usually we serve about 600 people.”
Local organizations like Shelter House have faced fundraising shortfalls and increased demand for services during the pandemic.
At the Dew Drop Inn on Red River Road, executive director Michael Quibell estimated the soup kitchen will have served 110,000 meals by year’s end – a sharp jump from around 92,000 in 2019.
“It’s been a challenging year,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of support from the community, which is wonderful. We couldn’t do what we do without that support.”
The Dew Drop started planning about a month in advance for its Christmas meal, which came complete with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and dessert. Volunteers handed out small gift bags along with steaming takeout containers from behind plexiglass barriers Friday, expecting to feed over 550 people.
“Christmas is very different this year for a lot of people,” said Quibell “I think it’s hard. Before COVID, there was a very social atmosphere – people would come in and have their meal, sit down and chat with their buddies… Now, basically, it’s dine and dash.”
The pandemic exacerbated the difficulties that accompany the arrival of cold weather for the vulnerable, Jordan said, with places to find warmth scarce.
“Just walking into the building today, it’s pretty full in here – you can tell the weather’s colder,” she said. “We worry about people facing the elements – there are people that sleep outside during the wintertime.”
“It’s just very important that our SOS team is back on the road and able to access those people and provide [support].”
