Every Tuesday at 10 AM at the Bernard site, guests are invited into the hall to sit, relax, visit, have a bite to eat, and get their groceries.
For more information about receiving meals or groceries or more about volunteering please call 250 762 3311 or contact Keith Simmonds
Tuesday Outreach continues to grow in numbers as more people join us for a meal and to get some groceries. Demand varies each week and often gets heavier near each month end. On one Tuesday last month we handed out 63 bags of groceries and served about 70 meals, another new record for us.
While it is rewarding to see how this Outreach is filling a need and how greatly appreciated it is by the various members of the community (the homeless, those in transitional housing, or those who have a place to live but not enough money to afford groceries), it is at the same time often a very humbling experience for the volunteers.
It is on a Tuesday morning when you realize just how blessed you are to have everything you need to live a comfortable life: a safe home, a comfortable bed, healthy and delicious food, clean clothing, and family and friends surrounding you.
Our guests on a Tuesday morning may have some of those things but not all of them, or they may have none of what we take for granted. Their lives are so very different than ours and it is hard to imagine what they experience. One young man was thanking me a couple of weeks ago for his lunch and commented that it was the first meal he had eaten in almost a week.
As you count your many blessings and think of those in our community who are less fortunate, know that all donations to Outreach are greatly appreciated. As grocery prices continue to rise, what we really need are donations of the non-perishable foods noted below. If you can help in any way, your generosity would be greatly appreciated.
We have changed our processes slightly to keep costs down and to ensure everyone gets something and we do not run out before the last folks arrive. We now give out 8 items instead of 10, with 2 of their choices come from the meat/protein options while the other 6 choices come from the rest of our options.
Meat/Protein: canned tuna, chicken, ham, pork & beans, chili, Chef Boyardee; and peanut butter
Other Items: canned soup, vegetables, fruit; boxes of cereal; individual-serving oatmeal packets; pasta and pasta sauces; Mac & Cheese; Mr. Noodle; Premium Saltine Crackers; individual fruit cups; granola bars; coffee and brown and white sugar (we split the larger containers into smaller lots for distribution); and toilet paper
Pop and juice boxes for lunches would also be appreciated, and sandwiches and cookies are always welcome.
Thank you for your generosity.
Anyone wishing to get involved please email Jayne Brooks
