FEEDING THE NEEDY

FROM: Izzy Sommers, MD[retired]
7-140 Elmview Street, West
Welland, ON L3C 4K7, Canada
TELEPHONE: 905-788-2237
EMAIL: canadizzy@yahoo.ca

DATE: Saturday, November 19, 2005

TO: The Editor
The Welland Tribune
228 East Main Street
Welland, ON L3B 5P5, Canada
EMAIL: tribune@wellandtribune.ca

RE: Feeding the Needy...

Dear Editor,

Central United Church on Sundays, Sacred Heart Church on Mondays, St. Kevin’s Church on Wednesdays, and the HOPE/WCRAC Centre on Thursdays, offer Harvest Dinners, during the winter, to feed needy folks in Welland. The HOPE/WCRAC Centre offers lunches every weekday. Usually, there’s enough space, enough chairs and enough food for firsts and some seconds. This last Monday, the 14th of November, the director at Sacred Heart announced that this was the biggest crowd ever seen. He said there were 88 people to feed and 80 meals to distribute. He indicated that the next time there would be more meals to cover the unexpectedly larger crowds this year. The last two Thursday evenings, the 10th and 17th of November, at HOPE/WCRAC, there was more than enough food but there weren’t enough chairs. Some adults and children had to wait for a second sitting. In the past week, at the weekday lunches at HOPE/WCRAC, second sittings have become more common.

I don’t know if this means there’s a rising needy population in Welland or whether the essential service is better publicized and better attended. In either case, the food drives are becoming even more important and the “soup kitchens” are needing to feed more people. Many fine people of many fine organizations, and a huge number of hard working volunteers, are involved in getting the food gathered and prepared, cooked and served. Many stay to clean up and set up things for the next meal. Congratulations to all who are involved in this essential charity. Kudos! and Bravo! and Thank you!

Thank you for listening.

Sincerely,

Izzy Sommers, Welland, Canada