Riverside Mission has begun serving lunches again to its clients after the pandemic forced it to take an eight-month hiatus and re-evaluate the services it offered.
The non-profit organization stopped serving sit-down meals after the province declared a pandemic in mid-March. It quit offering lunches but continued to provide suppers with to-go packages. It also reduced the capacity of its men’s shelter to four spaces from 10.
“Nobody knew how to navigate through a pandemic, and throughout the whole process, we were learning how this thing moves and how it spreads,” explained Joe Miller, executive director for Souls Harbour Rescue Mission (SHRM), which oversees Riverside Mission. “The reasoning (for stopping lunches) was to minimize contact. It was to try and keep everyone safe. So we went down to our core services … and put a focus on that.”
Those in need did not have to wait long for their lunch needs to be met, as the Salvation Army stepped up to the challenge around April. Although it could not serve the meals, Riverside Mission could still help its neighbour by providing additional food.
“We were happy to see the lunches continue; it just wasn’t us that were doing them at the time,” said Miller.
A few months ago, the SHRM board reassessed the situation and decided the organization could offer lunches again. Thus, on Oct. 13 — the day after Thanksgiving — the Moose Jaw non-profit began handing out bagged lunches to residents.
Volunteers play an important part in supporting Riverside Mission and are appreciated, Miller said, but SHRM decided to keep its circle small and have only staff hand out the meals. It was a tough decision to ask volunteers to stay away, but it allowed the organization to focus on its main services.
“A lot of people come down and help us because there’s a community and fellowship … . It becomes a family. We’ve kind of lost that,” he continued. “We’ve lost that with the takeout meals as well. There’s no time to sit down and have a conversation and converse like we normally would in a normal world.
“We are hoping that, once we navigate our way through the pandemic, things will return to normal.”
Although it’s winter, clients still have to pick up their meals outside. Riverside staff have removed the screen from one window and are handing to-go bags through that opening. The SHRM board will reassess the situation in the spring to determine if clients can come inside again to pick up their meals.
“We do realize it’s cold. We’ll try and move people along as quick as we can,” said Miller.
Riverside Mission is blessed to have many community partnerships, including other non-profits and churches, Miller stated. It attempts to work with like-minded organizations since they all help the same demographic of people.
Similar to the regular weekly meals, this year’s Christmas meal will be served in takeout style. However, Riverside Mission will attempt to make it as special as possible, especially since Christmas can be difficult for some people.
There are opportunities for residents, families and businesses to sponsor meals throughout December, added Miller. Riverside Mission could also use more styrofoam takeout containers and cases of water bottles.
Anyone interested in supporting the organization can call manager Rachel Mullens at 306-681-5157.
