The team coordinating the weekend lunch program for the needy, operated out of St. Aidan Anglican Church on 1st Avenue NE, are preparing to help out with Project Shine when it launches Aug. 1, and to receive help in turn from employees at Moose Jaw Co-op and SaskWater.
"We're partnering with the Co-op [Food Store] and SaskWater to serve our community lunches on the weekend," explained Nathan McLean, who helps co-ordinate volunteers for the weekend lunch program. "As part of that, we're fundraising through a till campaign, and on August 12 the volunteers from our lunch program will come and bag groceries for people and hopefully make some nice connections there and maybe tell people a bit more about what we're doing and how we serve the community.
"And that will kind of launch our campaign."
The weekend lunch program, begun during COVID, has become a vital part of the community for people struggling with food insecurity — a number that continues to rise, according to the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank.
Volunteers co-ordinated by St. Aidan serve lunches from the church's steps on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 10:30 a.m. during the summer. The lunches are free for anyone who needs them. Usually it's sandwiches, but sometimes there are smokies or bowls of chili as well.
On August 1, the Moose Jaw Co-op and SaskWater will launch what they have called Project Shine. For the whole of August, Co-op Food Store customers will be able to donate to the lunch program at the checkout till. In partnership with SaskWater, the Co-op will match donations up to $5,000, giving the program much-need funding to continue.
In return for the help at the Food Store on August 12, employees from the Co-op and SaskWater will join volunteers at St. Aidan on August 19 to help prepare and serve lunches.
"That will be the reversal, on August 19, where they'll come to see what we do," McLean said. "They'll participate in preparing lunches that day and handing them out to our community members. So, that will be good for them to get some exposure and get to know the guests we serve."
PiT Count involvement
Unrelated to Project Shine, but occurring in the same time-frame, St. Aidan will serve as a base for the August 26 Point-in-Time Count being organized by Square One Community, Inc. The count will yield invaluable statistics about the number of people in Moose Jaw who lack reliable, safe housing. It will include questions about housing insecurity, whether participants also take care of pets while homeless, whether they're working, demographic information, and more.
Because of the importance of the weekend lunch program and the generosity and commitment of its volunteers, McLean elaborated, a table will be set up for the PiT Count during the day's lunch distribution.
The weekend lunch program doesn't just help people experiencing homelessness. Seniors, low-income families with children, people with disabilities, and others are feeling the strain of trying to feed themselves.
Volunteers for the program do not need to be members of the St. Aidan congregation. To help with volunteering, text or call Nathan McLean at 306-531-2241.
