The lineup outside St. Stephen-on-the-Mount Anglican Church usually starts around 3 p.m. on Thursdays even though the doors won’t open for another half-hour.
People are coming for a free takeout meal supplied by volunteers at Hamilton Out of the Cold, a non-profit organization that is now in its 25th year of serving hot meals in the city.
“I’m needing dinner and food,” said Katrina, one of more than four dozen people who will drop by and pick up a hot meal with no questions asked until 5 p.m.
“Inflation and everything going up has affected everything so (the meal program) has kind of helped us out,” said Skie, Katrina’s partner. “If we didn’t have it, I guess we’d be eating less.”
Only the client’s first names are taken down (so organizers know how many meals to make the following week) and they come in one or two at a time to pick up a paper bag that on this night includes a container of chili made earlier in the day in the church kitchen along with bread, Caesar salad, fruit and sweets.
“We’re busy,” said Jim Matis, an Out of the Cold volunteer and one of the folks who greets clients as they walk through the front door before handing them their meal.
He knows many of them by their first name.
They’ve been coming each week since the program resumed Nov. 2 at the Concession Street church for another season.
“We know them quite well,” said Matis, who added some clients also take meals for family members and neighbours. “Especially at this location, we have a lot of apartment buildings around.”
Hamilton Out of the Cold volunteers operate meal/snack programs at more than a half dozen locations in the city, including a sit-down meal service on Mondays from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Immanuel Christian Reformed Church on Mohawk Road West.
“Overall, the demand has been high,” said Hamilton Out of the Cold executive director Janice Ormond, who noted rising food and housing costs are behind the increase. “There are more people in need as you can see from the tents that are out there.”
Ormond said the two Mountain locations have each served about 230 meals since they resumed in early November. That’s about 50 more than last year at both churches.
Across the city, Ormond said they served 30,484 meals last year.
At St. Stephen, about 25 volunteers work in two shifts.
The first group arrives in the early afternoon to set up and start cooking and a second group comes in later to package and distribute the meals and clean up.
“I love the organization and I love the team that’s here,” said Michelle Whelan, an Ancaster resident and volunteer for the past 14 years.
Other Hamilton Out of the Cold weekly meal programs are available at:
- Trinity Lutheran Church, 104 Hughson St. N., Mondays from 2 to 4 p.m. Pickup only.
- Heritage Green Seventh-day Adventist Church, 349 Isaac Brock Dr. (upper Stoney Creek), Wednesdays from 2 to 5 p.m. Pickup only.
- Erskine Presbyterian Church, 19 Pearl St. N., Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m. Pickup only. Sit-down dinner on Saturdays, doors open at 3:30 p.m.
- Knox Presbyterian Church, 80 Mill St. N. (Waterdown), Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. Pickup only.
- Central Presbyterian Church, 165 Charlton Ave. W., Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Warm beverage and a snack on Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon.
- Christ’s Church Cathedral, 252 James St. N., Saturdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Pickup only. Warm beverage and a snack on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon.
See hamiltonoutofthecold.ca for more information.
All programs run to the end of March.
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