VERNON – A North Okanagan soup kitchen is feeling stretched to its limit. The Upper Room Mission says they’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking help and at the same time their donations are down. In the midst of this crunch, the non-profit has had to set up a highchair in their dining room as families turn to the mission for meals.
The mission says it would normally serve around 250 meals a day at this time of year, but now it is serving more than 300. What’s troubling is a recent trend in who is needing a helping hand.
“We are seeing many families with children coming in which is quite alarming for us. Last week we actually had to put a highchair in amongst our dining room tables,” says Upper Room Mission spokesperson Lisa Anderson.
Danielle McPhee, Matthew Atchison and their young son Jacob are one of those families. Sitting on a bench in Polson Park with their young son in a stroller, the couple explains that it wasn’t always this way.
The growing demand at the Upper Room Mission’s soup kitchen doesn’t surprise Anderson.
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While demand for meals is up, the mission says donations are down.
“We are stretched to the limit, our meat fridge is dwindling and that is cause for concern for us,” says Anderson
McPhee and Atchison are also worried about the dip in donations. The family might have faced a much more difficult scenario if it wasn’t for the mission’s help.
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The non-profit is hoping the community steps forward to help it keep up with the growing demand for its services. The mission is looking for donations of food and money as well as recruiting new volunteers.
The mission says monetary donations are the most helpful as the non-profit can use their buying power to stretch donated dollars further. The mission also accepts food donations. Ideally they are hoping for donations of meat or fresh vegetables and fruits.
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