A powerful winter storm is worrisome for a wide variety of people and organizations, including those who serve the less fortunate.
The Romero House Soup Kitchen in Saint John prepares to serve as many as 400 meals per day and when Mother Nature threatens, worry levels increase.
“The people that we serve rely on us for a meal, number one,” said Romero House executive director Evelyn McNulty.
“Number two, we don’t have a way of communicating if we’re not going to be open and people that we serve don’t have necessarily have the internet or even have a radio to find out when things are closed.”
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The word closed is not uttered here very often, even on days when a major winter storm is battering the region.
Being open to serve is taken very seriously, despite the weather.
“We have struggled to get in here,” said Romero House staff member Phyllis Buckingham.
“We have to get in here to feed them and we do. There’s only been once I think last year we didn’t make it but other than that we’re here.”
Danny Gallie counts himself as one of the city’s homeless and is thankful Romero House is there.
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“They’re quite helpful here, to everyone on the street,” Gallie said. Another client, Pamela Wormell agreed.
“They help take people out of the cold and they just take them in when they have to and they give them a free meal and something to drink.”
The soup kitchen stayed open until 1 p.m. Thursday, feeding as many as possible. Staff and volunteers went home a bit early in an attempt to stay ahead of the heavy dose of snow, wind and rain.