It’s become an annual tradition, putting on a festive Easter meal for Kelowna’s homeless population.
The Easter feast is being hosted by the Gospel Mission for shelter residents.
“Easter brings to mind forgiveness and fresh starts. Many who come through our doors need exactly that, a fresh start,” said Carmen Rempel, executive director of the Gospel Mission.
“Non-judgmental compassion is at the heart of our gathering. We invite our residents to embrace a fresh start as they step into a new day.”
Gospel Mission staff and volunteers expect to serve up about 400 meals on Saturday, which include turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, potatoes and dessert. Rempel said meal preparations have been underway for weeks.
In addition to serving up Easter meals at its Leon Avenue location, the Gospel Mission will also provide holiday food at two other shelter locations and use its outreach van to hand out turkey meals on the streets.
“Our outreach van goes out 365 days a year,” said Rempel. “So today, they just get an extra special meal right to them at the outdoor sheltering site.”
This is the third year that the Gospel Mission has been unable to open its doors to the public for the Easter meal due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pre-pandemic, it had welcomed anyone to walk in and enjoy an Easter meal. Despite pandemic restrictions easing, Rempel said they’re not quite ready to get back to that normal.
“We work with a population that’s living in a congregate setting and often has a lot of different health vulnerabilities, so we are very protective of who we let come in,” Rempel said.
Rempel said holidays such as Easter can bring up mixed emotions in shelter residents and those on the streets.
She said staff regularly check in on their mental health during holiday times and do whatever they can to try and lift spirits to make sure they feel seen and heard.
“We decorate the tables with really nice placemats and encouraging notes on them … so for some, this can be an uplifting, hope-filled weekend,” Rempel said.
“And then for others, we’re mindful of fact that this can bring up a lot of pain because they’re thinking about families or people that they wish they were spending this Easter with and they can’t.”
Rempel said the Gospel Mission is grateful to the community and volunteers for their generous donations, which not only provide the Easter meal but fund their potentially life-saving programs of shelter, food and transitional programs throughout the year.
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