The Warm Welcome Kitchen wrapped up its first season of serving nutritious meals to people in the Estevan area last week.
It won’t be the final season for the kitchen, either.
The final night for this season was on June 28 at St. Paul’s United Church, with sandwiches and salads served to those in attendance.
“I thought it was really well-received,” said co-ordinator Christina Farquhar. “Even at the end, we still had new people coming out. When they heard about it, it was definitely well-needed.”
Attendance varied in the final weeks. During the week of the Estevan Fair, the kitchen attracted only had 25 people for its two nights. Then they had 47 on June 26 and 48 two nights later.
The Warm Welcome committee announced earlier this year that it would shift from the nightly shelter it offered in the fall and winter months, to a kitchen offering meals twice a week.
It was offered at the Estevan Salvation Army on Tuesday nights and St. Paul’s on Thursdays. Late in the season, the Tuesday night meals shifted to St. Giles Anglican Church.
Farquhar said the committee is looking to continue to serve meals at St. Giles on Tuesday nights, but it would like to have Thursday night meals at a church in north Estevan.
Each night offered a good meal and fellowship. Attendance peaked at 60 people earlier in the season.
At first they didn’t know how long the kitchen would be offered. The initial expectation was that it would end in the early spring, but instead it lasted until the end of June.
Farquhar paid tribute to the support of the community for keeping the kitchen going longer than what was expected.
“The monies that had come in and the donations that came in continued it,” said Farquhar. “The fact is it was needed. We really needed it. With the continuing numbers, the board said it was definitely something that was needed.”
Expenses were kept low while good meals were served to the kitchen’s patrons.
She said many people were surprised with the turnout.
“We would have loved to keep it going year-round, but we needed a break and volunteers needed a break,” said Farquhar.
People dedicated eight or nine hours of work each day the shelter was open, and it took a lot of volunteers to make it happen. They recognized it was going to be tough to have volunteers in the summer months.
“We wanted to be able to have the money for going back into the fall, when we’re into the colder months,” said Farquhar.
Those who stopped by the kitchen for supper remained appreciative. At times, portions had to be trimmed due to the large number of people present, and another night, when they served rice and chicken, they ran out of chicken because so many people were present. But nobody complained.
“They were just appreciative of whatever they could get,” said Farquhar.
The kitchen will resume on Sept. 4 at St. Giles. She believes there are more people who could benefit from the efforts of the Warm Welcome Kitchen, and she hopes that when September arrives, more people will be enjoying the food.
