Parishioners of Knox Presbyterian Church at the corner of Lisgar Street and Elgin Street didn’t have to go far for their Sunday lunch as they participated in the second annual fundraiser for Out of the Cold today.
Volunteers prepared lunch for community members to raise funds for Out of the Cold, an initiative that provides hot meals and an opportunity to socialize for locals who are disadvantaged or lonely throughout the winter.
All attendees were asked to donate a minimum of $5 for lunch. A stack of sealed envelopes with cheques enclosed had piled up with donations in the collection baskets by the time lunch was served.
Program volunteers across Ottawa serve meals on Saturday nights from November to March.
The program costs about $6,000 to run each year and the fundraiser is expected to bring in over $1,500 with all proceeds going to the Out of the Cold, said fundraiser organizer Helen Beck.
Beck is one of 75 people from the church who are involved in the program, and said she has seen demand for the service grow since she started working with the initiative in 2005.
The church serves between 90 to 150 meals each week, and last year there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of people using the program, Beck said.
“It’s very rewarding, obviously, because it’s a needed service,” she said.
The increase of people coming for meals shows more social programs are needed, said Ernest Ruppenthal, a volunteer for Out of the Cold.
Ruppenthal noted the unemployment rate has been a factor in the increase of people coming for meals and said they need different types of support. “Serving meals once a week is not enough,” he said.
But hosting events like the fundraiser is a great way to highlight social issues and celebrate community affairs, said volunteer Margot Ashfield.
“I would like to think it would encourage people to get more involved,” she said.