ESTEVAN — The Warm Welcome Kitchen hasn’t given up hope on being able to serve hot meals and good fellowship to people in the Estevan area this season.
The non-profit organization has traditionally served meals to people on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the early fall to the middle of spring. But it has not been operating this year because it does not have a kitchen co-ordinator.
The previous co-ordinator stepped down after the 2021-22 season’s conclusion.
Wendy Godfrey, who is the chairperson of the kitchen committee, said that when they first started looking for a new person, she didn’t anticipate it would take this long.
“I thought we might miss a few meals, but then we would get back in the swing of things rather quickly. It’s turned out to be a rather tough position to fill,” said Godfrey.
It’s a volunteer job with an honorarium, and she recognizes the expectations of the job.
“It takes a special person to do all of the things that need to be done,” she said.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the co-ordinator would have to shop for what’s needed for the meal. Then the person would go to the location in the afternoon and put the meal together and serve it alongside the kitchen’s volunteers.
An honorarium covers the co-ordinator’s time. The meal is covered by the kitchen program separately.
“It’s hard to find someone who has that much time to give. We have a lot of volunteers who give their time Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon or evening for serving, but when you need time to actually go to the grocery store and buy the food and that kind of thing [it’s a lot],” said Godfrey.
The kitchen program was “spoiled” to have its previous co-ordinators, said Godfrey. Some people came forward to express interest in the job, but had to back away.
The board members all have full-time jobs, she said.
“You have to find a special person who can pull a meal together for 70-90 people,” said Godfrey.
They have volunteers in place who are ready to go and serve meals once somebody is hired.
“We’ve had volunteers get in touch with us throughout the season, right from September, saying ‘Hey, as soon as the suppers are back, we’d like to volunteer. Put us on a list.’”
If they get someone in place soon, they hope to be able to serve meals again within a week or two.
Several people have approached her to ask what is happening with the kitchen program.
Once they start up again, the Warm Welcome Kitchen will have sit-down meals, which they haven’t been able to offer since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The kitchen wants to be a place that offers both a great meal and a place to visit.
“It’s not just for people who are maybe short money and are hungry. Some people are hungry for connectivity with other people and communication. There are people who are just lonely. A night out to eat supper with people, rather than eating by themselves, is what they require,” said Godfrey.
While the meals might seem complex, they’re actually fairly straightforward, she said. The last two cooks were used to cooking for large groups, so they knew what they were doing. Each meal would have meat, vegetables, breads and more.
If someone is interested, they can reach out to Godfrey at 306-421-6122, or email warmwelcomekitchen@gmail.com.
