The Soup Haven has been feeding people in Yorkton for 15 years. In that time, it has grown from a small hot lunch program into a group that provides bag lunches to children who need them in all of the local schools, as well as monthly meals and Christmas hampers.
Kathy Connors has been there since the beginning, and she says that she had no idea how the program would grow and change over the years. She is reluctant to take any credit for the way it has succeeded since starting.
The goals are the same now as they were at the beginning, feeding families, especially children. Connors says that the Soup Haven started because kids need food in order to be at their best in life, and there was a need in Yorkton to develop that program.
"Canada's the only G8 country that does not have a lunch program across the board. Knowing what poverty is like, I believe these kids should have a hot meal, because sometimes this is the only meal that they have a day," she says.
Part of the success was due to the support of local businesses, and Connors says that the food they received was of great quality and helped the kids discover how much they enjoyed healthier options like salads.
"I wish you could have been here to see some of the days when the truck pulled up from Western Grocers, the stuff that we would get, and the stuff that in turn the families would take home when they came in."
The shift to bag lunches was caused by a number of different factors. The Soup Haven had to move to a new location because the Alliance Church, which still hosts the organization, decided to move. As well, shorter lunch breaks and a desire to keep students in the school over noon meant that the hot lunch wasn't worked. The bag lunch program, however, allowed the program to expand to bag lunches to every school except St. Mary's and Dreambuilders, who use the supplies to conduct their own lunch programs.
Connors says that she is still in contact with many of the people who were first helped by the program. She admits there are many who have difficulty with school, but that is a problem that comes with being hungry.
"We all need food and water in order for our brain to function properly, there's no learning without food."
The kids themselves also become a resource, and Connors says that it's all about coming alongside to help, and working together.
"They become partners with us too, because they do things at the school to raise money... We all have one goal, we want to make life better for people, and some of these kids have traumatic lives."
Connors gives God the credit for the success, because she doesn't believe that she could have put together everything on her own. However, while religious herself, she has no similar expectations from the people she helps, and says that her job is to feed people, not to expect anything from them.
"I don't do things with an expectation. That's one of the reasons this is not a religious organization, because I don't want any expectations put on anybody... I believe the scripture says that we are supposed to do what we are supposed to do and God looks after the rest."
"To see people smiling and benefitting from it, there's no better payoff than that."
For the next 15 years, Connors says that she has many ideas, all with the same goals. She says that the hope is to continue to grow, find ways to make the lunches better and feed more families. She says they are considering increasing the numbers of meals hosted to twice a month as they get the resources, as Yorkton has many people who need help.
"Poverty has so many different faces, and Yorkton has lots of it."
One of the big changes coming is a need for new volunteers, Connors admits. She says that the staff has always been excellent, and people have been loyal supporters since the beginning of operations. However, she says that many of the people are getting older, and more help is always welcome.
Anyone interested in helping out, whether through volunteering or donations, can call Connors at 306-782-5666.
