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Casey's set to give food bank a helping hand

It's getting harder to feed the needy.

The Soup Kitchen Community Centre reported last month that it was serving about 350 more meals a month than it did in the previous year.

Things aren't getting better, despite early signs of recovery in the economy, said Ron Sim, financial and food services coordinator at the centre.

“I believe those numbers are going to continue to increase,” said Sim.

Sim was on hand Monday to kick off a program with Casey's Grill * Bar, at Algoma's Watertower Inn, that will see some of the proceeds from the restaurant's Feed the Soul feature menu donated to soup kitchens.

Last year, it raised about $3,000, said Sim.

It's an extra boost that “really comes in handy,” at a time when the charity is “just kind of getting by,” said Sim.

“We're excited to be part of this campaign a second time,” said Casey's manager Rob Kinnunen. “The staff really get into it, knowing that every item they sell from the special menu helps our hungry.”

Feed the Soul is a chain-wide program run by Prime Restaurants of Canada.

Last year, the soup kitchen reported feeding between 1,300 and 1,400 people a month.

Sim said it used to be normal to see an increase at the soup kitchen's weekday meals from around 40 or 50 clients a day at the beginning of the month, gradually up to 100 or more as monthly cheques ran out.

“Now we're starting out at the beginning of the month with 100,” said Sim.

He said the situation is being caused by the economy, as well as the increasing cost of basic items, such as groceries and personal hygiene products, eating away at stagnant support cheques.

Sim said even the soup kitchen, which buys in bulk, is seeing its food bill rise significantly.

To help the soup kitchen keep operating, it recently sent letters to local businesses asking for help as winter sets in, and PUC customers will soon get an insert with their bill asking that they contribute financially.

The Sault Star
Michael Purvis
September 22, 2009