I’ll tell you what, there’s no soup served up from my kitchen on Mondays.”
Andrew Spence is pretty clear when he makes the declaration. And why not. The kitchen at St. Alban Anglican Church in Richmond is his domain at the start of each week when he plans and serves up a lunch that is much more meaningful than just a basic bowl of soup.
“We develop a sense of community here because anyone is welcome to come and eat,” said Spence, 51, who is regaining his footing after losing his job as an aircraft maintenance worker a number of months ago by volunteering at the church each week since the spring. He sees it as a way of giving back to a community service that helped support him when times were tough.
“It was embarrassing,” he said. “I’ve got a good education. A licence to fix airplanes. But there I was, sleeping in my car.”
When he did seek assistance from another local support service he remembers it having a demoralizing undertone.
“It was basically soup and frozen pies,” he said. “It made me feel that I wasn’t important enough in the community that they couldn’t even put the pie in the oven.
“Soup’s good. But the people who come in here for lunch deserve better,” he said. “They deserve a meal that shows somebody really cares.”
On the menu the Monday when the News visited St. Alban was chicken Caesar salad with homemade dressing.
“I try to come up with a nice balance where everyone gets a good variety of foods,” Spence said.
The church’s drop-in centre also uses the meals as a way of providing some training for clients by incorporating ingredients that are inexpensive and easily available, said James Caspersen, St. Alban’s outreach program coordinator.
“One of our focuses over the last six months has been to build up our life skills development programs, because what we’re finding is that when we have clients we are able to find housing for, they’ll often lack the ability to cook, clean, manage their bills, and be a good tenant. And that can result in an end of tenancy or eviction,” said Caspersen. “And when that happens, the person ends up back where they started.”
For Spence, the chance to play a role in the kitchen was an opportunity for him to begin rebuilding his life.
“When James asked me to head this up, it was like a godsend. It really fit into my life. And when I do get full-time employment, I’m gonna ask for Mondays off so I can keep this going.”
“Gaining meaningful work, even through volunteering, is a key step in recovery,” Caspersen said.
Much of Spence’s passion to remain connected stems from the sense of community created by the two dozen or so people who attend the free lunch each Monday.
“It’s about community. It’s not just about people who need the help. Anyone can come down here on a Monday,” Spence said. “It’s about people sitting down together and enjoying a meal.
“Some of those who do need the help, sure, they could heat up a can of something at home. But they don’t get that chance to sit down and chat with someone,” he added.
While there’s usually no leftovers, Spence does manage to set some food aside for those who need a little extra.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do for a meal the next day, but I know they’re okay for the night.”
