This year, as the summer wore on, Parish Council was faced with deciding how to proceed. Returning to the Civitan felt too risky. Not only did we not know if there would be another snap lockdown but our dwindling number volunteers were still very cautious about large gatherings. We were on the verge of cancelling the supper when I thought of the Mississippi Mills Youth Centre (MMYC) who had put together a cooking program during Covid, preparing and distributing around 20,000 meals. 

Fast forward through hours of planning and meetings and more meetings along with the occasional gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair, and the sunny Saturday of the Harvest Supper rolled around on Sept. 17. There had been challenges we had not thought of, less equipment and working in two separate locations for example, but the amazing kids at the MMYC, under Lilli’s guiding hands (boy is she amazing at managed chaos!) were invaluable. They cooked turkeys, did hours and hours of prep work, assembled ingredients, cut pies, made bean salad and stuffing, washed and chopped 120lbs of potatoes and packed over 100 takeout meals in 345 containers! They were ever so patient with my fine tuning the recipes that I have had in my head for years. A little bit of this and a bit more of that can be confusing. And when they needed a hand, St. Paul’s came through with

 an intrepid team of potato peelers (thank you Anne, Deane, Jane and Dan!) who spent hours joyfully working at a table outside in the sun.

Now, as the memory of tired feet and sore backs is fading, the heartwarmingly positive feedback is still ringing in our ears. “The food was so delicious…”, “the turkey was so juicy…”, “the mashed potatoes were the best ever, so buttery!”, “we loved the atmosphere in the church hall, so much nicer than the Civitan”, “it was so nice to see the youngsters helping out…”.

Having so much youthful energy in the church was truly a blessing all around. Whether serving pies, clearing tables, hosting guests upstairs or bringing them down our steep stairs to the hall, they quickly adapted, learning new skills along with a broader understanding of who we were and what a church event actually entailed. 

With God’s grace and a lot of hard work we served 275 meals, including 20 donated for Food Bank clients. St. Paul’s parishioners stepped up with their time and much of the food that was needed. A special thanks to Sandra who worked tirelessly on all the admin, sales and front of house details, to Wendy, Deane, Cathy, Karen M, Roger and Christy who all went above and beyond, and to Dan for all his support before, during and after. 

At the end of the day, once all the tickets were counted and bills paid, there was a bit over $ 5,000 left. We had decided to share any profits with the MMYC and the Food Bank so about $2,000 went to the former and $1,000 to the latter. We also support Interval House, an emergency shelter for women and children. We gave them 40 meals, extra cooked turkey and groceries. Though finances are challenging for all churches post-Covid, at St. Paul’s we are feeling the pull more and more to share what we can with the most vulnerable in our community. For it is in giving that we receive…

The post Beyond COVID and back to our roots, a Harvest Supper with a twist appeared first on Perspective.

Other churches and organizations were starting to find ways to serve food and raise money with volunteer driven take-out projects. But the task seemed daunting for us as over the past 40 years of doing this supper, our numbers had crept up and we found ourselves regularly feeding over 500 people each September, even 700 one year. We also debated whether the Health Unit would allow us to make and sell our tourtières, another very popular local November fundraiser that often saw line ups down the street. And now there was COVID to think about as well.

The pandemic has taken a lot out of us, individually and collectively. It has drained us in ways we sometimes cannot understand, and our resilience is at an all-time low. Most parishes are struggling to figure out the balance between safety and worship and between safety and fellowship as well. In our aging congregation, volunteers are more vulnerable and more hesitant to get involved, at least for now. But nevertheless, we knew that here, within our community, and this country we call home, we are so blessed in so many ways. With that reminder ringing in our ears, so-to-speak, we were determined not to let COVID stop us from supporting those deeply affected by this pandemic, those struggling with so many challenges including mental illness, addiction and homelessness—all the ministries St Paul’s has supported in so many ways, for so many years.

This is how the Feeding Hope Together community fundraiser silent auction came to be. Running from Dec. 3 to 13, all proceeds will benefit the Lanark County Food Bank, Lanark County Interval House and the Ottawa Community Ministries. There will be more than 50 different items and packages for people to bid on, and we hope that Christmas shopping will be a strong motivator along with supporting these vital organizations. For those feeling especially generous, there will be an option on each page to bypass bidding on items and donate directly to Feeding Hope Together. 

We have been blown away by the support from individuals and local businesses, big and small, all across the region. The 3 Apples Bakery in Pakenham, who already donate their (truly amazing: author’s note) gluten free fare directly to the Lanark County Food Bank, were on board to help with this fundraiser as soon they were asked. Arnprior and Carleton Place business have stepped up as well, along with those in Almonte.

We may not be able to feed people in the same way as we have in the past, but we are committed to Feeding Hope Together! For a chance to bid on some unique and exciting gifts and services, go to https://www.32auctions.com/FHT2021

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