Just a few months into its operations, the Centre 440 team of volunteers reports that the average number of people coming for the meal has increased to 45 – 50 people each Saturday. The team noted that they are preparing and distributing additional meals because if someone who comes for lunch is homeless, they send that person out with a bag containing a couple of lunches-to-go with high protein items such as hard-boiled eggs, cheese, peanut butter — items they can keep in their vehicle for a few days. That brings the total number of meals prepared to about 70 each week.

Penny Kallio keeps up with statistics from the municipalities and shared these startling figures: In the United Counties of Prescott Russell for December there were 150 households considered homeless — 94 adults,34 families, and 18 youths between the ages of 16 – 25 were homeless. 50% men and 50% women. At 59%, the majority of the households across the UCPR experiencing homelessness were in the town of Hawkesbury. This represents an 80% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

There is no visible encampment in the city, but the team meets people living in their cars, in the woods, under bridges and in storefronts.

Ron Kallio said that the centre extended the hours it was open during the times of extreme cold. Normally, they open the doors at about 10:30 am and close at about 1 pm, but they opened at 9 a.m. and stayed open during the afternoon to offer people a warm place to be.

Carolyn Coffin-Caputo said there is a steady stream of encouragement from people in Hawkesbury, making financial donations or wanting to volunteer their time to help. About half of the volunteers are members of the parish, but the other half are volunteers from the community.

The team also shared the good news that they now have a now have an ongoing arrangement with Second Harvest, an organization that redistributes surplus food from grocery stores and businesses that would otherwise be thrown out to people in need. The Foodland in Van Kleek Hill now automatically allocates food to Centre 440 twice a week.

They are also lifted up by individual acts of kindness. A couple living in their car came into the centre to charge a battery pack to try to revive a dead car battery. Carl Laliberté of Laliberté Auto in Hawkesbury went beyond helping them charge their old one and brought them a good used battery.

While Coffin-Caputo was visiting Centre 105 in Cornwall, Emma Weller came in to distribute the winter bundle bags she makes with her handmade hats, mitts, neck-warmers, socks, hand and toe warmer and treats. When she heard about Centre 440, she soon arrived with bundles for everyone, which Coffin-Caputo said delighted the recipients.

Another bit of serendipity happened when Anne Kirby visited from All Saints Anglican Church in Greely, where they weave recycled milk bags into waterproof mats to sit or sleep on. She brought some mats for participants and ended up explaining how they make the mats. “I did a simple video of Anne Kirby explaining the milk bag mats, posted it on our Facebook page,” said Ron Kallio.  He was shocked when the video got 800,000 views “I’m still answering questions.” — five or six a day from around the world asking how you make the mats and asking what milk bags are.”

The Rev Felix Longdon (kneeling) with Jane Longdon, Rob Guerrini and Emma Weller (winter bundles) and Carolyn Coffin-Caputo

Centre 440’s tribute to Marc Beaudet

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our dear friend and cook at Centre 440 Hawkesbury, Marc Beaudet.

Marc was with us from the very first day we opened our doors three months ago. In that short time, he became the heartbeat of our kitchen. He didn’t just bring his talent for cooking; he brought a huge smile that could brighten the toughest mornings and a laugh that echoed through the entire hall.

He believed in our mission from the start, and he made sure that every person who walked through our line felt seen, welcomed, and cared for. Our kitchen feels far too quiet without his energy, but we are so grateful that he was the one to help us start this journey.— Ron Kallio

The post Centre 440 and friends help people through a tough winter appeared first on Perspective.

Three of the core team of organizers spoke with Perspective after their third week of serving the hot meals, excited to see the program up and running and growing. News of the meals is spreading. The first week, they served 20 people, by the third it was 36, including some seniors and families with children.

In October, Carolyn Coffin-Caputo spoke in a group presentation on contextual mission at diocesan Synod, and she told the story of how Centre 440 was created. In the fall of 2024, the parish priest at that time, the Rev. Bob Albert worked on visioning with the congregations to help them ask “Who are we? … And what do we want to do as a church?’ In time, they discerned that they wanted to prioritize helping people who are homeless or coping with low income, and they focused on Hawkesbury, a town of about 11,000 where they knew there was a need for more social supports.

The next step was to research what was needed and what role the church could play. “We didn’t want to duplicate something that was already in place. We were ready to help an existing service, add on to an existing service, or create a new service,” Coffin-Caputo said.  A small group met with key people in Hawkesbury — Victim Services, the Social Services Department of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, a Hawkesbury food bank and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit.

Penny Male-Kallio shared some of the local statistics. In the fall, there were more than 120 people in the Prescott-Russell area who were homeless — in temporary situations such as couch-surfing or living outdoors, about half of them were in Hawkesbury. When asked how the church could help, the agencies all told the group the same thing: Hawkesbury needs a place where people can get a hot meal.

With that in mind, the parish team visited Centre 105 in Cornwall to listen and learn about the breakfast program that now runs there four days a week. Inspired, they followed Centre 105’s example. In name, Centre 440 refers to its address in Holy Trinity Church at 440 Stanley Street, just as Centre 105’s name comes from its address at Trinity Church in Cornwall. They are also following in Centre 105’s footsteps, adapting the motto to: “Providing lunch, creating community.” They also visited Cornwall’s Agape Centre.

Part of the Future Fund grant will be used to pay for a commercial dishwasher and its installation in the church kitchen. “Up until now, we’ve been doing it all by hand,” said Penny Male-Kallio. Holy Trinity already had a good kitchen, but Centre 440 has required additional freezers and fridges. The kitchen will be certified, so they can cook on-site, which will also be a benefit to the church for rental use.

The parish’s new incumbent the Rev. Felix Longdon is onboard and a strong supporter.

Centre 440 is also getting a lot of support from the community, said Ron Kallio. “It’s overwhelming, just the words of encouragement, the monetary donations, the in-kind donations. It just started flowing in. We created a Facebook presence. I guess the word is out there.”

The generosity in the community has been so great that the Centre hasn’t had to buy much food yet. “What I think our biggest concern is, and what a problem to have, is that donations of food have already overwhelmed us for storage space. We’ve had farms donating Angus beef, grocery stores donating ham and meat, and breads coming from bakeries,” Coffin-Caputo said.

She added that the Rotary Club had also donated $1,500. Individuals, both from the church and the wider community, have been donating financially and volunteering to help prepare and serve the lunches.

They were planning for a special Christmas meal — turkey, ham and all the fixings to be served on Dec. 20. The central focus is on providing hot meals, but they have distributed some donations of winter clothing to people in need as well.

It is still too early for a sense of community to have developed among the participants coming to the meals, but Coffin-Caputo said those who have come can’t wait to come back and they are bringing others with them.

Feedback from the community is very positive. One person wrote on the Facebook page: “I think this ministry is the core of what a parish should be doing. Everything else including worship comes after service to neighbours.”

The team is energized and happy that their vision has been put into action. “We’re passionate about it,” said Coffin-Caputo. “It really is meeting a need, and it’s well supported…. We truly are blessed!”

The post Centre 440 in Hawkesbury’s hot meal program launches with a boost from the Future Fund appeared first on Perspective.