“You get to know the people, their stories and it’s nice to see them.”
The Hay River Soup Kitchen is run by a dedicated group of volunteers led by Kim Tregidgo.
Serving warm meals to people coming in from the cold, the soup kitchen has grown into a community and family where those in need can get a nutritious meal but it’s about more than that.
“It’s just somewhere safe where they can be and have a nice hot meal and just sit there and have coffee afterwards and talk to their friends,” says Tregidgo.
“They come in, they laugh, they have a meal and then they’re off with their world, whatever they have to deal with,” continues Tregidgo.
For about six years now Tregidgo has cooked hearty meals and has run the Hay River Soup Kitchen.
“I just became a part of that and I really enjoyed, taking care of them“
“My volunteers are so wonderful, they come in and they’ll serve people,” says Tregidgo.
“They eat their meals, they have full tummies and off they go and that makes us feel really good about what we do at the soup kitchen,” adds Tregidgo.
The clients will get nutritious meals and sometimes share their stories.
The people who stop into the soup kitchen have lived rough lives, some have struggled with addictions while others are just struggling to make ends meet.
In the last year, Tregidgo says there has been an increase in the number of people who come there for meals.
“There used to be 40 to 60 and 60 to 80 now, it’s 80 to 100 people. With the high cost of food, even working families they’re struggling and we feed them. They don’t come in all the time, but I mean they do come in just to get them through the rough times and we try to accommodate them,” explains Tregidgo.
Many clients are underhoused or struggling with homelessness.
“It’s really hard on families and they could be working and still struggling and they come to a soup kitchen and even if it takes a little pressure off them wage wise, you know sometimes you can’t make it till the end of the month or the middle of the month whenever you get paid and you just need a little help. The soup kitchen is there to to help them and that’s what we do,” adds Tregidgo.
When folks come to the soup kitchen, it gives them a chance to have a warm nutritious meal and sit down, take refuge and talk for awhile.
Those who come in have gotten to know each other, they greet each other warmly.
“When they come through the doors, they’ll say hi ‘so and so’ – and hi ‘so and so,’ it’s really nice to see.”
Since Tregidgo started running the soup kitchen and also cooking for the clients six years ago, the meals have become heartier.
“Before all they did have was two sandwiches, but with me, Monday and Friday, we have a big dinner. We’ll have either pork chops, and rice and veggies or chicken rice and veggies. And then Wednesdays are our soup and sandwich day, because our clients like soup and sandwich, it’s easier on their stomachs.”
The non-profit organization is also struggling to keep up with costs. They receive some government funding but also rely on food donations with the prices of food, electricity, heating and other expenses going up.
“It’s kind of hard to stretch.”
Food is expensive, especially things like produce including meat and veggies.
The soup kitchen receives donations from places around town.
Recently, a grocery store and a restaurant, both donated turkeys and stuffing along with cranberry sauce. The soup kitchen turns that into hot meals or into food hampers.
“We are a part of the community and the community is there if we’re in need, they will step up,” explains Tregidgo.
The soup kitchen is open from about 11 am to 2 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and serves about 80 hot meals on average per day.
They also serve about 75 sandwiches to go.
“We have meat and cheese sandwiches and we have egg sandwiches, sometimes we have tuna if we get a donation of tuna,” explained Tregidgo.
They also give out emergency food hampers.
“Say your, you know, if you don’t have enough food till the end of the month or something, and it’s a week before, the end of the month, we try to give them the stuff they need. I let them kind of go into my back room and and let them go shopping to pick stuff that they will eat. I don’t want to give them stuff that they’re not going to eat because it just it doesn’t work that way,” says Tregidgo.
“Most of the time, we’re put in the back burner,” Tregidgo reflects that it’s something that happens often because people may not want to see. They may feel powerless to help, but just acknowledging those people and even just saying hello is important and makes a difference.
“And if we can feed them and keep them from being hungry, you know what, I’m gonna try,” says Tregidgo.
