THUNDER BAY – “We are no longer in a food crisis,” a former employee at Vickers Manor declared on Friday.
With the online fundraising campaign now reaching more than $15,000 since Monday,Teresa Benwell says they are in good shape when it comes to supplying food for the remaining residents in the south-side facility.
“The community, so many organizations and non-profit groups have stepped up. They have contacted us. Everybody wants to help,” Benwell said.
She said the now 29 remaining tenants at Vickers Manor have enough food to last them until Tuesday.
On Thursday, the Salvation Army dropped off 38 food hampers for the residents.
Benwell, four other former employees, and Tammy Almgren, a housekeeper currently employed at the care home, have been spearheading the campaign to ensure the remaining tenants’ safety and well-being are met until the residents find new accommodation.
She said the remaining kitchen staff have already made a grocery order, and on Tuesday, she’ll meet with the kitchen staff to place it.
Benwell organized a GoFundMe campaign after the property owners of Vickers Manor had left the remaining residents to fend for themselves last weekend, closing the kitchen and only offering a few food items through its breakfast bar. This was despite meals being included in the tenants’ rent.
“Someone asked me yesterday, when are you going to stop it, like you got enough money to feed people, but I’m thinking I’m not going to stop it. I’m going to continue with this GoFundMe because some of these residents still need help,” Benwell said.
Although they have enough food for the time being, Benwell says there is still much more that needs to be done.
She explained some of the residents do not drive or have family members to help them move out of the building before the utilities were expected to be shut off on Aug. 18.
However, on Friday afternoon, a notice from Synergy North on the door of Vickers Manor said the power will remain connected.
“Maybe we could hire them a moving truck, like there’s different things that they could use that they don’t have the resources to do because they’re on fixed incomes, so we’re going to just let it ride,” she said.
She said the community has really stepped in during a challenging time. She has gotten several messages from members of the public asking what they can do to help out.
“I suggested to a few they need moving boxes, so they’re dropping off moving boxes because some of these residents can’t even go get a moving box. I said maybe come in and help some of them pack up their stuff, so it’s been busy,” Benwell said.
“Options Northwest has dropped off a truckload of groceries the day before yesterday. Yesterday they brought a truckload of toiletries and even some big fans,” Benwell said.
The manor does not have a functioning air conditioning unit, and the tenants aren’t able to open their windows to bring in outside air, Algmren said.
“They brought some big box fans for some of the residents to try to cool them down, and she said today they would be back with some more groceries,” Benwell added.
Another challenge is getting the tenants moved into a suitable living space, she said.
Some agencies have visited the manor to find out the residents’ accessibility needs and income levels as part of their intake process, Benwell explained.
As previously reported, Janine Black, president of St. Joseph’s Care Group, told Newswatch in an interview that through Brain Injury Services of Northern Ontario (BISNO), the hospital is taking in seven residents in the next couple of weeks.
BISNO chief executive officer Alice Bellavance said five other residents will be staying in a hotel while they search for a longer-term rental location.
However, geared-to-income rental spaces are in high demand.
“It’s kind of like a shotgun situation,” Benwell said, referencing one resident. “He left yesterday. He had a 10-minute window to accept. The place it’s a geared to income, and he’s on a very low monthly income, and he had 10 minutes. You accept it, or it’s gone.”
“We spoke to a lady this morning, and we thought she’d moved out. I said, we better do a wellness check on who should be in the building that nobody has seen in a day or two. So, we went door to door, and we went to her apartment,” Benwell said. “We said, ‘hey, we heard you moved out.’ She said, ‘no, I have nowhere to go.’”
City council will discuss the Vickers Manor situation at a special meeting on Aug. 5.
