After first opening the doors to “David’s Deli” back in May, 2002, the Joy of Life Fellowship Church here has tried to see that no one goes hungry for at least a few days each week.
And if the number of people who come out for the free meal are any indication, Pastor Sandy McEvoy and the other volunteers there seem to be accomplishing that mission.
“Things have been going very well,” she enthused this morning.
“The community has been very supportive. It’s a real community effort.
“We’ve had up to 60 people come out for lunch, but it’s been between 30-40 in the past few weeks,” Pastor McEvoy noted.
“When we first started, we had 10- 15 people on any given day. But it grew when people found out about us.”^She added “David’s Deli,” which is located at the Joy of Life Fellowship Church (714 Armit Ave.), used to be open only Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but now is open between noon and 1 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday due to the increased usage.
There is now a regular number of familiar faces who drop by three times a week, including some school children who would go hungry without the free meal, said Pastor McEvoy.
She also said it’s not uncommon to see local businesspeople, pastors, and other professionals drop by for lunch and check out for themselves how useful a service “David’s Deli” has become in the community.
These guests leave a donation.
Pastor McEvoy said the crucial support for “David’s Deli” has been coming both in the form of food and cash from groups and individuals, including local churches, the Salvation Army, the District Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB), Ministry of Natural Resources, Abitibi-Consolidated, and, in the near future, Wal- Mart.
Abitibi, for example, has given the soup kitchen food left over from its social functions while around Christmas, the local Salvation Army had a few extra turkeys it didn’t need for its hamper program.
And just yesterday, the Fort Frances Fire Brigade gave “David’s Deli” a cheque for $500—half of the money the firefighters raised during their annual Christmas tree pickup held Jan. 10 (the other half was given to the “chem-free” grad committee at FFHS).
These funds will be used towards a new refrigerator for the church’s kitchen.
Pastor McEvoy recalled when she first came up with the idea for the soup kitchen.
“I just wanted to do something for the community,” she noted. “I just believe, as a church, part of our responsibility is to reach out to the community and not just stay in a little box.
“We should meet the needs— physically and spiritually—of the community,” she stressed, adding the church may offer more means of aid down the road.
“There’s probably other areas we can go in. It’s just a matter of finding what the community needs,” said Pastor McEvoy. “We tried to do something for the homeless, but found out it really wasn’t needed that much.
“But we do have an AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] group that meets here, and we would like to do something for seniors,” she added.
To volunteer, make a donation, or find out more about “David’s Deli,” call Pastor McEvoy at 274- 0880.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
