A line of individuals meandered to a desk close to thirteenth Avenue and Lincoln Avenue in Vancouver on Wednesday night time.
A small group of masked volunteers handed out packing containers of groceries, together with stew, chilli or noodles, fruit, and dessert. The Free Sizzling Soup Vancouver volunteer group is nearing its sixth yr feeding the hungry in Clark County.
On Wednesday night, volunteers distributed hats, gloves, hand heaters, blankets and sleeping luggage.
Tents lined the streets subsequent to the Share Home. Because the climate worsens this winter, the group wants extra volunteers and donations to maintain folks as heat and full as attainable.
Karen Morrison, a volunteer at Free Sizzling Soup Vancouver, mentioned she was involved a couple of lack of assets and housing as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. She thinks there could possibly be extra folks uninhabited this winter.
Along with regular considerations about housing folks in winter and more moderen considerations about learn how to do it throughout a pandemic, Clark County earlier this week introduced that the Motel 6 short-term homeless shelter will shut later this month.
The 116-room facility, which housed 80 folks or 56 households on Sunday, was designed as a COVID-19 quarantine location however has been expanded to accommodate folks at excessive threat of coronavirus.
A minimum of 36 of the 56 households did not know the place to go subsequent on Monday.
A brand new shelter is slated to open in February or March, however Morrison says Clark County nonetheless has an pressing want for protected, hygienic, and reasonably priced housing, in addition to reasonably priced psychological, dental, and bodily well being providers.
“You possibly can’t resolve each drawback,” mentioned Morrison via a blue face masks, “however we could be right here. We are able to make eye contact with folks. We are able to present that we care. “
For the previous a number of years, Free Sizzling Soup Vancouver has partnered with the Clark County Meals Financial institution to feed folks with meals insecurity. The teams mentioned they’d addressed meals dealing with points from 5 years in the past.
Shelly Gaylor, a volunteer at Free Sizzling Soup Vancouver, mentioned that anybody who handles meals has a grocer allow and that the group displays meals temperature.
Gaylor encourages folks to go to on Wednesday or Saturday to observe Free Sizzling Soup Vancouver if they’re enthusiastic about volunteering. Gaylor mentioned her volunteering taught her “to not choose anybody. In the event that they’re hungry, simply give them a meal. Everybody could possibly be in a tent. “
After handing out meals in July, Morrison talked about the monetary burden the pandemic is placing on folks.
“There are households who’re residing like they’ve by no means finished earlier than,” mentioned Morrison. “The pandemic modified every part.”
Kirk McKenzie, one other volunteer at Free Sizzling Soup Vancouver, was handing out sizzling espresso and sizzling chocolate on Wednesday night time. He has a perspective much like that of Morrison and Gaylor.
McKenzie mentioned volunteering like this is a chance to present again to the group.
“Sooner or later I may be on the opposite aspect of this desk,” McKenzie mentioned.
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