Agape Table looking for volunteer help, donations as Thanksgiving approaches
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, a local organization said it could use some extra hands and donations to help those in need.
Agape Table is preparing for its Thanksgiving meal, which will be handed out on Thursday.
This year, the meal will feature ham, potatoes, cooked vegetables and dessert.
Dave Feniuk, the general manager of Agape Table, said the number of people in need has skyrocketed since the pandemic. On average, they now serve around 600 people a day. The organization even saw a one-day record of 768.
“We started with 85,000 [meals served for the year] in 2019. In 2021, we were up over 126,000 [meals served for the year],” said Feniuk.
He added they are still having to serve people at the door as they are not able to have everyone inside.
With an increased number of people being served, Feniuk said they are in need of more volunteers.
“We only have a staff of seven sometimes eight, without volunteers, we couldn’t make the magic happen.”
Aaron Scarff, the volunteer coordinator for Agape Table, said the volunteers who work the morning shift, show up bright and early and start preparing the meals that will be handed out that day. He said they usually put in a few hours of work every day.
“The volunteers at Agape Table are probably the most integral part of what we do each day. Without them, we just simply cannot exist,” said Scarff. “Without the continuous support of each volunteer that donates their time, it enables us to keep doing what we do.”
Scarff said volunteering at Agape Table gives a sense of belonging and community, adding they’re a bright spot of his day.
Along with needing volunteers, Feniuk said the organization is always in need of food and monetary donations.
He said anything can be donated and nothing goes to waste.
“Without food, we can’t do what we do,” said Feniuk. “And we always have excess costs, so your monetary donations are imperative.”
Feniuk added they are also always looking for hygiene products, as well as clothing items like socks.
Agape Table is funded 100 per cent by donations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.