St. Matthews Church
Support for the Out of the Cold Program
January 2020:
On Sunday, January 12, Kiwanians Gillian, Samantha, Stuart, Andre and Lincoln along with friends Vito and Natalie agreed to donate, cook and serve dinner for over 100 homeless men and community drop in guests at St. Matthew’s Church in support of their Out of the Cold Winter Program. Samantha, Lincoln, Vito and Natalie cooked 6 large trays of pasta (2 vegetarian) along with salad and trays of cauliflower and Gillian and Andre cooked a turkey, stuffing, two large trays of potatoes and two trays of mixed vegetables including brussel sprouts, corn, broccoli, mushrooms and peas along with gravy and Stuart cooked a large turkey. Natalie also provided all the desserts and St. Matthew’s provided the two soups and drinks. Irene Jakopin was cutting hair for some of the guests.
Dinner started at 5.30 and guests were still arriving after 7.30. Most guests requested a second plate and there might have been some thirds. Kiwanian servers amazingly managed to load everything available on each plate. A large tray of pasta bake and other food items were kept warm as St. Matthew’s expected to receive dinner guests up to 9.30 or later and will provide food and winter clothing until the doors are closed for the night. All the overnight accommodation was booked early in the evening. Laundry facilities were provided using the new washer/dryer that we sponsored two years ago. Natalie’s mother cut the men’s hair after their showers which was very appreciated. We were an excellent team bringing some comfort on a very cold night.
January 2019:
The Kiwanis Club of Kingsway Humber provided $1,500 to St. Matthew’s Church Out of the Cold Program to purchase an industrial size washer and dryer to allow them to continue their laundry service to the 35 homeless men that seek accommodation, food, clothing, laundry and support every Sunday from mid November to end March. The laundry is done throughout the night in the church basement and a replacement was urgently needed. Slightly dented machines but in perfect working order were purchased by St. Matthew’s OOTC Coordinator.
