North Bay's The Gathering Places faces uncertain future, scales back outreach services
North Bay’s soup kitchen, The Gathering Place, on Cassells Street fears it could have to close its doors later this year, as early as the fall.
The Gathering Place in North Bay in December 2021. (File photo/Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario)
Donations at Christmas significantly dropped compared to previous years and donations continue to drop as many people are feeling the pinch in their wallets.
As a donation-based charity, this trickle-down effect is seriously hurting the soup kitchen, according to its executive director.
“If this trend continues, we’re not sure we can stay open,” Dennis Chippa said.
This has forced the soup kitchen to significantly scale back its crucial services for people homeless or living on the cusp of homelessness in North Bay and its surrounding area.
The soup kitchen is cutting back on to-go meals. The outreach program is also now on pause. This means outreach staff have been reduced to part-time hours.
“You get to know these folks. You know them all and how difficult it is for them on a day-to-day basis and then you can’t provide that support you’ve been doing,” said Chippa.
"It’s a concern."
Chippa told CTV News that he fears closing the doors would put major pressure on area food banks and local church food banks.
In early November, the soup kitchen announced it was pausing its outreach service to West Nipissing due to a severe lack of funding and the loss of its outreach services kitchen used to cook food.
Staff would normally serve around 700 meals a week for that town's homeless and others who need a meal.
“There is no real core funding for an agency like ours,” Chippa said. “We don’t fit some of the niches that things like food banks would. We’re not part of Food Banks Canada because we’re not a food bank.”
The staff also run the city's warming centre during the winter months and when its doors were opened for meals, Chippa and the rest of the staff said they would normally see a reduction in clients - that didn’t happen this winter.
“Today for lunch we saw between 112-115 people. We used to see 90,” said Chippa.
“At dinner, we would see 110 or 115. Now we’re seeing between 130-140.”
Chippa said he fears that without donations to help stop the financial bleeding, the doors will close even sooner.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc says
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
Pastrnak scores winner, Bruins down Leafs 2-1 in overtime in Game 7
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
Bombarded with spam texts? Stats show the problem is getting worse in Canada
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.
King Charles III’s openness about cancer has helped him connect with people in year after coronation
King Charles III's decision to be open about his cancer diagnosis has helped the new monarch connect with the people of Britain and strengthened the monarchy in the year since his dazzling coronation at Westminster Abbey.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
A driver dies after crashing into a security barrier around the White House complex, authorities say
A driver died after a vehicle crashed into an outer perimeter gate of the White House complex, and the incident late Saturday was being investigated as a traffic crash, police said. U.S. President Joe Biden was spending the weekend in Delaware, and the Secret Service said there was no threat to the White House.
Warren Buffett says AI may be better for scammers than society. And he's seen how
Warren Buffett cautioned the tens of thousands of shareholders who packed an arena for his annual meeting that artificial intelligence scams could become "the growth industry of all time."
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.