North Bay soup kitchen fights to stay open after $140K funding request denied
The Gathering Place board chair Peter Gregory is vowing to fight to keep the doors to the Cassells Street soup kitchen open after the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board denied their six-figure funding request.
"We want to keep the doors open," Gregory said.
The Gathering Place board chair Peter Gregory is vowing to fight to keep the doors to the Cassells Street soup kitchen open after the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board denied their six-figure funding request. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)
"We accepted it last month that there wasn't going to be any money coming … We've implemented different ideas to raise funds."
The social services board said it denied the request for $140,000 because the soup kitchen didn't produce the required financial documents in time.
Chairman Mark King said the board asked to see the statements to justify The Gathering Place’s operation. The decision not to provide the money was supported by almost all board members.
"They couldn't provide the documentation. So, quite frankly, there was no other alternative," King said.
"That's kind of a line in the sand. We have an obligation to spend taxpayers’ money in the right way."
But he said the decision doesn’t mean the board doesn't support the vital work done by staff at The Gathering Place. When it provided three daily meals, it served 300 meals each day.
Seventy per cent of its clients are not homeless.
The Gathering Place board chair Peter Gregory is vowing to fight to keep the doors to the Cassells Street soup kitchen open after the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board denied their six-figure funding request. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)
Chairman Mark King said the board asked to see the statements to justify The Gathering Place’s operation. The decision not to provide the money was supported by almost all board members. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)
King said the soup kitchen received $50,000 last year to help cover operational costs.
"There's major food insecurity in the city," he told CTV News. "But there’s a major concern about the viability of The Gathering Place and their ability to continue to support the system."
A delegation from The Gathering Place approached the board with its request in September.
"If Mark said that, then that's fine," Gregory said.
"When we walked out of the meeting last month, we said that we weren't going to go back."
In August, The Gathering Place laid off several staff members and reduced its meal service to just one per day during the lunch hour.
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
The decision came at a time when donations dried up and both the cost of food and client numbers skyrocketed.
The board admitted that a major misstep was not paying remittance to Revenue Canada. The Gathering Place refinanced its building to make ends meet, fixing that problem.
"Our doors are open. We want the people to come in," Gregory said.
"Don't think that the doors are closed."
The board is now looking at bringing other people on board with financial expertise or financial background to help the soup kitchen find ways to raise money.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel launches strikes on military targets in Iran, escalating Mideast wars
Israel pounded Iran with a series of airstrikes early Saturday, saying it was targeting military targets in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired upon Israel earlier this month. Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, though there was no immediate information on damage or casualties.
'I did everything I could': Canada Post driver recounts helping save woman from fiery Tesla crash
Canada Post driver Rick Harper recounts how he and others helped save a woman from a Tesla that caught fire after crashing into a guardrail on Lake Shore Boulevard.
An abrupt goodbye to a guerilla goldfish aquarium beneath a leaky Brooklyn fire hydrant
A makeshift aquarium that popped up this summer in a puddle beneath a leaky fire hydrant in New York City has been paved over, to the dismay of neighbours who turned the area into a hangout spot and goldfish shrine.
Scotiabank confirms outage for mobile, online banking resolved
Scotiabank has confirmed outages affecting mobile and online banking services, according to a statement published to its X account.
Mother who beat and starved her 5-year-old son to death sentenced to over 50 years in prison
A New Hampshire woman was sentenced Friday to 53 years to life in prison in the death of her 5-year-old son, who was beaten, starved and exposed to drugs before his 19-pound body was found buried in a Massachusetts park in 2021.
Pizza inadvertently infused with THC sickens dozens in Wisconsin
Pizza inadvertently laced with THC has apparently sickened dozens of people in Wisconsin.
'Get away from your inner circle': Liberal MP 'shocked' PM didn't take more time to reflect on calls to resign
Longtime Liberal MP Wayne Long says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should give more weight to the views of his backbenchers in determining his future leading the Party, rather than relying on those in his immediate orbit.
Mom and child jumped from a window to escape a Las Vegas fire that killed 2 children and 2 adults
Two adults and two children were found dead in the charred rubble of a house fire after a mother and another child jumped from a third-floor window to escape flames in a southwest Las Vegas neighborhood, authorities said.
Four arrested in Poland over alleged plot to send explosives via courier to Canada, U.S.
Polish authorities have arrested four individuals they allege planned to send parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials to Canada and the United States, according to Poland’s government website.