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PODCAST: The eye-opening truth about Gathering Place clientele

'I can grab three or four meals with a protein and a salad, according to the Canada Food Guide, and take them home and I can still eat with my kids. And, that keeps me from being homeless, it keeps the lights on, it keeps the rent paid ... that's what people mistake in thinking all we do is serve homeless'
BayToday Staff

In the To North Bay With Love podcast clip featured above, host Lisa Boivin and guest Dennis Chippa discuss how The Gathering Place is more than just a soup kitchen and how important it is for people from all walks of life. "Using a soup kitchen doesn’t mean you failed. It means someone or something has failed you," says Chippa.

Then, they dive into the stigma of soup kitchens.

"The community assumes all of our meals are going to homeless people ... we feed homeless, for sure. However, not everyone who comes in the door is homeless ... One of the most challenging messages to get out to the community is what we do is the prevention of homelessness."

Of the 130 dinners or so the Gathering Place serves, Chippa says, "Maybe 50 or 60 are to homeless." The evening service also tends to include families and single individuals with two or three kids, plus the working poor, and students. They are seeing a recent increase in women and seniors.

Alluding to a recent talking point in the community, Chippa confirms The Gathering Place has been regularly serving 20 to 25 international students per day. 

"They are vulnerable," Chippa states about the international students. "They have food insecurity issues, they have housing issues, they have the stress of exams — especially the international students as they try to navigate a new country, a bus system, a weather pattern — these poor kids are coming in here and their bodies are not ready for this."

While breakfast and lunch are dine-in meals, dinner meals are available for carry-away.

"If I'm a single dad with two or three kids at home, I can grab three or four meals with a protein and a salad, according to the Canada Food Guide, and take them home and I can still eat with my kids. And, that keeps me from being homeless, it keeps the lights on, it keeps the rent paid ... that's what people mistake in thinking all we do is serve homeless."

The full podcast episode is available on the North Bay Echo Community Podcast Network. This and other community-driven podcast offerings can be found at North Bay Echo.