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Lunch program launching in Bonnyville

20.05.05.Lunchprogram
The Bonnyville Community Lunch Program will begin on Monday, May 4 at the St. Louis Parish Hall. Photo by Robynne Henry.

BONNYVILLE – The Bonnyville Community Lunch Program is offering food for those who need it.

The initiative was launched thanks to a group of volunteers who came together to give back during the coronavirus pandemic.

“A few local people got together and we were wondering how we could help the poorest of the poor in our community,” explained volunteer leader Les Parsons. “That’s the people that are most affected by the pandemic.”

Beginning on Monday, May 4, the program will run Monday to Thursday from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the St. Louis Parish Hall in Bonnyville.

“We’re not charging anyone who comes,” Parsons stressed. “It’s open to parents with kids and anybody in the community from this region. We call it the Bonnyville community, but they can be from close by here as well. People that are hard hit by job losses, there are some businesses that have had a really hard go, and some people have been temporarily laid off. So people that are trying to provide food for themselves or others.”

After the Bonnyville and District FCSS received approval from their board to fund the Bonnyville Community Lunch Program, they reached out to the Bonnyville Baptist Church as a number of the volunteers are from there.

“It’s a community volunteer project, so we’ll support the volunteers and we have the capacity to be able to front the food costs on this because money is available through the COVID-19 provincial grant program,” detailed David Beale, director of community services for Bonnyville FCSS.

Although it started mainly by volunteers from Bonnyville churches, Parsons noted anyone interested in lending a hand is welcome to.

“For us, it’s the pandemic combined with the hardships of the oil and gas industry. It’s kind of a double-double, but this one was really initiated because of the pandemic and the concern for people who might not have the resources to meet their food needs right now,” he explained. “That’s what we’re doing, and we’re only providing four out of 21 meals per week. People are still on their own but we thought this would help in some way for those in need.”

Since announcing the launch of the program, Parsons has been blown away by the number of people reaching out to help.

“People are texting, emailing, and saying ‘how can we help? What do you need?’ and stuff like that. I think the smaller the community in anything like a pandemic or crisis, the better the community spirit. We don’t want to see people fall through the cracks here like they might in the big cities, this is community spirit at it’s best with the responses we’re getting from everybody.” 

Anyone looking for more information on the Bonnyville Community Lunch Program can reach out to Parsons at 780-691-6912 or fellow volunteer leader Sherry Bourget at 780-812-0215.

Robynne Henry, Bonnyville Nouvelle

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