Volunteers To Be Applauded

Charity starts at home. A proven adage which was corrupted by PET and his cradle to grave just society which turned charity into a cottage industry for social in-activists , politicians and beauracrats. We spend something like $200 million a year on the homeless problem in Toronto....where does that money go? How much goes to St. Aidan?

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Volunteers outnumber homeless
Out of the Cold program at church off to a slow start
January 23, 2007
Dale Anne Freed
staff reporter

George Crawford has a hard time making ends meet. So when St. Aidan's church opened its Out of the Cold program last night, the 66-year-old eastender was first through the doors.

"I came for the meal ... I plan on coming here on Monday nights," said Crawford, who lives in the area of Kingston Rd. and Queen St. E. and has volunteered with food banks and at a hospital.

"It's a difficult city ... I'm a pensioner. By the time I pay my rent, close to $800 a month, I don't have much left," said Crawford, who worked in the construction business until retirement. He was one of a handful of people in need of food or shelter who turned up at the Beach-area church at Silver Birch Ave. and Queen St. E.

A threatened legal suit from anonymous Beach residents opposing the program, due to fears of dropping real estate values and rising crime, seemed to evaporate after an open house last week, said Rev. Stephen Kirkegaard, an Anglican priest at the church. Experts were at the open house to present the facts to the nearly 300 area residents who dropped in.

"After the open house, anybody with any concerns had their fears allayed. By and large the community is on board – and that's the Beach," said Kirkegaard, who supported the vision of Dr. Michael Chambers, a parishioner at St. Aidan's, to launch the program at the almost 100-year-old church. There are Out of the Cold programs across the city.

The temporary program at St. Aidan's will provide food and shelter for 12 people for 10 weeks on Monday nights.

Not all twelve beds were filled last night. By 9 p.m., six men and one woman (part of a couple) had showed up to spend the night, said Kirkegaard.

They were outnumbered by 20 church volunteers, two Anglican priests, volunteer high school students from Neil MacNeil high school, a group of waiting media, Sister Susan Moran, the nun who started the Out of the Cold program in Toronto, police Const. Rob McDonald and a lot of goodwill.

"We have every confidence this will run smoothly," said McDonald. "It will take a while for the people to feel at home here before they start coming," said Moran, of Our Lady's Missionaries. "There's a real welcome spirit here."

Waiting for the arriving visitors was hot broccoli soup, donated by Quigley's restaurant across the street, steaming hot shepherd's pie, vegetables and apple pie baked by the church volunteers in the gym just below, and 12 neat mats lined up for the overnight guests.

"Bob" was one of those. "He's homeless. He's trying to find housing. He's waiting to get his official ID. But if you don't have an address it's hard to get ID," said Kirkegaard.

Some, like Wayne, 43, only stayed for coffee. He came to wish Kirkegaard good luck in the program before heading across the street to distribute copies of a street newspaper. "I have a roof over my head now. But I used to use the program," said Wayne. " I don't want to take food that someone else might need."

"This is good karma, for the church, for the people who have this program," said David Cheung," in his 50s, who came for the hot meal. "I say thank you on behalf of the homeless people," he told Moran over dinner.