The Hamilton Spectator Weekend Life -- Final Edition
Saturday, December 23, 2000
Out
of the Cold
Story And Photos By Barry Gray
The Hamilton Spectator
It's Tuesday afternoon in downtown Hamilton. A couple of weeks before Christmas, there's a hustle and bustle in the air. Too many people are too busy trying to create the perfect holiday.
It's easy for those less fortunate to get lost in the shuffle.
But they, too, move with purpose this day. They're drawn to a church basement at James and Jackson streets.
Not everyone has forgotten them.
Inside James St. Baptist Church, the program Hamilton Out of the Cold is in full swing. Members of the Jewish community, from Beth Jacob Synagogue in West Hamilton, are taking their weekly turn running the show. A small army of volunteers is slicing buns, making soup, washing dishes, or preparing for what is about to transpire.
Hamilton Out of the Cold was started in 1997, by Sister Carole Anne Guay and her friend Gloria Colizza. Walking downtown, Sister Carole Anne passed a woman, huddled beneath newspapers on a bench. Next to her, bundled into a shopping cart, were all her possessions.
"That really got to me," recalls Sister Carole Anne. "I thought, why is she there on that bench, and not me?"
The Sister and her friend paid a visit to the Toronto chapter of the program, learned how they operated, and began Hamilton Out of the Cold shortly after. In its infancy, the program ran Monday nights only. It's now open four additional evenings -- Tuesdays at James St. Baptist Church; Wednesdays at St. James the Apostle Anglican Church, at Barton and Ottawa streets; Thursday at Central Presbyterian Church on Charlton Avenue; and Saturdays at Ascension Anglican Church at John Street and Charlton Avenue. Its success is bittersweet for those who volunteer their time. The number of volunteers is growing in proportion to the numbers of people who need a hot meal or a place to spend the night.
It is word of mouth, or a subtle nudge that brings them in from the streets. Sister Carole Anne's advertising consists of small cards she carries. "If somebody approaches me on the street for money, I give them a card -- I don't give them money," she says.
The program runs during the coldest months from November through March. It's as basic as the necessities of life it provides.
At 4 p.m., the doors open, and a bowl of hot soup and a bun await the first group. By 5:30 p.m., a nutritious hot dinner is being served. And by 6:30 p.m. most have left, disappearing into the corners of our city. A few will stay the night, finding safety and comfort on a mat in the basement of a church. At 6:30 the following morning they are awakened, given a hot breakfast, and sent on their way.
The Tuesday volunteers carry out their duties under the watchful eyes of co-ordinators Gloria Silverman and Madeleine Levy. Silverman, who began volunteering on Mondays last year, recognized Hamilton Out of the Cold as an opportunity for the Jewish community to give something back. "As long as homelessness exists, and as long as people are hungry, then it's very important for us, as members of the human race and as Jews to do what we can, and to interact with people that we would not come in contact with otherwise," she says.
In the kitchen, cook Miriam Davidson is preparing to feed the masses over the program's massive new stove. It's a commercial unit, converted for home use, funded largely through the good folks at Dofasco. And it's a beaut -- 10 gas-fired burners, two ovens, and heat to spare.
On this night, more than 100 guests come for soup and a chicken dinner. The sanctity of a house of worship is not lost on the assembled. It is quiet and respectful; there is friendly banter between the guests and volunteers, each of whom is benefitting from being here. "They are very, very grateful for what we are doing. They will sometimes write 'compliments to the chef' on their serviette, and we will hang it up in the kitchen," notes Sister Carole Anne. "When we take the tables and chairs down at night, there's not a crumb on the floor."
Before dinner is completed, work has begun on transforming this dining room into a bedroom. Mats are laid, sheeted, and dividers are placed between each to create a level of privacy. Four men will stay this night. Spending the day on the street takes its toll; they will be asleep before most children.
Hamilton Out of the Cold exists solely through donations, not a penny comes from government. Women like Sister Carole Anne and Gloria Silverman have become adept at finding the money necessary to keep it going. Silverman figures it costs about $600 a week to run, half of which pays the overnight security. Multiplied by 20 weeks, it adds up to a lot of generosity.
Still, there is room for more. Donations are welcome, but, since they buy their food in bulk quantities, cheques (payable to Hamilton Out of the Cold), not canned goods, will help keep the program afloat. If you can help, contact Sister Carole Anne at (519) 308-8447.
Alfred, one of the many less fortunate who gets a helping hand from Hamilton's Out of the Cold, quietly consumes his soup and roll as volunteer Sarah Gerber, 18, offers soup to others.
Krysten Strybosch, 18, wheels the dessert tray around the room for the many guests to choose from. The homeless and less fortunate people who come to the Hamilton Out of the Cold program during the winter months, are offered meals and a place to sleep for the night.
(While) ... Morley McArther washes some of the steady stream of dishes generated by those who have come to the program for the evening in search of a good meal, ... Cook Miriam Davidson and program co-ordinator Madeleine Levy discuss preparations for feeding the 175 or so guests that come to the program on most evenings during the winter months.
Sarah Coleman, Samantha Richter and Rebecca Coleman slice and butter some of the 20-dozen buns that will be fed to the hungry guests during the meal.
Cindy Richter returns from the kitchen with another large tray of fresh buns for the guests who chose to come in from the cold on this night.
The program, which buys its food in bulk, uses any financial donations
it receives to keep the kitchen stocked for the hundreds of people who
depend on the service.
