The St. Vincent de Paul Society in Prince George is in desperate need of volunteers to help run its meal programs, the Standing Committee on Public Safety heard in a presentation at its Tuesday, June 17 meeting.
Society board member Bernie Goold told committee members that they’ve had a difficult time finding volunteers after the COVID-19 pandemic and they have just four staff members.
“We had to close our facility down during COVID and we have been unable to have guests inside since COVID,” Goold said. “Our problem is we’re a non-profit, not an essential service agency, so we are very limited to the grant funding that we can get.”
For breakfast and lunch services, which are offered every day of the year, five to six volunteers are needed per meal. Due to cleanliness reasons, patrons are no longer allowed to pour their own coffee.
There are also evening sandwich handouts, which Goold said has fewer issues with volunteers because those participating are only asked to help every second week.
The society operates a thrift store on Third Avenue and it made a profit of $51,000 in 2024. However, Goold noted that the store also gave away clothing and household items.
On top of serving meals, the society also provides food hampers for families in need.
Through a foundation in the Vancouver area, the society is provided with $7,000 a month to purchase fruit and vegetables. Some of the produce goes into the meals served by the society and more than 100 vegetable bags are handed out to patrons every week.
“It’s a sad thing to say in a province that grows so much that vegetables and fruit have now become a luxury for most people,” Goold said. “They can’t afford to buy the apples and stuff that they used to.”
Before the pandemic, Goold said, they typically received around 800 banana boxes worth of non-perishable food items in November and December each year, which provided enough to fill hampers through the next July.
At the end of last year, they received just 139 boxes of food, which was a four-year high but nowhere close to pre-pandemic levels.
With the reduction in donations and the increasing need from patrons, Goold said, the society is “ashamed of the hampers that go our of our facility.”
“We are now giving families just the basic needs for a week or maybe 10 days,” she said. “We don’t have the luxury items.”
She estimated that the society spends $15,000 to $18,000 a month on food, which is paid for through donations from that Vancouver-area foundation and monetary donations,
Sometimes, Goold said, people will comment to her that maybe the society’s patrons are double-dipping and getting assistance from multiple sources. Her response to that since their hampers aren’t lasting two weeks any longer, it’s no wonder that some people in bad circumstances must go to another agency.
The biggest increase in need the society has seen comes from seniors. Goold said every day, someone comes and picks up lunch for 12 to 15 seniors who need a meal.
Many times, Goold said, they’ve observed that senior women do not have a pension beyond what they receive from old age security.
While there is a local Meals on Wheels program, Goold said they don’t operate on statutory holidays. To fill that gap, she said the society has partnered with the local Rotary Club to deliver food on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
At Thanksgiving and Christmas, the society hands over 15 to 16 turkeys to the College of New Caledonia’s culinary arts program. Those students are then taught lessons as they prepare the birds for the society’s patrons.
More information on how to volunteer or donate to the society can be found online at ssvdppg.com.
