Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many meals do you serve?
We serve 3 hot meals per day every day except Sunday. On Sunday, we serve brunch and supper. That equals 20 meals per week.
Are you ever closed?
We never take a day off! The basic human need of sustenance and care is so important that we stay open every day, including all holidays.
Is all your food donated?
The majority of our food is donated by several grocery stores, warehouses, Hutterite colonies, churches and workplaces and individuals.
What do you need money for if all food is donated?
We still need to pay for our utilities, wages for our meal coordinators, security staff, drivers and janitors. We also use funds to repair and maintain all our equipment in the kitchen, and our vehicle (which we use to pick up daily donations). And we also buy our own paper products and cleaning supplies.
Food Donors
- Costco
- Save-on Foods
- Safeway South
- Safeway West
- Little Caesars
- Tim Hortons (Scenic)
- Sobeys
- Bread Milk and Honey
- Bootsma Bakery
- A&W
- Cavendish
- Lantic
- Rivaaz Restaurant
- El Greco
- Hutterite Colonies
- Bishops Store House
- Broxburn
- 4H Beef Club
- Bens Quality Meats
- Tortilla Mexicana
- Cuppers
- LA Chef
- Salvation Army
- Fairwinds
Organizations we share food with
- Interfaith Food Bank
- Lethbridge Food Bank
- Coaldale Food Bank
- Senior Homes:
- Haig, Halmrest, Hardie, Castle
- BGC Canada
- Nicholas Sheran School
- Immanuel Christian School
- Lethbridge Christian School
- R-space
- Youth One
- Left Overs
- Lethbridge College
- Safe Families
- My City Care
- Nanton Food Bank
- Soup Bowl
- Teen Challenge
- Island Lake Bible Camp
- Southern Community Food Security
- Nord-Bridge Seniors Centre
- Vets Foodbank
- Indigenous Recovery Centre
- Shaughnessy Centre
- Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution
*Thanks also to our many donors, both individual and corporate, who prefer to remain anonymous
Our Staff Team
| Name | Position(s) |
|---|---|
| Bill Ginther | Director |
| Ellis Veenendaal | Manager/Meal coordinator |
| Kay Crittenden | Meal coordinator |
| Maeghan O’Leary | Meal coordinator |
| Al Nelson | Meal coordinator |
| Stephen Roach | Meal coordinator |
| Amy Kreft | Meal coordinator |
| Jenn Butyn | Meal coordinator |
| Carolynn Viau | Meal coordinator |
| Jackie Kienen | Meal coordinator |
| Anita Braun | Meal coordinator |
| Bonnie Chartier | Meal coordinator |
| Lena Derksen | Meal coordinator |
| Abby Johnson | Meal coordinator/Security |
| Cory Duncan | Security |
| Meaghan Galanopoulos | Security |
| Olivia Barnes | Security |
| Gill Singh | Security |
| Faron Sanche | Security |
| Charlie Pawluk | Security |
| Travis Darr | Security |
| Stuart Hill | Security/Driver |
| Greg Dyck | Driver |
| Stan Bosma | Janitor |
| Aris Slingerland | Janitor |
Our Board of Directors
We are very fortunate to have an active and engaged volunteer Board of Directors who serve faithfully from year to year.
Kevin Wilms
President
Noreen Fawcett
Treasurer
Justine Dueck
Secretary
Fola Soboyejo
Director
Bonnie Chartier
Director
John Van Dyk
Director
Carmen Bodnarchuk
Director
Our Mission
As an organization our mission is to share the love of Jesus with our homeless neighbors by providing them with hot/nutritious meals.
Our Vision
As an organization, we seek to work toward the alleviation of local/area food security.
- We recognize that there are hurting people in our community struggling with mental health issues, addictions, homelessness & poverty.
- We seek to provide services in such a way that is respectful and honors the dignity of the individual.
- We will do this by providing wholesome & nutritious meals to our homeless neighbors who are experiencing many challenges,
- We also seek to distribute food to many different organizations in our city.
- Our approach is also to provide public education/media awareness through presentations on Poverty, Addiction & Homelessness.
Our Organization’s History
The Lethbridge Soup Kitchen has been serving meals to guests for the past 39+ years and will continue to do so as long as there is a need.
We are blessed to have a great core of volunteers from many churches and service clubs in Lethbridge and surrounding area, many of which have served for as long as we have been in existence. We have upwards of 800 volunteers representing all ages and walks of life.
We are also very grateful to our many suppliers, who provide us with most of the supplies we need to prepare the meals we serve. We are always amazed at how caring and supportive our community is and how willing they are to donate items for as many years as they have – a BIG thank you goes out to all of them! We are also blessed to have the support of numerous churches that have placed us in their annual budget and contribute a designated amount on a regular basis. We are also amazed at how often we receive unsolicited donations from volunteers and members of the general public. Gifts such as these ensure our continued operation and ability to serve those in need in our community.