When word got out that a Weston-area church needed money for a new roof, the first donation came from a man who depends on it each week for food.
“It was some pocket change,” said Cassandra Golondrina, the deacon who leads St. Thomas Anglican Church. “It was like the widow’s mite in the Bible, small but so very significant.”
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It’s going to take a lot of pocket change to repair the roof of the church’s kitchen area, which was built in 1906. In total, $50,000 is needed.
The roof is failing, and there is a risk of long-term structural harm if it isn’t repaired.
“To ensure safety and preserve our mission, the roof must be replaced as soon as possible,” Golondrina said.
If that doesn’t happen, the church might have to close. That would affect a lot of people in the area; more than 300 people get a home-cooked meal from the church every Wednesday, including about 100 children.
About 60,000 meals have been prepared and served by volunteers who work out of the parish hall since the meal program began in 2019.
People who stop by can also pick up a box of fresh vegetables, non-perishable food and other items to help them stretch their budget for the week. Ninety to 100 food boxes are handed out each Wednesday.
Local Anglican churches, Manitoba Harvest and Peak of the Market donate most of the food while Maple Leaf Foods donates hams. The cooking, sorting and packing is done by volunteers from the church and other Anglican churches in and near Winnipeg. Expenses are covered by donations and grants.
Together with other programs offered by the church — including an emergency pantry and a clothes closet that provides coats, hats and gloves in winter — its economic impact to the community totals $2.1 million, according to Halo Project Canada, an organization that measures the socioeconomic impact of places of worship.
The organization, which studied the small congregation of 40 or so people, found every dollar donated to St. Thomas results in $43.87 of impact in the community. That’s more than ten times the national average for places of worship.
It’s all in danger if the roof isn’t fixed. “We’ve been getting holes in the roof patched,” said Golondrina, noting there are holes in the roof where water once leaked through.
Those holes have been patched, but that isn’t sufficient, she added; a new roof is needed.
Al, who didn’t want to use his last name, has been coming to the church every week for three years for food. “It would not be a good thing if it closes,” he said. “I hope the money is found to fix it.”
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Gerrard Lightfoot feels the same way. He also gets food from the church, volunteering to help on days when the food is distributed.
“It’s important to fix the roof so this can keep going,” he said, adding that the food he receives “helps out a lot … it makes my food budget go further.”
Volunteering, he added, “is my way of giving back.”
The cooking is done by Meredith Robinson, who has been volunteering in the kitchen for the past seven years.
“I don’t want to think about it if the roof can’t be fixed,” said Robinson, adding that providing food is “what churches are supposed to do. We want to be there for you when you want to celebrate, when you are mourning and if you need food.”
Looking ahead, St. Thomas has a vision for updating the church’s kitchen to meet rising demand for food and other services.
“But nothing else can really happen if we don’t have a roof,” said Golondrina. “It’s the umbrella that we do all of this under. So much is already happening here, and more could come, but not if we don’t address that first.”
Those who would like to donate to help the church fix its roof can do so at here. Cheques can be mailed to 1567 William Ave. W, R3E 1A7.
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John Longhurst is a writer based in Winnipeg.
This story was produced in conjunction with the Winnipeg Free Press, as part of a joint Religion in the News partnership covering issues of faith in Manitoba and nationally.
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