THUNDER BAY – Soup's on for dozens of the city’s homeless and low-income residents.
On Monday the local chapter of the Salvation Army unveiled a new $120,000 retrofitted soup van that will travel both sides of Thunder Bay each night, serving up soup and sandwiches to the hungry.
The $120,000 retrofitted van is a lifeline for many, said Major Lori Mitchell, the executive director of the Salvation Army.
“This is to replace our 17-year-old existing van, which has seen better days and is starting to cost more than it’s worth,” Mitchell said at a ceremony held at Pinewood Ford, the dealership having helped the organization source the vehicle.
The van will serve a couple of purposes, Mitchell added.
“It’s a fully functioning kitchen and has a very powerful grill. We can cook just about anything on it. The ventilation system is really over the top and it allows us to do what we need to be able to do,” she said.
“It’s got a two-burner stove and a full fridge and running water.
“It means we can go out on the street and feed people every day of the year, as we’ve been doing, so we’re going to be able to continue doing that.”
The van will also be able to be mobilized should the city experience any major disaster, like the 2012 flood.
It’s impact is huge, she said.
“We feed anywhere from 60 to 100 people a day. We will have two stops, one in the north end and one in the south end. I think there are a lot of people who rely not only to have the food, but to have the contact,” Mitchell said.
“For some people it’s the only human contact they have all day.”
Acting mayor Paul Pugh said the van has an important role to play in the day-to-day life of the city and in the case of an emergency like the flood.
“Hopefully we don’t have another (flood) like that, but whatever does happen, with this vehicle the Salvation Army is going to be in a much bigger position to play an even greater role than it traditionally does in emergency response functions,” Pugh said.
