Achi news desk-
Since Souls Harbor Rescue Mission opened its first ever location in Cape Breton on February 26, the community has shown plenty of support for the new drop-in center in Sydney Mines, NS.
“One hundred and fifty volunteers (have) joined from Cape Breton, (they) overwhelmed the Halifax database,” said Alana MacLellan, drop-in manager for Souls Harbor Sydney Mines.
Sydney Mines shelter staff recently received a few large donations.
Philthy Philly’s, a restaurant in Sydney, dropped off a large amount of leftover ground beef but Souls Harbor didn’t have a deep freezer to put it in.
Moments later, another truck pulled up to the building.
“The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, because Schwartz and their freezer were here at the exact same time that their ground beef arrived,” MacLellan said. “So we were able to take our ground beef and put it in our brand new freezer. “
“They’re not reaching the numbers they were initially looking at, but those numbers are growing every day,” said Cape Breton Regional Councilor Gordon MacDonald, whose district includes the new Souls location Harbour.
Souls Harbor estimates they serve 25 to 30 people a day in Sydney Mines.
That’s not nearly as many as the 200 a day their shelter sees in Halifax, but MacDonald says he’s seen the need in his community firsthand.
“People call every day, about those kinds of issues, ‘I’m hungry, I have no oil in my tank, where am I going to get the next food for my children?’ Or even a place to stay,” MacDonald said.
While the unexpected donation of the ground beef – and the freezer to put it in – was undoubtedly a recent highlight, it was far from the only donation in the more than two months since opening day.
“Every day, we’ve received a gift – and we don’t know where the gift is going to come from,” MacLellan said.
On Monday, a new ‘free mart’ space will open at the Sydney Mines Souls Harbor shelter, offering clothes and personal items to anyone who needs them.
“We know that more than 600 families live on less than $22,000 a year, and of those a portion live on less than $11,000 a year,” said MacLellan.
