Care for Friends serves 9,000 sit-down, hot meals each year to any guest in need through a three-days-per-week lunch program. Our meals are planned to address the unique needs of unhoused populations, emphasizing fresh produce and high protein contents. Meals are served with dignity and respect through a volunteer corps of neighborhood community members, corporate groups, senior citizens, and school groups. Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10:30am - 12:30pm
Guests of this program receive foot care and evaluations twice per month by a team of volunteers including nurses as well as podiatric and medical doctors. The clinic provides referrals to regional free health clinics and hospitals for more urgent medical conditions. Typically, this is the only preventative care our guests are receiving. Through this program, we are helping to reduce reliance on emergency rooms as a primary source of care for the populations we serve. Third & Fourth Saturdays from 10:00am -12:00pm
We invite representatives from a variety of partner organizations to attend our meals on a rotating basis to start creating community connections with our guests. This familiarity makes it easier for our guests to overcome uncertainty or barriers they may perceive exist for entry into programs that address the causes of homelessness, and provides access to life and career skills training, housing resources, quality job placement, addictions recovery, mental and physical health counselling.
Through our Toiletries and Hygiene Program, guests receive complimentary haircuts by a trained barber and personal hygiene kits for basic self-care. They have secure access to basic washroom facilities for personal hygiene needs. We also partner with Shower Up, which is at Care for Friends every Thursday, from 10:00a - 12:00p, weather permitting. Guests have access to a clean, private hot water shower for up to 30 minutes and receive toiletries, fresh undergarments, and a towel to Shower Up!
At each of our meals, guests have access to a seasonal clothes closet, which can provide four articles per guest per week. Saturdays from 11am - 12:30pm
Guests have access to a selection of up to 5 fresh items and/or non-perishables. Thursdays from 10:30am - 12:30pm