Breakfast has long been touted as the most important meal of the day, and a group of local volunteers has come together to provide a healthy meal each morning to the city’s most vulnerable.
“We didn’t want to repeat programming already offered in the city, but rather determine where there was currently a gap and then try to fill it,” says Christine Nayler, chair of the Burton Avenue United Church Outreach Committee.
She had wanted to do something to honour her son, Ryan, who died in November after a long battle with addiction.
“I wanted to support others in the community who are struggling with similar issues,” she says, adding you can’t separate mental health or addiction issues and homelessness. “It’s hard to maintain housing when you’re struggling with addiction or mental health issues.”
After consulting with individuals involved in direct outreach in Barrie, Nayler was told about the warming centre located at the downtown bus terminal on Maple Avenue and learned there was no food or drink offered for those who were using it.
From there, the Breakfast on the Go program was born.
“There’s nobody serving breakfast to the homeless community, so I decided that was something we could do. We originally thought we’d start with three days a week and a couple volunteers,” Nayler says.
The response from both the homeless community and individuals wanting to volunteer was immense, she says. They are now on site seven days a week.
The first day of the Breakfast on the Go program, Nayler and her fellow volunteers served approximately 15 people. Volunteers are now setting up outside the bus terminal seven days a week and are typically seeing more than 25 individuals utilize the program.
After seeing just how big the need was, Nayler put a call out on social media seeking volunteers and donations of food. That call did not go unanswered.
“People wanted to be part of this program. Since COVID, people have been isolated and haven’t had many opportunities to volunteer. We had a huge outpouring of support from people wanting to donate to the cause as well as to volunteer their time,” she says, adding the program has had so many offers of food that she’s actually had to turn donations down.
She has also had to get her church involved after realizing they needed more space for all of the donations.
“Now the kitchen at the church is overflowing with food, but it’s the first time the church kitchen has been used since March, which is wonderful," Nayler says.
Coun. Keenan Aylwin, who represents the downtown, and his father Randy Aylwin were among those who jumped at the opportunity to help with the new initiative.
“It’s just such a good thing for the community, People need support in our community and showing it with food and coffee is one excellent way of doing it,’ says the Ward 2 councillor. “The agencies in our city all do excellent work, but are struggling to keep up with the need. We are in a housing and homelessness crisis, a toxic drug drug crisis — and on top of that we are in a global pandemic — so there’s lots to do to support people.”
Randy Aylwin says he's always overwhelmed to see how much support initiatives such as Breakfast on the Go receive.
“All you have to do is open the door for people to show you how much they love one another. Just look at all the food. It’s amazing how many people step forward and want to help," he said.
Volunteers have been baking up a storm, notes Nayler, which means the program is able to offer a variety of baked goods each morning, along with a hot cup of coffee, water and juice boxes and some even some cheese, yogurt and hard boiled eggs.
“It’s amazing what a community can do when you ask them to come together to support people in need," she says.
“We have also been sending them with a takeaway bag that contains some baked goods and cheese or some fruit and a juice box so they can have some nourishment later in the day as well,” Nayler says, adding some of their current needs include hot chocolate packs, individually wrapped tea bags, cream, sugar and Ensure.
Nayler has realized that it’s more than food that people need — especially during the cold winter months, and is encouraging anyone interested in helping to consider collecting warm socks or gloves.
“When you’re living outside, you need to stay warm," she says. "If your socks or gloves get wet they’re no good if you can’t wear them and have nowhere to dry them.”
Anyone interested in providing financial donations can do so by contacting Burton Avenue United Church. Donors should specify the funds are for the breakfast program, and any donation over $5 will be issued a tax receipt.
