WATCH: A community organization that helps feed the hungry in Nanaimo desperately needs more help. The 7-10 Club, which serves breakfast between 7 and 10 each morning, needs more volunteers. The club’s coordinator says the core group of volunteers is overworked, people are getting sick, and it’s making it a challenge to feed those in need. Kendall Hanson reports.
The 7-10 Club is a busy place every morning. It serves breakfast to an average 170 people daily and many take a bag lunch too.
Its goal is to ensure people don’t go hungry.
“It’s very rewarding,” said Jack Peters a 7-10 Club’s Volunteer Coordinator.
“We have a wide range of people from little school children, with their mom’s and their dad’s, right up to pensioners and anything in between.”
But the volunteers who ensure everyone gets served, are in short supply.
“I would say we need another 30 volunteers in total to make this place run smoothly so we don’t overwork our current volunteers,” said Linda MacDonald, 7-10 Club’s Cook and Kitchen Manager.
“We probably need another 15 or so pretty urgently.”
It takes eight volunteers to properly serve all the clients each morning. Right now 7-10 is averaging about five daily volunteers, and some can’t stay the full morning.
“People have just dropped off recently so it’s been a little bit more of a precarious situation,” said MacDonald.
“I’m always on the hunt. I’m always on the lookout. If you’re not doing anything tomorrow morning at 7 o’clock,” said Peters, with a smile.
“But we have a core group of volunteers that are nothing shy of excellent.”
But many hands make light work and they’re hoping for 15 more volunteers to make sure these essential meals are given out to those who need it the most.
Kendall Hanson
