OUT OF THE COLD AT ST. ANDREW’S
“The people of St. Andrew’s are called by God to serve in faith, hope and love in the heart of Toronto”. As one way to live out that mission statement, over twenty-five years ago, St. Andrew’s Church began to open its doors for people on the streets of Toronto, offering a place for them to come in out of the cold and have a good meal. Sadly, there are more people than ever responding to our invitation but St. Andrew’s continues to be a place where they find a good meal and some friends who care.
We have been offering community breakfasts year round on Tuesday mornings. From November until April, we have been serving supper on Monday nights. In recent years we have often welcomed OVER THREE HUNDRED guests on some evenings. Our chef works with a large team of volunteers to prepare delicious meals. Our mandate from the beginning is to serve meals that we would be proud to serve our family and friends.
In addition to serving wonderful meals, guests are welcome in our Boutique where they can choose new and gently used clothing as well as toiletry items. All of these items are donated. We now work in partnership with Brands for Canada and the Bargains Group.
ADJUSTMENTS DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC
Of course we have had to adapt our program during the time of the pandemic. We are currently only offering take away meals in order to comply with health and safety protocols. Since May we have been offering breakfast along with the Boutique on Tuesday and Friday mornings to an average of seventy guests each day. Our meal can include: yogurt, V8 juice, boiled eggs, multigrain toast, grilled egg sandwiches, bran muffins, fruit, water, and of course coffee and tea.
We will be offering a take-away supper meal beginning on November 9, 2020.
DONATIONS
We continue to welcome donations of new and gently used clothing and toiletries for our Boutique. Our greatest need is for men’s underwear, regular and long johns, large and extra large and socks. These must be new. We are also in need of disposable masks. Our guests often don’t have the facilities to wash cloth masks so we are asking for donations of new disposable masks. We are also willing to buy any of these items in bulk if you would like to make a cash donation. As the weather turns colder, we are looking for the following new or gently used items: Men: Gloves, winter coats, boots, sweat shirts, hoodies, sweaters, sweat pants, jeans (Sizes 34, 36, 38, 40) Women: Gloves, underwear, winter coats, boots, sweaters, sweat shirts, hoodies, sweat pants. Toiletries: Tooth Paste, Toothbrushes, Deodorant, Bars of Soap
If you would like to donate items, please arrange with the Church Office for a drop off time. co@standrewstoronto.org
To make a financial donation, click the “Donate” button at the top of this page and choose, “Out of the Cold Program” from the drop down menu.
VOLUNTEERS
We continue to need volunteers to make these programs work. Volunteers come from the congregation and the wider community. If you are interested in volunteering with us in the preparation times on Sunday or Monday or in serving meals or working in the Boutique on Monday evening or Tuesday or Friday mornings, please complete the online volunteer registration form. We will contact you to confirm your participation. In light of the changed situation we will limit the number of volunteers in each part of the program and volunteers must agree to follow all health and safety protocols in relation to preventing the spread of Covid 19.
If you would like more information, please contact us at info@standrewstoronto.org.
To volunteer with us, please click on the link below. Every individual volunteering with the Out of the Cold Program at St. Andrew’s must complete and return this form
Volunteer Application: http://tiny.cc/OOTC-2020-VolApl
