Busy times at The Gathering Place Soup Kitchen

The usual lull after the holidays never materialized at The Gathering Place Soup Kitchen this year.

Executive Director Dennis Chippa tells BayToday the first 10 to 15 days of January are typically slow, then they pick up, but that’s not the case this year.

“You could see the numbers we were still getting 50, 60, 70 people for supper so the numbers never went down like they usually do,” he says.

Chippa says they don’t ask why, but also says people don’t have money.

There have been new faces too.

“Some of the folks that are here may not have been here before to eat, but they’re homeless now and they’re staying here with us (The Warming Centre) overnight so then they’re here,” Chippa tells BayToday.

In terms of The Warming Centre, he says their Cassells Street location has been at or close to capacity each night.

File photo by Linda Holmes/BayToday.ca