Latest news with #HarvestHouse
CTV News
25-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘Significant win': Moncton shelter re-instates community meal program
The kitchen at Harvest House in Moncton, N.B., is pictured. (CTV Atlantic / Derek Haggett) A downtown Moncton shelter will continue to provide three meals a day and other services to the community. Harvest House Atlantic announced its Community Support Program will continue. Running from July 1 and to Dec. 31. On June 17, Harvest House Atlantic executive director Leon Baker told CTV News Atlantic the organization would stop providing meals and services to non-residents of the homeless shelter because they couldn't afford to feed the community as a whole. Harvest House is collaborating with its federal and provincial partners, and through the support of the Greater Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee, to continue providing its program to non-shelter residents. In a news release sent Wednesday, Baker said the news was a 'significant win' for the members of the community they serve. 'We're incredibly thankful for the timely support that has come together to make this possible. It's a reminder that when the community works together, meaningful impact follows,' said Baker. The renewed funding will support a six-month extension of essential services that include: • Breakfast, lunch, and supper daily • Access to sandwiches and water at the door 24 hours a day, seven days a week • Laundry and shower services • Referrals and case management support • Overdose prevention and response • Outreach services • Access to an indoor area during extreme weather conditions In the news release, Harvest House said it still has various costs remaining, including food supplements, cleaning supplies, utilities, and outreach materials. Donations can be made by visiting or by calling 506-866-0626. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
19-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘We're going to make it work': Moncton soup kitchens prepare for additional guests
The kitchen at Harvest House in Moncton, N.B., is pictured. (CTV Atlantic / Derek Haggett) Thursday was another busy day at the Ray of Hope Soup Kitchen in Moncton and it's likely to get even busier in the coming days and weeks. Kitchen manager Barb Mackenzie said they serve between 80 to 100 meals a day, every Monday to Friday. But she expects those numbers to jump drastically. On Tuesday, Harvest House Atlantic executive director Leon Baker told CTV News they would be phasing out their meal programs and other services for people not staying at the shelter. Baker said provincial funding hasn't been cut, but they just can't afford the additional $38,000 a month for the services. Debbie Bieman and Barb Mackenzie Debbie Bieman and Barb Mackenzie at the Ray of Hope Soup Kitchen in Moncton, N.B. (CTV Atlantic / Derek Haggett) Mackenzie believes that will put a strain on her operation. 'We are probably going to see a fair increase. I would say 20 to 30 people a day, I would imagine,' said Mackenzie. Debbie Bieman, the other full-time employee at Ray of Hope, said things are already hard enough. 'We're going to make it work, but yeah, there's going to be a strain definitely,' said Bieman. 'There's a strain now. It's hard. We're feeding twice the amount of people that we did last year at this time. Twice. We're not getting any more food. We're just making it stretch farther.' Barb Mackenzie Barb Mackenzie looks at her weekly schedule in the pantry of the Ray of Hope Soup Kitchen in Moncton, N.B. (CTV Atlantic / Derek Haggett) Around 100 meals are served a day a few blocks away at Karing Kitchen. 'We can't imagine it's not going to have an impact,' said executive director Bruce Lawson. Harvest House stopped serving breakfast this week and the breakfast program at St. George's Anglican Church is scheduled to stop at the end of the month. 'We're seeing an increase in our number even this week,' said Lawson. 'We're seeing new faces and we're seeing faces we haven't seen in a while showing up at our doors.' Bruce Lawson Bruce Lawson, the executive director of the Karing Kitchen in Moncton, N.B., is pictured. (CTV Atlantic / Derek Haggett) The Humanity Project serves between 250 and 300 meals a day seven days a week, but they actually ran short on Wednesday night by around 15 people. Staff scrambled to make sure no one went hungry, but Humanity Project founder Charlie Burrell said the end to programs provided elsewhere is going to have a huge impact on them. 'At supper time we're expecting to have quite a few more people showing up because they no longer have a meal one block over from us,' said Burrell. Like the staff at Ray of Hope, Burrell is expecting the extra mouths to feed will be a huge strain. 'This whole last year has been a huge strain. As the numbers keep increasing and going up, you need more volunteers to help and it's hard to fill those voids when the numbers just keep getting higher and higher day after day,' said Burrell. Charlie Burrell Humanity Project founder Charlie Burrell is pictured. (CTV Atlantic / Derek Haggett) Working Poor Lawson said only five to ten per cent of the people they serve are homeless. The hope is to receive more funding from the provincial government and donations from the general public as they do their due diligence in preparing for the extra guests. 'We've upped our seating capacity downstairs here. We've talked to our volunteers about the additional workload we're about to see. So yeah, we've covered all of our bases and we're ready willing and able to serve the additional people,' said Lawson. Everyone is welcome to come for a meal at Ray of Hope, not just the city's homeless. 'We've got senior citizens that have enough money to pay their rent, but they're hungry, they come in, we feed them,' said Bieman. 'We have moms and kids that come in. Little children, sweet little children.' Up to 30 per cent of the people served daily at the Humanity project are experiencing homeless. 'The rest are seniors on fixed incomes. Families with children,' said Burrell. 'Or you'll see people pull up in their work truck or in their work uniforms, get out and grab a meal because they can't afford rent. There's a lot of people struggling.' For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
17-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Moncton shelter phasing out some services
Atlantic Watch The Harvest House in Moncton is phasing out meals and other services for non-residents.
CTV News
17-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘We're losing it all': Moncton shelter to phase out community services
Matt Gennis serves up lunch at the Harvest House Community Centre and Shelter in downtown Moncton. (CTV Atlantic/Derek Haggett) It's lunch time at Harvest House Community Centre and Shelter in downtown Moncton. Staff have made dozens of sandwiches for clients, and members of the community who have popped in for a bite to eat. Wayne Peters isn't a resident of the shelter, but he frequently makes the short walk for a meal, but that's not going to last. 'I use other facilities here too. Laundry, they do here for us and they're shutting that down. We're going to have to find our own way of doing stuff. And this is where we get our meals and the meals here are pretty good. Very delicious meals here, but we're losing it all,' said Peters. Harvest House Executive Director, Leon Baker, confirmed to CTV News on Tuesday that the organization will stop providing meals and services to non-residents of the shelter. Leon Baker Leon Baker is in the Harvest House Atlantic office on High Street in downtown Moncton. (CTV Atlantic/ Derek Haggett) 'Because the need is so great now in the community, we can't afford as an organization to feed the community as a whole. We're serving 700 meals a day, 365 days a year,' said Baker. The 60 residents of the shelter, plus the men and women in addiction recovery programs, will continue to receive three meals a day, but not the working poor, seniors and newcomers who use the service. 'Those are the folks that we are no longer going to be able to serve,' said Baker. 'With a heavy heart, we've had to make that decision to ensure that we have continuity for the organization moving forward, but there's no way that we can afford the overhead cost, the food cost to serve 700 meals a day.' Harvest House will use a phase out approach to ensure they allow the community and the people they serve to adapt. This week, laundry service will be discontinued, and breakfast will be for shelter guests only. The following week only a full supper will be available for the community. From July 2 on, meals will be for shelter guests only. That's bad news for David Messenger and his partner Tamara Fitzgerald who fled the wildfires in southern Manitoba to come to Moncton. David Messenger David Messenger and his dogs Roxie and Penny inside his camper trailer. (CTV Atlantic/ Derek Haggett) Messenger was employed, but his job was getting too physically demanding for the 62-year-old. For now, the couple along with their two dogs and a cat, are living out of a camper trailer. 'We wanted to start a new life,' said Messenger. They've been eating at Harvest House until they can get back on their feet. 'When we came here, we didn't have anything. By the time we got here we had spent everything we had on fuel. We didn't even have any food,' said Messenger. 'We've been getting three meals a day at Harvest House, and they've been letting us use the showers. Otherwise, where are you going to go to get clean?' Fitzgerald said the news is disappointing for them, but she's also worried about those living on the streets. 'There are people that are more in need that could really use their services all around,' said Fitzgerald. Baker wanted to make it clear provincial funding hasn't been cut for programs; they just can't keep up with the demand and the additional monthly expense of $38,000 to feed anyone in the community who needs it. He did however go to Social Development and the Department of Health to ask for more assistance. 'Unfortunately, when they came back, they weren't able to provide the funding that we need in order to feed the community at large,' said Baker. The Department of Health did raise their annual grant for food from $5,000 to $20,000 a year. 'But when our costs are $38,000 a month to feed the community at a whole, at large, it just wasn't enough to meet the needs,' said Baker. Baker said their loyal donors have been very good to them, but looking for a nearly additional half million dollars annually to keep programs for the community running might be too much to ask. If someone were to come forward, Baker said they would certainly keep the programs going. However, Baker said the shelter won't say no to anyone desperate for a meal. 'Reality is if somebody really showed up at our door, absolute dire straits in need, you're not turning anyone away,' said Baker. CTV News has reached out to the provincial government for comment. More to come….. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Harvest House seeks donations to help residents get ahead
A program designed to help local residents get ahead is in need of help to continue. As residents with low income scramble to pay their bills, they are often unable to take steps to better themselves. Instead they live in a reactionary mode, constantly addressing the most recent crisis. 'Together, we can break the cycle of poverty — one meal, one relationship, one future at a time,' Harvest House Executive Director Amber Case said. Get Ahead Burleson, a 16-week program hosted by Harvest House, empowers individuals facing poverty to examine their lives and communities, identify barriers to stability and build practical tools to reduce debt, increase income, access vital resources and create a long-term plan for success. At 9 a.m. each Wednesday, participants enjoy a shared breakfast — a simple act that builds connection, trust and a safe space for transformation. 'Whether it's tacos, fruit, pastries, juice or a financial gift, your support offers more than nourishment — it restores dignity, sparks hope and strengthens lives,' Harvest House Program Coordinator Niki Cary said. The program is based on the 'Bridges Out of Poverty' model used in 46 states and five countries with over 80,000 Ruby Payne has a 30-year history of studying the culture of poverty, addressing possible solutions and influencing communities to work together to alleviate barriers. The main goal is to equip participants to better understand how our society and economy work. By graduation, they will recognize the impact poverty and low wages have in their lives and what it takes to move from a just-getting-by world to a getting-ahead world. 'Getting Ahead helped me realize that stability is possible — for me and for my children,' one participant said. 'I'm building a better life, one step at a time.' Business leaders serve as guest speakers, providing networking to bridge the gap between economic classes and increasing social capital as they build relationships. Harvest House is seeking donations or sponsorships to continue providing the meals through Aug. 20. To get involved or make a donation, contact Cary at 817-295-6252, ext. 106, or nikic@
