There are many indicators when it comes to examining the troubles of Prince Rupert’s economy, from double digit Unemployment numbers and growing welfare case files to the ongoing vision of boarded up store fronts along the city’s Third Avenue shopping area.
But perhaps the most visual impression of just how bad things are at the moment can be found at the Salvation Army. Where the numbers of those making use of the city’s food bank and its soup kitchen are growing larger, well before the traditionally busy period of Christmas…
I will be short on this concirning Sally Ann , they the users take advantage of freebe ,that is why it is so busy.It is ahand out an no one is seein it, I have friends who have good job with good money that do not need it but go every month. The captain is leting them get away with it and not changin policy for needie , if they made change they would not get freebes. The town is not lookin and Sally Ann are not spendin money correctly , people are not all hard up but they will continu to steal from town an captain. Bad spellin but real message.
While I’m sure that some folks probably take advantage of the services of the Salvation Army, for the most part I think that they are providing a valuable social service for the community and one that clearly shows that these are some troubled times in the community.
Your past posts whenever the topic of their work comes up have always been somewhat contemptuous of their efforts, perhaps a bit of balance in your postings might help get your message across better.
For the most part it seems that most of your comments are mainly bashing them. Considering the state of the economy in this town, I think we’re rather fortunate that they do what they can even if some take too much advantage of what they offer.
The other option, of them not offering any services, would surely make for a worrisome sight in the city I would think.
I don’t really think that was “Spiders” intention to come off as bashing the Sally Ann. I think in his/her own way, trying to say the abuse of the service, especially the food bank, is out of control. I drop off food once in awhile when the air miles sales are on at Safeway and when Wendy and her volunteers are running off their feet in there, I have waited in the lobby. The stuff I hear is disgusting. Clients on their cellphones telling other folks to come down, "it’s free " or condeming the workers for not giving them the veg they want and so on. It is amazing what you can hear when you don’t mind waiting for a bit. Abuse runs rampant in there and the only rule is you are only able to come in once monthly, that is it. People driving up in cars better and newer than probably many of us on here. The workers in there are not servants anymore, due to the non-rules, they have become slaves and that is very sad. SA ia a necessary service but when you ask the community for support, I think they should be aware of what is really going on and not just be told it is due to the times. Sure, part of it is, but admit that it is FREE and they will always be there with their hands out. Lets get a dose of reality here, it is rediculous sometimes ,all these free handouts.
Unfortunately, there are always going to be those who abuse services, however I believe that the majority of those who are accessing the services at the Salvation Army are in need and are appreciative of the services, etc. Many of the people who frequent the Food Bank and Soup Kitchen are there because they have multiple barriers including addiction, mental health issues, disability issues, etc.these barriers often lead to some of the behaviours mentioned by previous posts. Maybe I’m naive or seeing things through rose-coloured glasses, but I prefer to believe that most people are not intentionally abusive and certainly not to people who are helping them.
I think Captains Gary and Nancy, the staff and volunteers do an amazing job for our community and its up to all of us as a community to help support those who may be falling through the cracks. Afterall, many of us are one or two paycheques away from having to rely on services ourselves!
I posted earlier but for some reason it never got on here and this disturbs me because it has happened with others a few times since the changes with HTMF. I posted about this Troubled Economic times and yes some of the abuse that I have seen with food bank and the soup kitchen use. I mentioned Spider and the possible issues he or she may have concerning the Thrift Store and some of them are equal to what I have heard from other people who used to go there. I have put in my time at the Food Bank as a volunteer and I used to pick bread up for the soup kitchen years ago. I have seen what one of the posts mentioned concerning people who drive fancy cars and SUVs, some and I will risk saying many do not need the service because some are longshore workers and pretty steady as well and some have office jobs. These individules act as if this is owing to them where I say it is a privilege to the ones in need. I have seen Wendy and staff go through some serious verbal abuse and sometimes very threatening. I used to see individuals sitting in the soup kitchen who sat there for hours everyday and refused to do jobs or twelve dollars an hour. I do agree with many of the posts which say this is a needed service but it must be monitored which would cut down on much of this abuse. Policies must be put in place and individules must be held to them. Yes we are in very hard times and from experience in serving the people for so many years I have found that no matter how good the service is some will find ways of abusing it for themselves. I respect the Captains and also Sgt. Ken but yes you are being taken for granted on some fronts.
Very good post Justin and as I have said many times, the more you give people and don’t make them responsible for what they receive in any way at all, the more they will demand. Get it once, get it twice, same old story. Other food banks in BC are not run this way and for the community to keep stepping up, maybe someone should spend a day with Wendy and her staff in there and see what a day is like. Might take off those rose colored glasses “community animator”. I agree that many of us are living to each paycheque but I know if I were ever in need, I would not be treating the hand that feeds me with such little respect and like I am deserving. It is not a right to receive these services, it is a priviledge.
As I stated earlier, I believe that there are undoubtedly a percentage of folks who use the Salvation Army’s services who abuse the system; either as people who don’t really need it or those who don’t appreciate it but i strongly believe them to be the minority. There should be a form of accountability set up for those who use the services regularly - i.e. volunteer hours are required, etc.
Perhaps I’m a bit too empathetic for my own good but I’ll keep my rose-coloured glasses on for the time being, its a much nicer way to view the world.That being said, I am a firm believer in karma though and those who abuse people and services inevitably get pay back somewhere down the line.
Sure there are some folks that take advantage of things that happens all the time. But really, if the Salvation Army didn’t do what it did in this town, who would.
Judging by some of the comments it should be more of a dog eat dog kind of thing out there.
Better controls perhaps may be required but overall they do a pretty good thing for this town.
If we look into the history of Salvation Army it was deemed to help the needy from the start , Mr. Booth I believe never looked at a church , temple or preacherman. We do see some wonderful work from S & A all over the world with many cultures and issues. But let us not forget the other Spiritual Figureheads in our community who also reach out to the people in need. Father Chris is a very caring and giving Church Leader, Sister Lorna and Father Martinson always extend their hands as well their hearts to anyone in need. I can not name every church in our community but they are all giving. So I praise all of these Churches and their leaders and I also point out that they are not being abused to the point Salvation Army is . Yes the rose colored glasses must remain off so you may all see the real picture , it is not a few percent . People who know me also know that I have never been one to pussy foot around and nerver shy from calling it straight. The food projects are very valuable yes but to know they are being robbed and abused is proving the need for policies to be put in place.