The Elgin Street Mission in Sudbury says it's helping more people right now than ever before and the nonprofit has been operating for more than 35 years.
Officials told CTV News they are seeing new faces including families with children who are seeking both meals and other basic needs. The mission said it is in desperate need of donations to meet the growing need.
Volunteers prepare homemade meals at the mission – feeding more than 450 people between both breakfast and dinner everyday.
“Those are numbers we haven't seen in the history of the mission,” said director Amanda Robichaud.
“Of course we see a lot of new faces in the summer and a lot of different people throughout the summer months but we have never seen this kind of growth.”
Ginette Grandmaison is the basic needs coordinator at the mission. This section of the building offers showers, clothing and personal hygiene products to those in need. She said the recent heat is hard on clients who spend a lot of time outdoors.
“We are in dire need of sunscreen,” said Grandmaison.
“They spend an average of being outside I would say probably 12-16 hours a day just being outside and going from one area to another of our community. So it is very important and also hats.”
Officials added that given the heat they are also in need of bottled water and cooler clothing such as t-shirts and shorts.
- Download the CTV News app now and get local alerts on your device
- Get local breaking news and updates sent to your email inbox
The mission also asked that anyone who can donate their time do so as there is also a shortage of volunteers.
“We want to work with volunteers whatever their schedule is we really want to accommodate for that,” said Robichaud.
“Just (having) some people down here seeing what we are doing being part of what we are doing down here and meeting the needs.”
Donations can be dropped off at the back door of the mission.
For more information on the Elgin Street Mission’s initiatives and needs, visit their Facebook page.
