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INUVIK
The Ingamo Hall Friendship Centre is in the soup. Literally.

Inuvik Mayor Floyd Roland said he is not surprised with the territorial budget announced last week. - T. Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

Two weeks ago, the hall opened the doors to its first-ever soup kitchen to lend a helping hand to Inuvik's homeless and impoverished population.

Ida Stewart has been in charge of the kitchen since its opening. She said the hall staff discussed the move "on a Friday and we were up and running by Monday."

"We're open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.," she said. "There's a real need in the community for this."

The soup kitchen initiative is being funded by a government grant, said staff member Sandra Gordon.

While there is no fee for people to come in to use the kitchen and no screening, she said the focus is on the town's homeless and "less-fortunate" population.

With the town mired in an economic slump, there's no shortage of people needing something like a soup kitchen, Sonny Arey added.

He's been volunteering with the kitchen since it opened. He said the need for the kitchen resonates with him, since he's been in those straits himself.

"I think it's a great idea," he said. "We used to stay at the library, at NorthMart and a few other places to warm up. Security used to kick me out a lot.

"It's really helpful because it puts food in your stomach and gives you the energy to go on," Arey added.

The program fills a gap for the people who use it, Stewart explained.

The homeless shelter is closed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., she said. So that leaves many of the people who stay there at night with nowhere to go during the day.

"They go to NorthMart, the library, and use it to warm up," she said, echoing Arey's comments. "It's too cold for people to just wander around."

"When we first opened, we had maybe six people coming. Now we have maybe 20."

Stewart and Arey said Inuvik's homeless population numbers easily 25 or 30 people, and perhaps more. That's significant in a town of some 3,500 people.

The town is an expensive place to live, they said, and many people have been crushed when the oil and gas industry in the NWT went from boom to bust.

Stewart is working with a $10,000 government grant to run the program until the end of March. She's hoping it can continue after that point, but isn't sure if funding will be available.

"I'm hoping it continues. The churches shut down their programs when the weather warms up," she said.

She's spending about $300 a week on food for the kitchen, and some donations are coming in.

"We serve anything we can whip up. I make a pot of soup or something out of whatever is at hand, and make doughnuts and sandwiches. It's just to keep them going until they have their supper."

The shelter has beds for four women and 16 men, Arey said. More room can be made available as the need arises.

Alfred Stewart was visiting the kitchen for the first time Thursday.

"It's a good lunch and a good idea," he said.

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