You, dear donor, have been contributing to the ongoing work of the Red Deer Soup Kitchen. Located in an Albertan urban center with significant poverty, it is a haven for people struggling through some of life’s darkest challenges. Your donations have been joined by those of local supporters and assistance from the Alberta Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. With your help, the staff members and volunteers deliver around 600 meals per week and perform a week-long street outreach that meets the needs of a community struggling with extreme mental health issues, substance abuse, poverty, homelessness, and more. Very often, people too often cast aside by society simply want a listening ear or willing prayer partner, which the Red Deer Soup Kitchen staff willingly provide.

The soup kitchen serves broader social needs as well. Through the team there, you have been supporting the project participants during court dates, helping with probation compliance, creating opportunities for those with community service requirements, advocating for the sick and injured as they navigate the hospital system during emergencies, and dispensing or applying medication under the supervision and direction of the Alberta Health System. These actions have earned the trust of people seeking a way to catch a break from life on the street, as well as respect from the broader community.

Healthy meals on Thursdays and Saturday evenings complement a well-loved Sunday brunch with waffles, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, and muffins. These meals build bridges. One young foster youth with autism, other mental health issues and addiction had been living in a dumpster in the local area. After marking a new start with grape juice and a cracker, he has begun volunteering at the Soup Kitchen and serving food to locals who used to mock and torment him.

Another young person, wounded by the lifelong absence of his parents, has been seen checking in on other young people on the street, telling them to come to the soup kitchen for clean clothes and snacks. Your support of ADRA’s national programs is turning people seeking help into helpers themselves, one life at a time.