The Welland Community Breakfast Program at Holy Trinity served its first-year meal on December 1, 2021. Over 150 volunteers are involved in providing a free hot meal to upwards to guests every day from 7:30 until 8:30 am. Daily guests range in numbers from 70 to 100 and the number of meals prepared are adjusted daily based on the number of breakfasts served the previous day. No guests are denied a breakfast.
The Welland Breakfast Program was started by Jim Butts, a parishioner from Holy Trinity Welland. One day, late in 2020, Jim encountered an individual in early morning who was aggressive. Jim talked with representatives from Beyond the Streets about the encounter and they shared the concept of "hangry" - hunger causing individuals to become angry. At the time, there were meals available to those in need at noon in Welland; however, there were no programs addressing hunger issues in the morning in Welland. The issue troubled Jim and he approached parishioners at Holy Trinity and other community members about his concerns. Jim fundraised and organized the Welland Breakfast Program which opened it's doors on December 1, 2021.
The Welland Breakfast Program is modelled in part by the St. David's Anglican Church's program in St. Catharine. The Welland Breakfast Program is operated out of Holy Trinity and supported by over 150 volunteers.
This seven day service, for anyone in need, was designed to help the particicpants start the day off with a hot nourishing meal. The meal is served takeout style and the bag contains a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar, a breakfast sandwich (an English muffin, egg, ham and cheese), a container of 100% orange juice, a napkin and spoon. Each guest is also offered a choice of tea or coffee.
We have 31 volunteer teams, consisting of 5 to 7 team members, who commit to serving one day a month. Volunteers contribute over 5,000 hours in making this program successful.
Should you be able to commit one day each month to join a team, we would love to hear from you.
Your financial contributions help make this program a
success.