Ok, I don’t feel like I can write well enough to do justice
to this place, but for the sake of my mum and kids I will try. Yesterday we
called over to the soup kitchen as we had been asked and we ended up helping out a
bit and enjoying the delicious soup. There were plenty of volunteers yesterday,
but Sarah who seems to run the kitchen asked us to come back. So we went over a
bit earlier today and ended up there for a hard working 3 hours. We both helped
prepare food, serve food and clean up. Fifty plus people were provided with
lunch. After Sarah and Pudlo (a chef) left there were only Mike, Aud (from
France), and me to serve and clear up.
All the people coming for food were Inuit. Some of them take
extra food to eat later. One or two were deaf and a couple may have had special
educational needs. Some of them work but struggle to make ends meet. Housing is
very expensive here. Given that they were all Inuit – is it the case that at
least in this small corner of the world that you are only homeless if close to
home? The irony is that you will only be homeless here if you were born here. If
you are homeless you can’t move somewhere better. There are two overnight
shelters in town we think – one for women and one for men. The people who sleep
there are not allowed to stay there during the day. One of the ladies has a
pitch at the radiator in the entrance hall of the supermarket. She has a lovely
smile. She doesn’t beg, just stands in the warm.
On Monday morning
Sarah is going to teach me how to make soup for 70 people. She asked me, I didn't
volunteer - just to reassure my family I am not trying to overdo things, but
responding to need. Sarah is heading away ‘back south’ on Monday week and Ed,
another volunteer is heading south next month. In the Bible we are told to look
out for the poor and the weak. So it feels like an incredible privilege to be
able to serve these people. But there are huge issues for others to solve as to
why so many people here are homeless. The good news in the Bible includes
justice for the poor. At home I suppose I hope working with breastfeeding
mothers is working for justice. Although I work with a wide range of mothers, all
the babies are weak and helpless and I only get the opportunity to help
breastfeeding mums who are less well off if I hone my skills with the better
off. A friend and I do dream of a free clinic for breastfeeding help some day.
