Sask. shelters, charities provide hundreds of pounds of food for Thanksgiving meals this weekend
CBC
Saskatoon's Friendship Inn served out nearly 2,000 meals in its largest Thanksgiving Day dinner Monday afternoon while others like it did the same this weekend.
Laura Herman, development & engagement manager at the Friendship Inn, said the kitchen team prepared food for as many as 1,700 plates Monday afternoon — but blew past their estimate, reaching about 1,963 meals.
That included preparing more than 50 turkeys, alongside hundreds of pounds in bread, stuffing, potatoes and vegetables.
"When we look back at some of the numbers from previous years, Thanksgiving is typically one of the larger meals that we serve," Herman said, noting there were about 1,200 to 1,300 meals served last year.
She said this year they prepared for more mouths after checking the amount of meals served at the Friendship Inn in August and September which were "two of the busiest months we've had on record."
"Those trends have continued through the month of October," Herman told Leisha Grebinski, host of CBC's Saskatoon Morning.
Herman expects the increased number of people visiting the Friendship Inn is because of the increased cost of living.
"It's what we all see when we go to the grocery store or go to fill up our cars with gas: things are just more expensive than they were," she said, adding it can make it difficult for people on a fixed income.
Despite the increased number of meals required, Herman said they stuck to their mantra to never turn people away.
"If we run out of turkey, we'll turn to ham; there's always a backup plan," Herman said early Monday morning before the dinner. Later, she said that's what they did.
"We don't ever want to turn anyone away and see anybody go hungry."
Herman said she depends on the community to keep the pantries and freezers stocked and appreciate the support from those who donate.
In North Battleford, the Miwasin Kikinaw homeless shelter, operated by the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs, served about 60 meals on Friday afternoon as part of its Thanksgiving dinner.
The shelter offers people a place to sleep and provides meals separately as well.
The notion that home ownership guarantees financial security in old age is being challenged by a recent survey.
The family of Nash Prystie has identified him as the man who died in an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) shooting earlier this month north of Kenora, and is calling for more and quicker help for people with mental health challenges.
Playoff action in the Ontario Hockey League gets underway Thursday night for Guelph and Friday in Kitchener.
UPEI wants its faculty to sign on to an updated version of its sexual assault and discrimination policy, but the union that represents the school's academic staff says it wants the policies to be part of its collective agreement.
In Texas this week for a global energy conference, the federal natural resources minister is proclaiming "Canada is back" and ready to bolster its energy sector and grow exports.
Members of Parliament last year went on the fewest sponsored international trips in the last 15 years, excluding the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontario is running out of time to beef up rules that would crack down on negligent and misbehaving municipal politicians ahead of the next civic election, some experts and opposition critics warn.
Six London teens are each facing multiple charges following a break-and-enter spree at homes in the city's southwest end early Sunday, police said.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is putting the finishing touches on completing the Team Gushue Highway, but it means drivers might have to change their routes until later this summer.
Passage of the Nova Scotia government's budget bill stalled late Tuesday night when a group of singing protesters shut down the final vote to approve the budget.
Health Minister John Dornan said Woodstock-based eVisitNB will continue to provide virtual health-care services to New Brunswickers for another 90 days after March 31.
The head of Canada's largest airline has been summoned to Ottawa to explain why he spoke only in English when he offered his condolences to the families of those killed or hurt in the collision between a plane and a fire truck at a New York City airport on Sunday.
Manitoba is bucking a national trend by promising to slash its deficit, while boosting health care spending by nearly $1 billion and delivering modest affordability measures, including a PST cut that will save you money next time you buy a soda and bag of chips.