The Loft, a ragged looking building in downtown Brandon, doesn’t look like a sanctuary for those in need, but open the doors and go up the narrow flight of stairs, and your eyes will be opened.
It’s up those stairs that Doug Orr and Helping Hands have been helping people who need it the most for nearly the last 15 years.
“We stick to our mandate; Feed without Judgement,” said Orr, “it’s just a great way of giving back and trying to help people turn their lives around.”
Looking at the buffet-style serving table set up, you will see a big variety of food, all of it made entirely from donated goods from citizens of Brandon. Most donations are collected at all the grocery stores around town, or from the congregation at the Calvary Temple, who, led by Pastor Gary Jennings, collects and donates
specific food items whenever The Loft, which is open Monday to Friday from 12 till two, is running low.
“If each church donated the way Pastor Gary does, we would never be short on food,” said Sharon Ballingall, a volunteer at The Loft.
The volunteer staff at The Loft do the best they can possibly do with what they have, but sometimes there is not enough food to go around. For example, they get so few donations of milk, they only allow children to have one glass, and adults never get any. There have been days they have had to turn people away because they had no food at all. “This organization is bigger than most people realize,” said Orr, “we need all donations we receive.” Thankfully, with such little food, few people are abusing the system said Orr.
“I’d say less than 1% of people coming through us are using the service when they don’t need it. Waiting in line with the people who actually need our help opens your eyes to the conditions some people live in,” said Orr, “and not many people are willing to stand around and take from these people that already have nothing.”
Helping Hands have had rough patches over the years, nearly going bankrupt at one point. The only direct fundraising they do is a Membership Drive every December. The organization asks for donations starting at $5, which is enough to buy two meals for someone. “We get huge support for the Membership Drive,” said Orr, “And not just in Brandon, but the entire Westman area does an excellent job at helping out.”
Despite community help, The Loft is often short-staffed, especially in the summer months. “Normally we get around 150-160 people a day, but when the summer months come around, that number goes up to around 230, so our staffing demands go up,” said Orr.
Helping Hands and The Loft do their best to help people find their feet and turn their lives around, and Orr shared one of his favourite success stories about a woman who turned her life around thanks to the help offered.
A woman was married and doing very well financially, but unfortunately suffered a divorce and lost everything. Orr suggested volunteering to her, because “The best way to make yourself feel better is to help other people feel better,” Orr believes. The lady followed the suggestion and started volunteering at The Loft, while receiving assistance at the same time. Eventually, from the hard work she put in, the lady got the job as a Co-ordinator for Helping Hands, and made enough money doing that to move to Winnipeg and get her feet under her.
Orr tells the story of the woman as one of their biggest successes, but says he has many more to tell.
Helping Hands doesn’t directly offer services to people seeking additional aid, such as housing for the homeless, but does point people in the right direction. “We don’t have our hand in any other help organizations, but we are pleased to be able to point people towards the help they need. We are useful in helping people find help,” said Orr.
Volunteering time at The Loft is a real eye-opener for many people to the situations that less fortunate people live in, and in some cases it inspires people to do more. Lynne White is one of those cases.
White had been volunteering for a number of years at The Loft when her husband, Ian White, and her decided to try something different. The Whites moved to Kenya, Africa, and started an orphanage called Pentecostal Evangelical Fellowship of Africa Rehema Children’s Home. PEFA has been running on entirely donations for the last five years, and now holds 42 children, but White still comes back to Canada once in a while to continue volunteering at The Loft.
Orr hopes that over the summer people keep remembering to donate what food they can, and donate some of their time to help prepare and serve the food being donated.
“Every little big helps,” said Orr, “and what is a more effective way of giving back to the community than helping the less fortunate?”
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