As of May 31, Neighbours Outreach Wetaskiwin (NOW), which has been serving the community for over two decades, will no longer be providing services.
The registered non-profit organization has operated a five-day-a-week soup kitchen for about 24 years. They also give out some limited food hampers, hygiene kits and, occasionally, donated furniture items to those in need.
NOW's board came to the heart-wrenching decision recently to shut down after determining that due to declining donations and volunteerism, the charity was out of options and would have to close its doors.
NOW board chairman Blayne Leeuw said it wasn't a decision they came to lightly.
"It wasn't an easy decision to make," said Leeuw.
"The funding is getting hard to receive, and it's harder to find volunteers so we just had to make the decision."
Donations have been slowing over recent years and it's getting harder to cover their expenses, as the cost for groceries has been affecting everyone, he said.
"We're not the only ones that are struggling with a decrease in support."
Leeuw said it was incredibly difficult to tell their patrons about the decision to close.
"You have a number of people that come for soup on a regular basis and they've become your friends," he said, adding the board and their volunteers have gotten to know people on a first name basis over the years.
"It really isn't just a soup kitchen," he said, explaining not everyone who comes is necessarily just hungry - they come for the social aspect as well.
Operational funding for NOW came entirely from donations and has largely been supported by local area churches over the years. The non-profit has never received government funding, said Leeuw.
He added their six board members are also aging and some are moving away, while others are experiencing health issues and they just aren't able to carry on.
Another consideration was that Hope Mission will be opening in the summer, said Leeuw.
"They might take up some of the slack because of our closing," he said.
Leeuw said NOW has been struggling for years to find enough volunteers.
Ideally, four volunteers are needed each day to serve soup and they only have a volunteer base of about eight people, Leeuw explained.
Because the soup kitchen runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., people who work aren't able to volunteer and they must rely on retired people, he said.
Besides availability issues, serving in a soup kitchen just isn't for everyone as it requires face-to-face interactions that not everyone is comfortable with, Leeuw said.
"Unless they have an interest in doing it or believe in our purpose its hard to get people," said Leeuw.
"You have to have an interest in caring about people."
The soup kitchen started out in about 2001, using a portion of the building they now own, the former Wayside Chapel, located at 5009 48 Ave. It was a small operation with just a few people. In 2006, the group became registered as NOW.
While the board has determined it must shutdown operations under the NOW title, if someone was interested in purchasing the building and continuing the soup kitchen under a completely new organization, that is something the board would consider, said Leeuw.
As the soup kitchen runs Monday to Friday, the last soup lunch will be on May 30.
The soup kitchen, which had humble beginnings and only ever aimed to serve the community, will end how it began - humbly, and quietly without fanfare.
"It's going to be a hard enough day ... we'll serve soup, clean up and lock the door," said Leeuw.
