Centre 105, Agape Centre implement food to-go options

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By Shawna O'Neill
Centre 105, Agape Centre implement food to-go options
Agape.

CORNWALL, Ontario – Local centres that provide essential meal services are cooking up new strategies amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Agape Centre has closed its soup kitchen and Centre 105 has discontinued its sit-down breakfast for the time being. But both establishments are offering to-go meals services.

“Starting at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 16, we will have a breakfast pick up location, which will be at the window of our building (Trinity Anglican Church, 105 Second St. West), nearest to the entrance off the parking lot. There will be bright signs indicating where breakfast can be picked up,” said Taylor Seguin, Centre 105 Program Coordinator. “The breakfast pick up window will be open for our regular drop-in hours, which are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.”

“Appointments for the food bank will continue as scheduled,” read a similar statement on the Agape Centre’s website. “Prepared boxes of food will be given out at the door – there will be no access to the food bank. Boxes will be equal to the amount of food received during a regular appointment. We will make every effort to ensure that our clients are supported while we take the necessary COVID-19 precautions.”

A statement on the Agape Centre’s Facebook page thanked the public for thinking of the Centre and those who attend it.

“We’ve had lots of folks asking how they can help us right now. Thank you for thinking of the food bank!” read the statement. “We are not in need of additional volunteers at the moment, but we will let you know if that changes!”

The Agape Centre is accepting donations, including gift cards to local grocery stores and food items, from Monday to Friday, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Thursday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Anyone looking to make an appointment for a food bank pick up is asked to call 613-938-9297 ext. 126.

“I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the team of staff and volunteers at the Agape Centre,” said Executive Director Lisa Duprau in a social media statement. “What we accomplished (on March 16) was amazing. Soup kitchen hours were extended to ensure that everyone was given a hot meal. We served 102 lunches…Boxes of groceries were packed for each food bank appointment as well as crisis situations that walked in without appointments. I could not be more proud of how everyone pulled together to ensure that people we support are prepared for the upcoming week. Once again, thank you to everyone!”

To learn more about the Agape Centre, visit their website here. To learn more about Centre 105, visit their website here.

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