If you’re looking for a warm meal and a welcoming space, The Cambridge Vineyard Christian Fellowship has its doors open. Through its Urban Hope program, the church at 147 Elgin St. N. in Cambridge provides hot meals, snacks to go, clothing, showers, and laundry facilities on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program also helps connect people with other community supports and services.

“We’ve always fed those in need, clothed those in need… it’s in the DNA of our church,” explains Christine Lakatos, the director of Urban Hope and a pastor at the church. “We’re loving on our own city and meeting the needs.”

Every month, volunteers from Cambridge Vineyard, other local churches, and the community help prepare and serve over 2,000 meals using food from The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. Many of those who access the meal program also lend a hand.

“We so appreciate the food that [The Food Bank] supplies,” Christine says. “We don’t know where we’d be without it. It’s a huge blessing.”

The meals offered vary, ranging from soups and sandwiches to pizza with coleslaw, pasta dishes, and French toast with bacon, sausage, and fruit.

“It’s nice to be able to provide a meal people may not have the resources or cooking facilities for,” explains Louise Wyszynski, one of the volunteer cooks at Urban Hope. “And that people from many walks of life can sit down and eat together.”

Christine notes that while they primarily serve refugees and individuals experiencing homelessness, hunger can impact people in many different situations. She shares a story of one person to illustrate this point.

She says, “We had a new fellow come in and he was well off but now he’s not. He’s just trying to survive. And he’s like, ‘I never thought I would be in this place. I’m going to have come here, and I so appreciate that I can at least know I can get a warm meal because we just can’t afford it.’”

Ultimately, Christine and Louise are glad they can provide meals to people who don’t always know where their next meal is coming from.

Louise adds, “By providing some basic needs and community, participants may feel more able to make decisions for themselves that will build them up and give them hope for their future.”

The Cambridge Vineyard Christian Fellowship is one of 54 organizations in the Community Food Assistance Network. Visit the Urban Hope webpage to learn more. If you’d like to help The Food Bank support Network partners like The Cambridge Vineyard Christian Fellowship, visit our Get Involved section on our website to learn more about donating food, funds, or time.