The impetus behind the benevolent mother ship known as Central Outreach Hub is simple: There are hungry people out there, let’s feed them.
Peter Sheridan is head of the addictions-recovery team at Central United Church, which runs the hub. A recovering alcoholic himself, Sheridan helps oversee the hub’s soup kitchen, clothing-donation program and affordable-housing partnerships, all as a volunteer. If you call him a saint, he will laugh and continue doling out lunch and hugs to the myriad vulnerable Calgarians who know him by name.
“It was our dream at Central United to do more for homeless folks,” says Sheridan. That dream came true when, one Sunday morning a couple of years ago, he and his fellow do-gooders asked the Crazy Indians Brotherhood Calgary (the local chapter of the non-profit organization) to round up anyone downtown who might need a meal.
More than 200 Calgarians showed up for lunch at the church that day, many unhoused, some working poor, all struggling to the point that a midday meal wasn’t a given. Within weeks, the Sunday soup kitchen became a Tuesday thing as well. From there, the hub quickly evolved when Good Neighbour community market started dropping off hundreds of pounds of donated clothing to hand out; paramedics showed up to help people with unchecked injuries and street-sore feet; and representatives from The Alex came to help with housing, financial or social support.
Just as no one seeking a meal is ever turned away from the hub, nobody seeking a turn at doing good leaves empty-hearted. From ladling soup to sorting clothing to, as Sheridan puts it, “just having the patience to sit there and listen to someone’s story,” there is always some way and someone to help. Show up any Tuesday or Sunday morning and, by afternoon, you’ll have made someone’s day better — including your own.
The mission of Central United Church includes caring for and “radically accepting” others. Alongside many local mental health, addictions-recovery, housing and non-profit organizations, the church’s staff and volunteers serve vulnerable Calgarians. The hub operates on private donations including food from Safeway, Starbucks and other retailers. Volunteers are always needed; visit centralchurch.ca, go to 131 7 Avenue S.W. or call Peter Sheridan at 403-805-4887.