One afternoon in November, a couple dozen people gathered in the church hall at the Main Street Baptist church to sit down together for lunch. Chicken soup, egg salad sandwiches and warm apple crisp were just some of the menu items on offer, all prepared by volunteers with the Main Street Cafe, a new initiative spearheaded by Main Street Baptist member Jennifer Ward.

Ward says the idea behind the cafe is part social outlet and part meal service. “There’s a lot of new people in the area,” says Ward. “And with the rising cost of food and fuel and everything, there’s some struggling people out there.”

Ward says she’s even noticed people sleeping rough in town recently. Couple that with the shadow pandemic of loneliness, especially in already isolated groups like seniors, and Ward saw an opportunity. “I thought, well why not open our doors and invite these people in? Whether you’re hurting, whether you’re hungry, whether you’re lonely or new, come on over,” says Ward.

Researchers say that in 2021, about a fifth of New Brunswick households were food insecure, meaning they were concerned about meeting their food needs at some point in the year. We’re now at the end of 2022, and though the data is not in yet, it’s hard to imagine that number will have gone anywhere but up, considering rapid inflation in food prices and other basic needs like housing in the past year.

Sackville is not immune. Though there’s no specific measure for the town, organizations like the Sackville Food Bank have reported increased demand for the stop-gap service they provide to supplement grocery budgets of area residents.

Now the Main Street Cafe will also be there to help. The cafe is starting out running monthly, with its second serving slated for Tuesday, December 13, from 11am to 1pm. Ward says volunteer capacity and demand grows, so will the frequency of servings.

Ward says the cafe is made possible by the help of volunteers, and donations from the community. “We have a lovely group of people, right here from Main Street, that were eager to get this thing started and do what they can,” says Ward. “And we’ve had a lovely outpouring of support from the town.” Ward is accepting monetary or in kind donations to help support the program. “I had a lovely lady bring a 50 pound bag full of vegetables, so that’s fabulous.”

Ward knows that with homelessness and housing insecurity on the rise, the cafe won’t solve all the community’s problems. “This is just a just a small way that we’re trying to help,” says Ward. “We know this is not going to solve all the problems, but maybe it’s a start.”

You can catch the next cafe on Tuesday, December 13 from 11am to 1pm at the Main Street Baptist Church hall, just up the street from Sackville town hall. “We would absolutely love to see you there, says Ward. “We’re going to have a turkey dinner with all the fixings, so you will not go away hungry.”

CHMA dropped by the Main Street Baptist church hall for the inaugural cafe in November: