Death on the Street
It can be a hard world; even with the best of intentions and the help of caring people, not everyone makes it. Richard White, known as Big Rick to his friends, and he had many friends, died in Courtenay behind a dumpster at the rear of Shoppers Drug Mart last month. Aged 54, Big Rick died of natural causes, although which of his several health conditions caused his death is not known at this time. A bout with pneumonia last winter, from which he never fully recovered, no doubt contributed. He had sheltered all brutal winter in an unheated, mouldy camper which would not be conductive to healing. The alcohol didn't help either.
Orville Buckle, known as Junior, aged 72, had died a few days earlier, in hospital, of cancer. Junior wasn't homeless, he'd figured out to keep it together enough to hang on to a place, but he was a soup kitchen regular, one of the marginalized in the community. He had friends too, and a big heart, always looking out for others.
We don't usually hear about the deaths of those on the fringe. This is changing; in the deaths of Big Rick and Junior, separate memorial services were held for each man in the Salvation Army Community Church. Thanks to Chad Block and Shawn Wilson, who work for the Sally Ann on the frontline of the fringe, and their supportive pastor, friends and family, as well as service providers were able to say good bye, and mourn, in a decent way, out loud and unashamed. Whatever their place on the socio-economic ladder, both deceased were real people who had touched others, each with his own history, his own story. As Chad Block says about Big Rick: “if you've met one homeless person you've met one homeless person.”
“Homeless” or “marginalized” or “fringe”, just words..... Everyone is different.
I keep hearing the first stanza of the old Barbra Streisand song 'People' running through my head:
People,
People who need people,
Are the luckiest people in the world
We're children, needing other children
And yet letting a grown-up pride
Hide all the need inside
Acting more like children than children
Soup Kitchen Closure
It is now open again, but the downtown soup kitchen at St. George's United Church was closed for the last week of May by the church board as a punitive finger shaking measure against the minority of lunch guests who were not well behaved. Drug dealing, tobacco smoking, drug taking on the property, rude behaviour are not to be tolerated. I heard one guy actuality peed against the outside church wall. Disrespect personified. It should be noted that it was the church board who forced the closure, not the Sonshine Lunch Club, the volunteers from several churches who cook and staff the soup kitchen. I had been hearing about these escalating problems for the last year or more. Perhaps this closure will prompt patrons of the soup kitchen to police each other. Certainly, no one wants or needs to have the majority of the people, who are respectful and thankful for the free lunch, to lose out because of a few dorks.
A new sign (must have cost a pretty penny) is now affixed to the outside of the church:
“Please refrain from smoking on St. George United Church Property” It strikes me as a tad passive-aggressive. Why not the international No Smoking symbol everyone one else in the world uses? Perhaps that 'please refrain' sounded biblical to whomever designed it? Or somewhat softer than the red circle with the slash through the cigarette? I have it on good authority that some of the soup kitchen patrons are illiterate, all the more reason to use a symbol.... The church board wouldn't know that of course.
It was the Sally Ann to the rescue once again. Monday and Tuesday they gave out brown bag lunches at their church, and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday there was Chad and Shawn with their kindly volunteers firing up the barbecues behind the church in Copper Park, with burgers and dogs, fruit, carrot sticks and juice. The Good Lord pitched in with sunny skies so it was more like a picnic in the park than punishment.
The soup kitchen has become a linchpin of the charitable food net in the Comox Valley, but the service provides more than nourishment. Front line workers might find their clients there, nurses can provide immunizations, or TB tests, friends meet up with friends. When you have money you can meet your buddies in a coffee shop or stop for a beer at a pub, but if you don't have two cents to rub together, you can at least meet over coffee at the soup kitchen.
Everyone, both volunteers and guests, need and deserve the soup kitchen to be a safe and decent place. I think of the newly unemployed people, swallowing their pride to go in for a meal, they (and their kids) must be welcomed, not confronted with drug dealing, pot smoking on the churches steps or vulgar language.
Many Newly Poor
Oh yeah, lots more people out of work with the latest mill closures and other tanking businesses. The Crisis Line is receiving more calls these days about loss of jobs and loss of homes, both of which equal lose of self. The welfare workers have been inundated with new applications, the welfare rolls skyrocketing. For those already on assistance, who have been wondering why they haven't been called in for the usual annual review- that's the reason- the staff are simply so overwhelmed by their new case loads that the reviews have been put on hold for the time being. And what a shock it must be to those new to the dole, when they discover that they have to live off their RRSP's, sell their vehicle if it's worth more than $5000, sell the RV, boat and other toys, cash in their investments and be truly poor before they can receive benefits. And then they discover the welfare rates won't even cover their mortgage. But there is help-the Comox Valley is a generous valley, food, clothes, help in the work search.. Perhaps it will put on new face on the ol' poor bashing attitudes.
Panhandling by-law
If you are going to panhandle in Courtenay, don't be pushy! You might find yourself with a ticket you can't pay. Try busking, smile and act nice.
Food Not Bombs
They are still serving lunch at 3 pm on Sunday afternoons on the Courthouse lawn across from Thrifty Food. They need your help- food and/or cash to buy food, as usual, but they now have a special request: they would like to book time off in July for fun summer-things- like Music fest. They are looking for people to cook and serve during the month. If you can help or want more info call head cook Sam at 250-334-8886.
They have also decided to change their name to Yo*da Food, but it hasn't caught on yet.
Lush Valley News
Lush farming
The Lush Valley Food Action Society is looking for 4 people to participate in a job creation program for a period of 8 months. Funded in part through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement, the object of the program is to provide EI recipients (or reach back) with work experience and skill enhancement in agriculture, close containment fish farming, greenhouse management and dairy farming. You must be physically fit, (lots of heavy lifting) and be prepared to work in all kinds of weather. Trainees will learn at partner farms Hazelmere Farm, Tsolum Farm and Lannon Rd Gardens, and fish farming at the Red Fish Ranch. Food grown will be used in Lush Valley programing. The person in charge is Bernard Guay – 250-331-0152 – contact him for more information.
The Free Tree program will continue this summer, and the kitchen should be ready to go by harvest time. A new ramp has been put in place recently, making Lush Valley accessible to all.
LUSH Valley Food Action Society
1126F Piercy Avenue
Courtenay, BC V9N 3E6
250-331-0152
Their new website is a wealth of information. www.foodcomoxvalley.org
6th Street Garden, Urban Agriculture
The garden on the corner of 6th and Kilpatrick in Courtenay is bursting with growth. Organic, too. Plants and salad greens are available on a sliding scale- free, trade, cash, community money, just ask