Whoever said there’s no such thing as a free lunch was wrong, at least when it comes to The Door Youth Centre. For the second school year, the organization is offering a free lunch to youth in our community every Wednesday and Friday from 11:30 to 12:30.
“Simply put, our aim is to support the youth of our community,” says James Hunt, Director of The Door, “and our lunch program is just another great way for us to do that.”
And the kids love it. The Door is a short walk from Huntsville High School and as students neared the facility at lunch hour today, and could smell the burgers and hot dogs on the grill, their excitement was evident. Grade nine student Morgan McCartney put it simply: “I love free food day!”
The twice-weekly free lunch was designed to supplement what happens at the high school—a program there offers lunch on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for those students that need it. The Door’s lunch is open to everyone—some come to eat and hang out on the youth centre’s comfy couches or to play a game of pool, some may have forgotten to bring a lunch or didn’t have anything at home to pack. Why they are there makes no difference to Hunt—the kids will find smiling faces and whatever kind of support they need.
“Our programs are open to everyone and we get a wide range of kids coming in, but for us at The Door we recognize that poverty is an issue here in Huntsville and across Muskoka and so we wanted to be able to meet that need,” says Hunt. “We know there are a lot of kids going to school without a lunch and really need that program. So we wanted to have a space that is safe and not judgemental for them to be able to get a meal and to socialize.”
Volunteer Dave Wyville, who runs the grill, has been a volunteer at The Door for 10 years and can usually be found there Friday nights from 7-10 p.m. for the weekly drop-in. “With kids now, everything they are struggling with—family problems, addiction problems—I think it’s really important,” he says. “I love working with youth. I’m 61 years old and I still like hanging with them. I try to give them some type of guidance for whatever they struggle with and show them there is help out there and they can make it. Carry on, keep your chin up and keep going.”
Wyville says the free lunch has been a popular addition to The Door’s programs. Their first lunch drew about eight people, but it now sees 80-90 kids each time.
Mayor Scott Aitchison dropped in to help serve the burgers and hot dogs today. He says that The Door’s free lunch demonstrates what he believes is true of Huntsville as a whole.
“(Huntsville) is an engaged and caring community that tries very hard to look after its own. The Door and its precursor has been there for young people in our community for decades. I remember it when I was a kid,” says Aitchison. “This is just one more way of letting kids know that they do matter, they matter to all of us. So having a burger and a hot dog on The Door is just another way of showing them that this is a good, safe place, we care about you. I think it’s so typical of Huntsville. I’m really proud of what The Door does, and I love it so much that I even slept on the Town Hall steps with James once.”
As the weather turns colder, the lunch will likely move inside, and Hunt says that they could use the help of more volunteers as well as food donations and advance preparation. The lunch costs the organization, which receives no government funding and relies on private donations, about $100 per week. “We could definitely use some volunteers as well as financial partners and corporate donations, whether that’s money or food,” he says, adding that interested volunteers who can’t make it there during the day could help out by preparing crock pot meals in advance that can be frozen for future use.
“Our goal is to help young people develop as a whole person and assist them in achieving a balanced life: physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually,” explains Hunt, “and all of our programming and events are either free or extremely low cost.”
To learn more about The Door Youth Centre and how to support the organization, contact James Hunt at 705-789-4748.
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Bill Beatty says
Maybe somebody would like some vegetables and fruit !
James Hunt says
Hi Bill. We love to receive donations of fresh fruit and vegetables! The kids always eat them up when we have them.