KENORA — Kenora Moving Forward, which had to pause operations in October, is now reaching out to unhoused persons on two evenings per week at a downtown church.
The non-profit group has added Tuesdays to its operations, in addition to its Friday outreach for homeless people in Kenora. On both days it’s at St. Alban’s Cathedral, 312 Main St., in partnership with the church.
St. Alban’s welcomes homeless, transient and low-income guests for a hot meal every Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. in a program called Friday Food with Friends. Kenora Moving Forward has partnered with the church on this program, group member Marlene Elder said Monday.
A similar program of food and support on Tuesdays was initiated recently at the same location, she added.
This is a bit of a resurgence for the group, which had to pause operations in October because of funding difficulties.
Kenora Moving Forward fills a four-hour gap between when the local Fellowship Centre’s closes for the day at 4 p.m. and when the Emergency Shelter starts accepting people for overnight stays.
For the unhoused those four hours are an awkward period during which “there aren’t a lot of places for people to go that they’re not going to get shooed out of,” said Elder.
The partnership with St. Alban’s is welcome and appreciated, she said.
“We’re grateful, and there’s always the hope that there may be other church groups and organizations to partner with.”
