YORKTON – Bruno's Place held its monthly community supper on the evening of Jan. 21 at the low-barrier emergency shelter.
Des Klingspon, Senior Pastor at Prairie Harvest Christian Life Centre, expressed the church's commitment to providing hot meals for anyone in the community who wishes to attend.
"We are just doing a community meal here at Bruno's Place where as a church we want to come make a hot meal for anybody in the community who'd want to come out and have one," said Klingspon in an interview with SaskToday.ca
The event aims to foster a sense of community and connection among attendees.
"We want to hang out and visit a little bit and chat up with some of the people that are here. Let them know that there are some people in the community that just want to hang out. Talk. Get to know them and express some value to them for whoever they are ... and that this is a place where they're going to be welcome," added Klingspon.
In addition to the monthly supper, Bruno's Place continues to provide breakfasts Monday through Friday and lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Klingspon highlighted the special nature of the community suppers, noting that they often feature local musicians or singers.
"We bring in a variety of different musicians or singers and have them play. We want to make it a bit of a special night. Have a meal. Enjoy some special music. We just want to add value to the people of the community and let them know that they're important."
He also emphasized the growing need for community support, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There's a real growing need in this community for people to care for other people. Whether it be needs for food or so many mental health issues — people just being alone and isolated — even since COVID. That hasn't necessarily stopped. A lot of people are still going through really challenging times and so where people can reach out to others is really time well spent ... caring for the overall needs of our community," said Klingspon.
