The Amherstburg Food and Fellowship Mission has tried to bring back its golf tournament but Mother Nature has other ideas.
For the second consecutive year, the mission’s golf tournament was rained out but this year, they were still able to have the dinner portion at Coachwood Golf and Country Club. The call was made Saturday morning to cancel the golf portion with last year’s event wiped out entirely due to severe flooding caused by intense rain earlier in that week.
“We hope next time it will be a beautiful day,” said mission president Tim McAllister, further joking that “it can’t happen three times in a row.”
McAllister thanked the volunteers who help run the mission on a day-to-day basis as well as the volunteer committee that assisted in planning this year’s golf tournament.
“We continue to be about people helping people,” said McAllister.
Andrew Bradie acted as the master of ceremonies at the dinner and pointed out it’s the mission’s 30th anniversary this year.
It was started by Andy and Pat Gervais and has grown to where it is today.
Bradie read the mission statement, which is “to relieve poverty in Amherstburg by providing free meals to those residents that may be economically disadvantaged and to promote the health of the community through fellowship to residents in need.”
The mission offers such services as a daily hot lunch meal, a food bank available three times per week and in emergency situations, a baby food and supplies program for children newborn to 24 months, a perishable food table that supplies free bread, fruits and vegetables daily, fellowship and emotional support, holiday meals on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, gently used clothing for all ages, four computer work stations for students and assistance with writing resumés.
Bradie pointed out McAllister started volunteering there in 1999, became the president a few years later and has been in the role ever since. He puts 60-70 hours per week towards the mission, he added.
“No one is paid,” said Bradie. “No one takes a salary or any remuneration.”
While there are those people who are doing well, others aren’t, and Bradie said people who fall in the latter group need support.
Mayor Michael Prue said he was happy to support the organization and said many people in Essex County know of the mission and the work they do.
“I think they are doing God’s work. I don’t know how else to describe it,” he said.
Prue said the mission will get “a good hunk” of his county council raise and thanked the volunteers for the work they do. He said the people the mission assists deserve respect and support in their time of need.
The Amherstburg Food and Fellowship Mission is located at 298 Victoria St. S.
For more information, visit www.aburgmission.ca or call 519-736-9140.
Mission golf tournament impacted by rain, dinner still held to help out
By Ron Giofu
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