Lethbridge Soup Kitchen, Streets Alive Mission see demand spike during cold weather

Helping Lethbridge's vulnerable amid cold snap

Lethbridge will see bitterly cold temperatures for the rest of the week – dangerous conditions for the city’s most vulnerable.

“We know folks that are homeless are generally not prepared for any weather change,” said Bill Ginther, executive director of the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen.

“So, the onus is on us as people to make sure that [they] have gloves and toques and warm socks… things like that.”

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Ginther says the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen has seen demand spike during the recent cold, now seeing up to 225 people a meal.

“We want to make sure that they have a place to be during the mealtime,” he said.

Streets Alive Mission is handing out warm winter clothing, but their supplies are running out.

“It is the first really long stretch of winter we’ve had in quite a while,” said Cam Kissick, Streets Alive chief operating officer. “We’ve had a mild enough winter that we’ve had a bit of a stockpile – but we’re going through it very, very quickly,”

Lethbridge’s most recent point in time count indicated an estimated 522 people experiencing homelessness.

The extreme cold is expected to lessen by next week.