Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 26, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A3 ? TRUCKLOAD SALE Stone Core Planking email:kenscarpet1@mymts.net | www.kenscarpetsandmore.com 3 5.05 .+C- 3 25.;0,- 3 B5.1)A=5,0 3 20. 5>A2- 3 *A='? F )A=1<*0.a=c- 3 ?+(+.' *a='? ;?5=@ en s arpets urban homestyle centre /e886"d$ )"dd"7&$ 4"d9& :!#% 730 archibald 233-0697 $199sq ft 5mm with pad attached 25 year warranty ? follow us on top news associate news editor: stacey thidrickson 204-697-7292 ? city.desk@freepress.mb.ca ? winnipegfreepress.com a3 saturday december 26, 2020 i n gloves and a hair net, gord peder-sen meticulously cut turkey and cas-ually discussed a time in his life - decades ago - when he would sleep in the doorway at vimy arena and fashion meals out of fast-food ketchup packets and water. "i lost a lot of weight like that," he said with a laugh. after coming to winnipeg from to- ronto 32 years ago, pedersen fell on hard times and became transient. to- day, his life is entirely different; he owns a car dealership, is married and has two sons. he is devoted to paying his change of fortune forward, especially on christ- mas day, part of which he spent volun- teering at agape table with his family. "christmas presents and stuff like that, we don't really do that, so this is my christmas," he said. "i love it. makes me feel so much better." agape table was bustling friday as masked, physically distanced volun- teers prepared turkey, gravy, baked potatoes and other holiday staples while manoeuvring around crates filled with food waiting to be packaged for visitors. because of covid-19 public-health restrictions, people were asked to wait outside to receive a bagged, takeout meal instead of being invited inside for the usual sit-down christmas dinner. the independent non-profit provides bagged meals to anyone in need every weekday morning and hosts a food- hamper program for families twice a week. pedersen is a regular volunteer at agape and other charities around the city, and said he often finds himself marvelling at the services they provide to winnipeggers. "there was no place advertised like agape or siloam (mission), so some- body like myself who was transient, i didn't even know it existed, i didn't know what level of help was available," he said. "so this is fantastic. i absolutely love what they're doing for the temporarily displaced folks in this city." the furby street organization re- ceives no government funding and re- lies solely on donations and the support of community members - including an estimated 2,000 volunteer hours a week - to keep the program running. covid-19 hasn't stopped people from visiting agape table, volunteer co-ordi- nator tyler engel said. approximately 400 people use the service in just the four hours the space is open every weekday. about 50 volunteers were on hand for the two christmas day shifts friday morning. "by helping others, a lot of people help themselves," engel said. "we might not risk going travelling or doing anything like that, but helping the people that are really down and out right now is something people still re- ally want to do and will take that risk." visitors came and left in waves to pick up food, some choosing to eat right outside the building. robert scott was one of agape table's visitors, but is a regular in more ways than one; he uti- lizes the service on many weekdays and, until the pandemic hit, he would volunteer his time as well. "i just wanted to give back to the community. i just wanted to help peo- ple, i'd clean the floors here, i enjoyed it," he said. scott, who worked in corrections un- til he retired, said he finds himself re- turning to agape table because of an enduring sense of hope that surrounds the organization. "these people do good work, they provide meals, they don't have to do it," he said. "but it's all a good thing." malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca twitter: malakabas_ spirit of giving alive at agape table malak abas christmas dinner service different due to pandemic, but no less important covid break the province's covid-19 news conferences with top public health officials are on hold for the holidays. christmas and boxing day bring some respite from the barrage of manitoba covid news, with no briefings or web updates planned. the next news conference is set for tuesday. end-of-year holiday celebrations have been bittersweet for residents and staff at the saul and claribel simkin centre. "i think we've had to think of christ- mas and hanukkah in a new way, be- cause we couldn't do all of the things we've done in the past," laurie cer- queti, the south winnipeg personal- care home's ceo, said thursday. the 200-bed facility has found unique ways to mark the season amid the fear and uncertainty of the covid-19 crisis. the centre celebrated the week of hanukkah with physically distanced versions of typical activities - door- to-door menorah lighting, menorahs or in residents' windows and distributing jam-busters and latkes. over christ- mas, the facility has arranged to help residents send video messages to their families and carolers will visit resi- dents' rooms. "it's not a normal year, but certainly we have celebrated," cerqueti said. finding joy in the face of a pandemic has been a challenge requiring some creativity. staff have organized small parades for anyone who has recovered from covid-19 and, after it was an- nounced dec. 14 that there were of- ficially no active cases in the home, employees organized a "green celebra- tion"; almost everyone wore all-green outfits and handed out green treats. "we made sure we celebrated that as well, because it certainly has been a difficult nine months of covid being around, especially after you've been through an outbreak and having it re- solved," cerqueti said. the simkin centre has had 29 cases and 11 residents have died from the virus. a memorial service was held last week, and candles were lit for each resident outside the building. "staff also really appreciated that, because they really needed the oppor- tunity to grieve, because we've lost somebody in our community," cerqueti said. malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca twitter: malakabas_ malak abas staff, residents find ways to celebrate amid sorrow inside care home photos by jesse boily / winnipeg free press volunteer gord pedersen cuts some turkey for the meals being handed out friday morning at agape table. 'this is my christmas,' pedersen says. volunteer annie hollander dishes turkey dinners into takeout containers christmas morning. a_03_dec-26-20_fp_01.indd a3 2020-12-25 10:23 pm 3="" +(+.'="" *a=''> ;