Councillor Rob Pope who is with the Rotary Club of Campbellford enjoyed the lunch as well. The lunches are a joint venture with The Rotary Club of Campbellford and the assistance and support of Rotarians Dave Sharp, Rob Pope and Christina Garden has been instrumental in getting this project off the ground. Trent Hills Now photo

Idea cooked up between St. Vincent de Paul Society and Campbellford Rotary

Free lunch (donations accepted) a Chance to Get Together

This group of volunteers made sure everyone at the Campbellford Community Lunch was served. All the folks in this photo are volunteers but not all with St. Vincent de Paul. Submitted photo

Article by Sue Dickens

Campbellford - I am definitely going back!

To what you might ask? Well I am writing about another best kept secret in Campbellford, a new start-up, the Campbellford Community Lunch.

Setting aside the normal type or reporting we do here I decided to be a participant instead of an observer this time.

And the lack of objectivity will become obvious as you read further.

Here’s hoping you will read on.

When I first learned of the Campbellford Community Lunch my reaction of course was to report it happening so I did using a poster the groups had put together for promotion purposes, to get the word out, so to speak.

And quite honestly word of mouth is what will make this new event a success, just as Jim Doyle, who along with his wife Barb, co-presidents of the St. Vincent De Paul Society, are doing by volunteering their time to make the lunch happen.

They are joined by many other volunteers and the Doyles are particularly grateful for the efforts of Brian and Sue Boniface and Brenda Morrison. The lunches are a joint venture with The Rotary Club of Campbellford and the assistance and support of Rotarians Dave Sharp, Rob Pope and Christina Garden has been instrumental in getting this project off the ground.

Sherry Shorthouse, left, served by Danny Dupuis and his daughter Kristen. Trent Hills Now Photo

From the moment I walked into the hall with a friend, Sherry Shorthouse, who was my ride as well, (also a familiar sight at community kitchens in other towns she has lived) to try out this new lunch, which if I haven’t made clear before, is FREE to anyone and everyone, the warmth of the volunteers was only outdone by the hot soups that made up part of the meal.

Seating for 70 people was provided and the tables were already set up with place settings.

There was a lot of gladhanding, mingling and saying hello to everyone, some of whom were people I know, but many were not, so I made some new acquaintances as a result of this outing.

At first when I went to the lunch held on Jan. 5th, the hall was filled with more volunteers than people coming to enjoy what was offered, but before long there were plenty more who showed up to eat and in the end I am guessing about 50 people sat down to enjoy the meal.

This time the sponsor was Fast Eddies Diner. Mary and Bill Stampolidis and their 23-year-old twin sons, Alexander and Tommy, opened Fast Eddie’s and Tommy’s Pizzeria at 100 Doxsee Ave. last fall.

Danny Dupuis and his daughter Kristen. Trent Hills Now Photo

Servers of the delicious homemade soup were Danny Dupuis and his daughter Kristen, who made sure the soup bowl was filled with your choice of either beef barley soup or cabbage soup…and I found out later if you wanted seconds that was no problem. Danny told me he was a chef and so this community lunch is his chance to offer up his expertise in the kitchen and make a difference too.

By the way before I forget for those who may not know the St. Vincent de Paul Society is connected with St. Mary’s Catholic Church, here in Campbellford and its mandate is to assist those in need, often by providing food vouchers and other assistance.

From the time I sat down with my friend Sherry, to enjoy the meal, to the time I finished, there were volunteers showing up offering coffee/tea or water refills.

Cabbage soup with a sandwich and pasta salad. Sherry Shorthouse Photo

It wasn’t until all the people who showed up for the lunch were served that they then joined in and sat down for the lunch too.

And why not, there was definitely enough food.

The kitchen was located at the end of the hall and very handy to the buffet style setup.

The Campbellford Community Lunch began at 11:30 a.m. and there was plenty of time to enjoy the meal and to say hi and visit.

It was a chance to socialize, something post-COVID, that is very welcome, especially by those, like me, who live alone and enjoy the chance to get out and meet others.

Jim made a point of speaking to everyone at the end of this particular lunch explaining their future plans and thanking everyone.

Delicious desserts offered too. Sherry Shorthouse Photo

“The plan is to hold these lunches twice a month for three months and then we will reassess the situation at the end with a view to, well, ideally, we want to make a proposal to Rotary that we go year round and that we do this weekly,” Jim told me.

And just to make a note for those folks who have lived here a long time, they may remember a woman by the name of Peggy Clark, a longtime Campbellford resident who remembers the days when community lunches were held. “She was the one who came to St. Vincent de Paul and suggested to us that it’s something we might want to take on and she’s worked quite hard to make it happen.”

Apparently Peggy was at the lunch I attended but I didn’t know at the time so I will have to make a special point of asking to be introduced to her at the next lunch.

The need for a community lunch is definitely there.

Patti j.Taylor with Mike Antonik of Campbellford, enjoying the community lunch. Sherry Shorthouse P:hoto

As Jim explained, “We thought that if we could do this people could have a nourishing meal and hopefully take enough home for another nourishing meal the next day and that would perhaps help alleviate their grocery bill somewhat … I think that’s what got us started with it.”

Barb added, “That’s half of the equation. The other half is …the building of a cohesive community and this is particularly important, I think after COVID. I think We’ve seen the positive benefits of some of the events that go on like Incredible Edibles Festival where everybody sort of comes together in a community event.”

Which brings me to the final part of my story.

A new poster has been put together to help promote the follow-up Campbellford Community Lunches and they will be held…get your pen and paper folks…or your computer, or ipad, or cell phone, and mark down these dates…

Jan. 19, Feb. 2, Feb. 16, March 2 and March 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rotary Hall.

Mary from Fast Eddie’s is working on sponsors and D’s Island Shack restaurant is among them. Their Caribbean food first hit the streets of Campbellford from a food truck and now they have a restaurant at 27 Front St. N.

Oh and how could I forget there were delectable desserts offered as well as part of the meal. I tried the carrot cake with icing. It was delicious…mmmmmm.

Hope to see you at the next Campbellford Community Lunch!

Come on down. It’s FREE! (although donations are welcome and several were gratefully received on January 5th).

Special Note: As for any food left over Mary provided the food to the Women’s Shelter in Alderville, so nothing was wasted.

Editor’s Note: There is also a community lunch in Warkworth. (2) Warkworth Community Lunch | Facebook