André Lapensée was on his way out of the Ottawa Mission after a “delicious” meal at 53 Daly St., where Ottawa’s oldest — and largest — homeless shelter served 1,756 meals on Easter day. Lapensée hadn’t noticed the big blue Ottawa Mission truck (known as Truck No. 2), which was stationed just by the entrance, serving free hot chocolate to accompany the Easter meals.
Lapensée leaned against the stanchions separating the two lines.
“Can I have one?” Lapensée asked. Hanriq Cangrre, one of two people operating the truck on Sunday, April 5, eagerly handed him a cup. It was a few minutes past noon and Cangrre had already served an estimated 200 hot chocolates.
Cangrre had been hard at work all week. The Ottawa Mission’s two food trucks had spent every day over the last week delivering what would total 16,109 meals to 41 Ottawa neighbourhoods.
The Ottawa Mission totalled 18,302 meals served over Easter day and the week before, including 437 meals served to community partner organizations. The Easter total is a record for the organization, with the previous mark of 18,275 meals set last Christmas.
Executive chef Ric Watson, the Ottawa Mission’s director of food services and the founder of the Food Services Training Program for vulnerable community members, was on hand making sure everything ran smoothly and everyone got a tasty meal he and his team prepared.
Chef Ric Watson, director of Food Services at the Ottawa Mission, was the grand master behind it all. He led a team of cooks and volunteers as they prepared all the meals and desserts.
“This meal brings everybody together,” the Chef said.
Lapensée, who spent four months at the Ottawa Mission shelter three years ago, said he turned his life around thanks to the shelter’s services. He got a job and an apartment in a span of six months after leaving the Mission. But Lapensée said he comes back to visit the Mission from time to time on holidays.
“We were treated better than being in a fancy restaurant,” Lapensée said. “That’s how it made me feel.
“I cry over everything,” he said. “Simple, happy tears.”
The voices that are the hardest to hear
Three times a year — at Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving — Mona Fortier, MP for Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester, comes with her mother and Natalie Montpetit, a treasured colleague from her office, to serve water and juice.
“Sometimes I give extra,” she confessed with a laugh. “It’s the little things.”
Kale Charlebois enjoyed the turkey dinner Sunday.
Fortier says the smiles she gets from people fulfil her, but she also gets a renewed sense of, “There’s still a lot of work to do.” Fortier said she sees the Mission’s work as being a heroic service to the community.
“Everybody gets a chance to have dignity, and I think with the meal, today is where we serve dignity,” she said. “Everyone is from a family.”
John Fraser echoed the same sentiments. For the Ottawa South MPP, being a politician means getting the opportunity to celebrate holidays with people whose voices “are hardest to hear.”
“You might assume that everybody here is somebody who’s on the street, but they’re not,” he said. “Times are really hard for people and you see more people that are better clothed.”
Margaret Davidson was busy serving meals as one of the more than 100 volunteers at the Mission on Sunday.
Steve Georgopoulos, a longtime volunteer with the Ottawa Mission, had a little chat with Paul Burnett, deputy chief with the Ottawa Police Service, between serving warm meals.
Davidson wore white and yellow checkered bunny ears — just as she did for the past four Easters when she volunteered for the organization.
Her inspiration is simply to “give something back to the community,” she said. “Seeing everyone here just enjoying themselves and seeing them happy.”
Kyle Sitka, who came out for the first time to volunteer at the Mission, works at the Ottawa Paramedic Service as a community paramedic. He came after one of his colleagues, who has been volunteering for a long time, encouraged him.
“It’s a nice way to be involved in the community from a different perspective,” Sitka said. “Everyone here is in really good spirits and everyone’s at their best, caring for each other.”
Sitka was assigned table No. 9 and was responsible for bringing plates of food, giving him the chance to interact a bit with people.
Bubu dog was dressed in festive bunny ears during the special event Sunday.
“When I look around and I see councillors and members of the police, and people from all different walks of life here to celebrate together and have a meal, it’s nice to see.”
‘How much happier can I be?’
Chef Watson said the Mission started serving meals at 11 a.m. and stayed open until 5 p.m.
“The Mission is kind of a hub for people in need,” he said. “When everyone gets in the room, there’s one big family and it’s nice to see people just want to be here.
“They want to be happy. They want to eat a good meal. Everyone just wants to enjoy.”
Watson said the Mission’s food service training program, which trains homeless and precariously housed people to work in the food service industry, started in 2004 and operates to this day.
Liberal MP Mona Fortier chats with volunteers Sunday.
“We started it to help people get off social services and back into the workforce,” he said. “The only requirement is a desire to want to change your life for the better.”
Watson said the program has had a 90 per cent success rate, with over 400 graduates to date.
For Lapensée, it was somewhat of a dream to meet Chef Watson. Lapensée said a woman who was sitting next to him during the meal looked up at Watson and said, “Can I have a hug?” And he obliged.
Lapensée recalled saying, “Is that the real … Chef?”
“I got to finally see him in person,” Lapensée said. “He’s as admirable as his reputation.”
“And I tip my hat to him,” he said, as he leaned forward with his white cap off.
Milos Kljajic was helping serve meals as a volunteer Sunday.
The meal was an emotional one for Lapensée, who had just lost his mother two months ago. He tried to brush it off, but eventually accepted his happy tears. “Anyone that knows me knows I’m a sap.”
“I’m thinking about my mom now,” he said. “How much happier can I be?”
Liberal MP Mona Fortier chats with executive chef Ric Watson, the Ottawa Mission’s director of food services and the founder of the Food Services Training Program.
Peter Tilley, The Ottawa Mission’s CEO, was not going to allow hip surgery just over a week ago to stop him from delivering opening remarks Sunday.
A personal note was written on each placemat Sunday at the annual Easter dinner.
Monia Bikai enjoyed the turkey dinner Sunday.
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