Feed My Sheep - Summerside breakfast program

Interview with Rev. Jenny Sharp of the Summerside Anglican Parish of St. Mary and St. John regarding the Feed My Sheep breakfast program.

(Photo From Left-Joni Miner, Rev. Jenny Sharpe, and Joey Blacquiere)

Joni - When and why did the “Feed My Sheep” breakfast program start?

Rev. Jenny - I am not sure exactly but it has been going at this church for about a year and a half. It got started because we saw a need that wasn't being met. People who are hungry can get fed during the week at the Salvation Army but there was nothing on the weekends, so we do it once a month and now Summerside Trinity United Church has joined us. They started in September and they do it once a month as well, on the second Saturday, and we do the third Saturday of each month.

Joey - How did you discover there was a need for this type of breakfast project ?

Rev. Jenny - We also volunteer at the Salvation Army during the week and saw that there were a lot of hungry people. The Salvation Army however doesn't serve meals on the weekend and we don't like to see people go without food.

Joni - How many people on average attend your breakfasts?

Rev. Jenny - We have about 35 people that attend our breakfast program.

Joey - What types of breakfast foods do you serve ?

Rev. Jenny - It depends on the Saturday. It could be pancakes & sausages or bacon & eggs and there is always cold cereal, and sometimes hot oatmeal. And of course we have coffee, tea, and juice and sometimes yogurt bars but we always have a hot meal.

Joni - How do you go about getting the grocery items that you need in order to provide these meals?

Rev. Jenny - Two weeks before we have the meal, we put out a list at church of what we need. There might be bacon or cereal, whatever is needed and people donate them. We also have a local farmer who will donate eggs, so it is mostly people that attend the church that provide the food and sometimes they just give money and we buy it.

Joey - Do you accept donations of food items?

Rev. Jenny - Yes we do!

Joni - How do interested people go about dropping off their donations?

Rev. Jenny – They can bring them to the church the Sunday before or drop them off here at the hall.

Joey -Do you have enough volunteers?

Rev. Jenny - There is no such thing as enough volunteers. We can always use more!

Joni -How could other churches get involved?

Rev. Jenny - I go to Christian Council and I have been telling them about what we are doing. We ask them if they want to take it on and that's how Summerside Trinity United Church became involved. We need at least two more churches.

Joey - Is there a name and number they should call?

Rev. Jenny - Rev. Jenny and the number here at the office is (902) 888-2234.

Jim - Why do you believe it is so important to be providing this service?

Rev. Jenny - There's many layers to that question:

On a personal level I don't believe that anyone should go hungry. Also, in scripture Jesus tells us we are to look after others and “feed my sheep” was a phrase he used. That is where we came up with the name for the breakfast program.  So, we are to look after each other and love our neighbor as ourselves. We wouldn't want to go hungry. We shouldn't want to see others go hungry either.

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We'd like to Thank Rev. Jenny for taking time to meet with us and share more information about the Feed My Sheep breakfast program. The E.O.V team would like to take this time to wish all the people involved in the Feed My Sheep breakfast program all the best with this very worthwhile endeavour.

E.O.V (Eye Opening Views) Reporters:

Joey Blacquiere

Joni Miner