Nanaimo restaurant stops free soup program for homeless after safety concerns
A cafe in downtown Nanaimo, B.C., will no longer be offering its "Soup Token" program, which helps feed the homeless, due to growing safety concerns for staff.
Gabriel’s Cafe on Commercial Street will instead donate to the Wisteria Community Association.
Cafe owners Gemma and Gabe Martin began the Soup Token program in February 2016 as a way to give back to the community and help the less fortunate.
People were given a token after they donated $5.50 (later reduced to $4.50). That person could then give the token to anyone in need who could come into the restaurant and exchange it for a bowl of soup.
However, the owners say concern over safety for their staff has risen recently.
"The safety of our staff is our number one concern," said the Martins in a release Wednesday.
The staff have had to deal with situations like people falling asleep at tables or locking themselves in the bathroom, owners say.
"We have been understanding when that happens and willing to deal with that," they added.
However, they made their final decision to no longer offer the program after receiving an email from an employee. The email stated that someone had come into the cafe with a pair of knives with blood on them, then put the knives on a table and asked for a bowl of soup.
The owners add that between Oct. 1, 2022 and Jan. 15, 2023, Gabriel’s Cafe gave out 718 bowls of soup even though just 156 tokens were purchased during that time period.
"The disproportionate number of soups provided versus tokens sold highlights the need for access to free meals," said Gemma Martin.
Moving forward, the cafe will make donations to Wisteria Community Association’s Stone Soup Program and customers will be able to donate directly to that soup program when visiting the cafe.
The owners say they would like to see greater action from local government on food security, and local businesses need to pressure the municipality to take positive, urgent action to help their neighbours in need.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.