Brent Mosley appreciates the support Riverside Mission has given him for the past four months, since the non-profit organization essentially saved his life and helped him get back on his feet.
Mosley, 57, lived at the men’s shelter this past winter since he had nowhere to stay. He had exhausted all his money while researching a family tragedy, so he decided to move to Moose Jaw from Assiniboia after living there the past 10 years.
“They helped me get an apartment (here). Everything I got, I got from them. The clothes I’m wearing, my dishes, pots and pans, everything,” he said on April 18 while having supper at Riverside Mission. “When it gets 35 (Celsius) below in the winter, I got no place to go … I had no idea there was a place to go.
“I thought it was the end of the line for me.”
Riverside Mission held a special Easter supper for its clients on Thursday night. Similar to its Christmas meal, the organization served residents in an upscale, classy manner. The tables were set with clean white table cloths, folded lavish napkins and flower vases. Instead of coming up for food, staff and volunteers came to the tables with the food.
Diners could choose from Caesar salad or tossed salad, roast beef or stuffed pork loin, and Black Forest or peanut butter cheesecake. Clients also took home a bag of Lindor chocolates.
Nearly 100 clients took part in the meal, which featured two sitting times.
The Christian charity held a donation drive in the weeks before to help put on the supper. Organizers say the response from the community was amazing, as more than $7,000 was given. All of the money will stay in Moose Jaw and ensure the organization keeps operating. It will also help expand men’s programs in the future.
The sit-down restaurant-style meal “is an exercise in dignity,” explained Jacob Oddie, chaplain for Riverside Mission. “Some people are not able to sit in a restaurant, so (instead) they get to have an experience (of one) … .
“When they’re being served like that, it makes a person feel better.”
Destiny Wolfe, 11, took part in the Easter meal with her mother, Shawna Foster, just as they had done at Christmas. Wolfe and her mother eat supper at the Mission five nights a week since they are facing financial hardship.
“It’s really good. It’s healthy,” Wolfe said about the food. “It’s really fun here. I get to meet new kids. I help other kids with their troubles, especially when they’re crying.”
As for the Easter meal, “It was really good,” she added.
Easter is a time when families gather together to celebrate, said Rachel Mullens, manager of Riverside Mission. The organization realizes many of its clients don’t have those connections. Therefore, it decided to create an environment where everyone could feel welcomed and not feel as if this is another ordinary day.
“One part of our mandate is to feed people (as Jesus Christ said to), so this is a special way to feed the community,” she said. “It’s a pleasure for staff at Riverside Mission to do these events. We go the extra mile for these things.”
Nearly a dozen volunteers helped serve, including several members of a friendship group with the Moose Jaw Alliance Church.
Judy Rysavy and her husband Roy were two of those volunteers. Mrs. Rysavy explained that the friendship group served the meal at Christmas, so they “felt a strong devotion to come back again to help.”
“It’s to show the love of Jesus by helping others,” added Mr. Rysavy. “We have been blessed (with so much) in this country, so we are being a blessing to others.”
