Ten years ago, Kelly Forster and her friend Amanda Evans, decided they would do their best to help struggling people in Drayton Valley.
Today, Warming Hearts is a space where people can come to eat, do laundry, shower, get some clothes, or relax in a warm building.
As a thank you to Forster for her efforts, the Homelessness and Poverty Reduction Strategy Committee had a surprise party for her on June 14. Several volunteers, clients, and funders were there to help her celebrate her success.
“I’m very humbled. [I] didn’t see it coming, but it means a lot from my volunteers and my family,” she says.
“We didn’t think it would last a month,” says Forster about first starting the kitchen. But now, she doesn’t think there is anything that could make her give it up.
The entire program is run by volunteers. Forster is at the building every day, as is Jordan Faunt, another volunteer. Several others rotate in and out as they are needed. Forster says the program’s 20 volunteers put in about 720 hours a month.
Currently, the program is offering breakfast and lunch for those in need. The food donations come from IGA and the Drayton Bakery, as well as other people who drop off items or funds.
While the program has been running for ten years, it wasn’t until recently that it had a place to call its own. In the past, Forster has run the program in the Legion and at the Life Church. Now they have a space in the building next to the bottle depot thanks to a provincial grant they received.
Forster says there are more than 20 people who use the program right now, which is lower than it was before the evacuation. She says some people haven’t yet returned to the community.
Over the years, Forster estimates that she’s served tens of thousands of meals.
Helping her celebrate her achievement was one of her clients, John.
“She saved my life,” he says. “It helped me out quite a bit, actually.” When he was down on hard times, he says he wasn’t even aware of Warming Hearts at first.
“Sometimes I think we’re the best kept secret in the community,” says Forster.
John says that the program helped bring him out of his depression.
“I’m a firm believer that feeding a person a hot meal and giving them a warm bed at night will help.”
Volunteer Marguerite Geilen has only recently started with the program, but she says it’s been a rewarding experience. When she heard about it through her church, Geilen decided that since she was retired she could devote more of her time to helping others.
“It has opened up my eyes big time,” says Geilen. “I was raised quite sheltered, I guess.”
She says through her time with the program she’s felt herself developing more compassion, empathy, and love for everyone.
“I feel like we’re all just one bad decision or really hard trauma away from being in the same place,” says Amanda Dow, another volunteer. “It’s that easy. You can wake up to find out something happened that day and it’s all over.”
Dow says sometimes just a kind face can make a difference for those who are struggling.
Forster and the volunteers at the facility encourage people to come in and spend their time helping others. She says they are always open to having volunteers join the program.
