The founder and driving force behind Monday Night Dinners, the charitable organization that debuted five years ago primarily to feed one nutritious, home-cooked meal per week to Penticton's homeless population, is calling it a day.
Kristine Shepherd, a house painter by trade, an artist in her spare time, a mother of two, the vice-president of the Penticton Art Gallery board, and the head chef and often head server for her Monday Night Dinners project, says she needs some space.
No kidding.
"It's mainly personal reasons and family health," she said Saturday afternoon. "I need to concentrate on my family right now. And I'll get to focus more on my art, which has been neglected."
But she's trying her best to see that Dinners continues.
"I'm hoping we can find someone to take this on. But if not, there are other places that feed the homeless. I still want to continue helping out in other ways, but I just don’t want it to be something that takes up so much of my week and takes away from my mental health and the health of my kids."
Shepherd didn't get into it for the attention, or for the controversy. Yet that's just what she got. When she wasn't fighting the City of Penticton over her Nanaimo Square home base, she was catching flack from neighbourhood businesses and residents. And finding herself in the midst of homeless-centric protests.
But all along, apart from a two-month pandemic break earlier this year, Shepherd and her small band of volunteers kept cranking out the food. She estimates more than 10,000 meals have been served to date.
According to Shepherd, Monday Night Dinners began because at one time, she was nearly destitute -- and homeless -- herself.
"I've been separated from my husband for going on ten years. The bank tried to foreclose on my house a couple of times because I was struggling to make ends meet. Luckily, I had a support system in my family and friends that helped out.
"But there's so many people out there who don't. If I didn't have that support system, I would have been there, on the street. I pulled myself out of it about five years ago."
The last Monday in September is the last day for Shepherd. And she really hopes someone picks up the ball, estimating that a replacement would be looking at "10 to 12 hours a week, including shopping."
"But it would be great if a group or a club came forward," she added. "Basically it's cooking for 20 to 30 people a week, every Monday."
"If we don’t find anyone to take over, it makes sense to me to hand everything over, all my donations and everything, to an entity that's already set up for it and is very mobile."
The current turnout is down substantially from the "70 or 80" she fed at the peak. And Shepherd believes that's the result of a couple of things.
"These days," she said, "people aren't congregating at the Square anymore, so mission accomplished for the city on that one."
"But the city has thankfully initiated some housing, and also there are other groups, like the Soup Kitchen, feeding the homeless. I'm very proud of Penticton for pulling together and happy the numbers have dwindled the way they have."
Shepherd's also happy with all that Monday Night Dinners has achieved.
"Part of my mission has been to encourage this village to help the less fortunate. And having these entities feeding the homeless, and having so many people supporting what we do, I do believe that part of my mission has been accomplished."
Anyone interested in taking on Monday Night Dinners can contact Shepherd at [email protected].
