Coffee shortage at Thunder Bay shelter house shows need for donations
Acting executive director says the shelter goes through staple items, like coffee and sugar quickly
The head of Shelter House in Thunder Bay says a recent shortage of coffee is a reminder of how much shelters rely on the kindness of donations.
The shelter posted on social media on Monday that they ran out.
It's not the first time that Shelter House has run out of staple items like sugar, ketchup and even towels, said acting executive director Brad King.
"We get people that call up sometimes and say 'what do you need in terms of food?' Sometimes I get stuck," he said.
"Sometimes it's really like 'well, what don't we need,' but it's hard to think of all the things that we do need."
Officials with the shelter have told CBC News that the facility provides between 650 and 700 meals per day. Serving those meals and relying heavily on donations can mean an abundance or shortage of certain items can happen quickly.
"It's an ebb and flow," he said.
There are some items that King said the shelter likely won't need for awhile.
"We've got a million cans of chick peas .... pumpkin pie filling, we're set for that for the next decade," he laughed. "But other than that, there's all kinds of stuff that we need."
King added that the shelter is in the process of hiring a new kitchen co-ordinator, which he said will help with cataloguing exactly what Shelter House's needs are at a given time.