'It gets to the point where the volunteers get into kind of a fatigue thing, and it can be really difficult for them seeing the numbers increase' Dennis Chippa Executive Director The Gathering Place

Carroll Baptiste has been volunteering at the Gathering Place, North Bay's community soup kitchen, for the past 12 years.

She is seeing history repeat itself as the children she once served, are now returning as adults. The satisfaction she derives from volunteering is knowing that people leave happy, having had a good meal and hearing the 'thanks' they receive But after more than a decade of giving of her time, fatigue is wearing her down.

"Fatigue-wise, I think it's just the routine and getting older myself. More volunteers are needed to alleviate that fatigue. We can come in for a half a day or a whole day. But I also miss the people. You miss hearing their stories, how a story ended and being with the volunteers," said Baptiste.

Retired dentist Yosh Kamachi has also been volunteering for the past 12 years. He says it's hard finding replacement helpers which puts on added pressure, as the numbers of meals being served are on the rise.

"Initially I think there were a lot of seniors and people retiring who were volunteering. I think they're getting to the point where a lot of them are deciding they've been here long enough, and they're hoping that other, younger people will come along," said Kamachi. "There's a need in the community for the Gathering Place, and the people who volunteer are all positive people to work with, so it's an enjoyable environment to be in and I really like it.

The Gathering Place is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday and provides dinner three days a week, on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Executive Director, Dennis Chippa says there is a core group of volunteers who show up to work two or three times a week. He says volunteer fatigue is taking its toll.

"They're used to a breakfast serving 40 people. This morning we had 56. That's a lot more people, and some of our volunteers are aging. They were used to the days when we had 50 people come in for lunch and now we have 150 people coming in for lunch," said Chippa. "And so we've got to bring in more volunteers. It gets to the point where the volunteers get into, kind of like a fatigue thing, and it can be really difficult for them seeing the numbers increasing."

In addition to volunteer fatigue, Chippa says compassion fatigue, seeing people constantly struggling, can be a common emotion. For that reason, the staff is trying to increase volunteer numbers, to reduce the pressure on those people who are continually being asked to fill the gaps.

Can you help?

There is a volunteer application on their website.

Email:: info@ thegatheringplacenorthbay.ca or call 705-474-7687

"From a volunteer standpoint, they're coming in, they're doing a shift and they go home and two days later they're back doing the shift again. It's one thing for staff, it's another thing for volunteers because we don't get to do the debrief with them. We're working to do a little more debriefing with our volunteers," explained Chippa.

On a Monday near the end of the month when three meals are offered, volunteers will serve close to 300 people. That requires a lot of prep work, serving and clean up after each meal. Chippa says they had some volunteers who were coming in to help with all three meals.

"Now we're saying you can come in for one, maybe two of those meals, otherwise they're exhausted and then they don't want to come at all. And we want them to enjoy the experience. A lot of our volunteers do enjoy the experience but then they talk to us about the fact it's been really busy in here, so we have to work around that as well. On one particular Monday, they served 75 for breakfast, 156 for lunch and another 75 or 80 for supper. That's when we talk about that fatigue," said Chippa.

Based on past experience, the number of meals served during the summer will increase, at the same time many regular volunteers will go on vacation. In another week children who receive meal assistance at school will be turning to the Gathering Place to fill their tummies. Chippa is hoping new volunteers will step forward.

The soup kitchen does not receive government funding. Its entire operating budget is dependent upon donations.