Recently, maybe 20 to 30 people per day have been walking into Brian Vickery’s downtown Sarnia deli and grabbing sticky notes marked with “soup,” “sandwich,” or “combo,” the shop owner says.
Recently, maybe 20 to 30 people per day have been walking into Brian Vickery’s downtown Sarnia deli and grabbing sticky notes marked with “soup,” “sandwich,” or “combo,” the shop owner says.
Earlier this month, six to 10 per day might have redeemed the notes for food, pre-paid by others, said Vickery.
“It’s both good and sad at the same time” to see demand for the Vicks Corner Deli pending soup-sandwich program grow, he said.
“We’ll keep doing it as long as the community is willing to keep doing it,” he said.
On Jan. 7, Vickery posted on Facebook how he’d been walking his dog and saw people trying in a park.
He ran into a friend shortly thereafter, he wrote. They’d both witnessed the plight, so the friend gave him $20 to help anyone who came into the shop that day looking cold or hungry.
“I’ve decided to try something out,” Vickery wrote later that day.
Just shy of three weeks later, an estimated $12,000 worth of meals has been pre-purchased, he said.
About one-sixth have been redeemed, he said.
“It has been astonishing really,” Vickery said about the response.
Donations continue to pour in, he said, noting Thursday there was a $500 contribution from a church.
“People have been extremely receptive.”
Some of the colorful squares are decorated with smiles, hearts and uplifting messages.
There’s no bar to redeem a note at the roughly 18-month-old deli on the corner of Cromwell and Christina streets, he said.
The system was designed so people don’t feel like they’re begging or asking for a free meal.
“I put a lot of faith in people,” he said, adding “Who’s to say what ‘in need’ is?”
Vickery said he’d love to see other restaurants and cafés follow suit with pending meal programs of their own.
Notes for sandwiches are $5, soups are $3 and combos – including soups and sandwiches, and soup combos with chips – are $8, he said.
Sandwich options include roast beef, ham, turkey and assorted.
The couple he saw in the tent have since moved to another location, he said, though he doesn’t know where.
“I think someone’s actually trying to get them to come in here,” he said.
His friend who donated the initial program-inspiring $20 is staying out of the spotlight, he said.
“I talk to her all the time,” he said. “I’d love to mention her (name), but she wants to remain anonymous.”