In last month’s newsletter, there was an article about 541 Barton St. Eatery and Exchange, asking individuals to consider visiting this unique restaurant which is located close to and serves some of the same clients as the Eva Rothwell Centre.
It heartened us to hear back from congregants who had read this article in our newsletter, offering suggestions for how we/they might help support 541 Barton St. Several actions have emerged through the publication of this article and other social media: Individuals are considering having their monthly lunch groups select 541 as a destination; Les Sasaki, the artist whose unique display of window portraiture (Making the Invisible Visible) was installed at 541 Barton, will be the speaker at our March 8th service; Jeff Mahoney is planning a Spectator article featuring 541 Barton; and Anne Bokma is considering 541 Barton as the recipient charity for one of her Six Minute Memoirs.
The question has been asked about how our efforts at 541 Barton relate to our work at Eva Rothwell. It’s a good question. Here’s some of what Sue Carr, Executive Director at 541, had to say about eating there: Maybe coming to 541 is not only about the food and the coffee. Maybe it’s in some small way an act of solidarity with those who are on the margins of our city…. So part of how it relates to our work at Eva Rothwell is the similar value that volunteering at Eva Rothwell and eating at 541 has for us in living out our mission of nurturing one another, serving the community and inspiring action that heals the world.
Our work at Eva Rothwell has never been just about supporting the Centre itself but rather about serving the people who live in the Keith neighbourhood where the Centre is located. The Eva Rothwell Centre came into existence when the members of the community in which it is located worked together to raise the funds to purchase the former Robert Land School when it was slated to be closed and sold by the Hamilton-Wentworth Board of Education. Since it opened, the Eva Rothwell Centre has worked to provide a variety of programs and resources for people of all ages from the Keith neighbourhood, one of Hamilton’s most economically disadvantaged communities. A unique feature of Eva Rothwell is that ALL of the programs are offered AT NO COST (apart from the Summer Camp which is offered at the unbelievable cost of $10. a week, which includes lunch).
Technically, while it serves many of the same clients, 541 Barton is located on the southern outskirts of the Keith Neighbourhood which is bounded by the RR tracks on the South, the bay on the North, Victoria on the West, and Sherman on the East. Come check it out….and while you’re at it, drop into Eva Rothwell to see what goes on there. Better yet, consider volunteering some of your time in the breakfast program (5 mornings a week, 7-8:30) or the Clothing Room (Tues. and Thur., 10-12, 3-5, both days).
Contact Pat Dickinson or Martin Dooley for more information.