Mom and daughters say 'great people, great community' keep them volunteering at Kitchener's Tiny Home Takeout
'It just feels right to go there every Saturday as a tradition,' Dani Offak says
Every Saturday, Nada Offak and her daughters Andrea and Dani volunteer their time to make food for people who use Tiny Home Takeout in Kitchener.
The three have been volunteering at the tiny home-turned-takeout window in front of St. Mary Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in downtown Kitchener since it opened in January 2021.
The idea behind Tiny Home Takeout is to provide free meals for those who can't afford to pay and pay-what-you-can for people who can.
"We've always made it a priority to make sure we were there for that shift," Nada told CBC K-W's Craig Norris, host of The Morning Edition, during a special show on Dec. 6 at TheMuseum in downtown Kitchener.
The show was to mark the start of the Make The Season Kind campaign, which raises food and funds for The Food Bank of Waterloo Region.
Nada says they've built a "family relationship and dynamic" with other Saturday morning volunteers, including one woman who is like a grandmother to her daughters.
"We look forward to hearing her stories and look forward to bonding over lunch together," Nada said. "We break bread as a community, we pause, we reflect on the week that's gone by. We talk about what we're doing in the week upcoming, and then we regroup the following week."
500 dough balls every day
They're so dedicated to volunteering, they've even been there on birthdays.
When Dani turned nine, her mom asked if they should give notice that they wouldn't be volunteering. But Dani wanted to go and when they got there, the other volunteers had decorated with balloons, streamers and had a cake.
"It was just a magical moment where they took the time to put together something special for her. And she was, at that time, the youngest volunteer. So she felt very valued," Nada says.
Dani's job each week is to prep vegetables while Andrea helps make pizza dough.
"My first job was to make the pizza dough, which now is its own shift cause we make about 500 dough balls every day," Andrea said. "It's become a lot more now. It's become its own shift and I cannot do it on my own anymore."
Andrea says it was her mom's idea to volunteer, but now, she recommends the experience to anyone who needs volunteer hours.
She says she's learned new kitchen skills and it's a fun way to give back to the community.
"It's really fun. Great people, great community. Just come out, try it," she said.
Dani agrees she'll continue to volunteer for as long as she can.
"Probably as long as it's, like, still a thing. It just feels right to go there every Saturday as a tradition," Dani said.
WATCH | Mother, daughters on why they keep volunteering at Kitchener's Tiny Home Takeout:
'They are so dedicated'
That's great news for Amy Cyr, who is the head chef and kitchen program co-ordinator at Tiny Home Takeout. She noted January will mark four years since they opened and Nada, Dani and Andrea have been volunteering since Day One.
"Nada has been my right hand for many of the events including Hunger No More, our annual fundraiser in September, without her the event wouldn't have become what it is today," Cyr said.
"We are very blessed and very grateful to have the wonderful volunteers that we do, they are so dedicated and committed to our mission, without them, what we do is simply not possible," Cyr added.
"When you join the team, you are joining a big family who cares for one another and for all who visit us on a nightly basis. It is truly a joy filled space in the kitchen at Tiny Home Takeout and that is a credit to our amazing volunteers."
Throughout the month of December, Make The Season Kind is a CBC campaign that raises food and funds for local food banks.
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