Cent-A-Meal
Had you been standing on Vansittart Avenue or Devonshire Avenue on a certain day in 1951, you might have seen a strange looking building being towed along. What was it? Where was it going? A good look told you that it was an army hut. Upon inquiry, you would have found that it was destined to be erected on a site in the Veterans' Housing Development in the north-east end of the city, to serve as a church. Because of the growing number of young families in this area, Bishop Luxton felt that a church and Sunday School should be built. The army hut was brought from London to serve this purpose.
The building was erected on the land where Marguerite Bourgeois School now stands. The project was financed by a loan of $3,525 from synod, at the time a fairly large sum of money for a small congregation to raise, especially since many of these people had house mortgages to pay off, and small families to raise. How was the Synod loan to be looked after? Someone came up with the idea that if each family would set aside one cent per meal per family to help with the loan, it would, in time, count up. And how it counted! It was not too long before the church mortgage was paid off. Up to 1955 there had been no rectory. In 1955 an old house next to the church was bought. This meant another mortgage. Here was a new project for the pennies. The congregation came to the rescue again, and in time, this too, was paid off.
But all these pennies had to be collected, counted, rolled, and banked. At first this task was taken on by the Johns family. Once a month, Ev mounted his bicycle and rode off to collect the pennies. He brought them home where his family helped him complete the task. As the number of contributors grew, other volunteers came to his aid. Over the years a goodly number of people have been involved. We should like to name them all, but the list would be to long. Suffice it to say that we are grateful to each and everyone of them. May they get their reward in Heaven!
In 1964 our present church was built as the small one on Huron Street could not accommodate the growing congregation. The city had spread to the east and north, and it was felt that an area on Devonshire east would be a suitable location. Once more the little church went on a journey - this time along Devonshire Avenue until it reached the present site, and was incorporated into the new building.
The mortgage on the new church was somewhat beyond the means of pennies. But we needed extra money for other projects, so the Cent-A-Meal Fund was continued. Throughout the years it has been used for various needs including a small mortgage on the last rectory on Warwick St. (paid off in 1978). The most recent achievement for Cent-A-Meal was completing the payment for the Church organ. ONE CENT PER MEAL PER FAMILY!
This must be the only financial endeavor that has not been hit by inflation. Who said that a penny is useless? Surely after you read "The Story of the Little Red Cent" you will agree that our pennies have worked miracles.
