Salem Home is throwing a barbecue, and the whole community is invited.
Salem Foundation together with the Salem Ladies Auxiliary hosts their Spring BBQ on Wednesday, May 27 from 5-7 p.m. under the Pembina Valley Canvas tent on the Winkler care home’s south parking lot (165 15th St.)
On the menu will be Southern Meats beef burgers with fixings sponsored by Gardenland Co-op, potato chips, drinks, and monster cookies, all served up by donation.
Salem Home has been hosting this community barbecue for several years now, though its roots stretch back even further.
“We used to always have picnic days for the residents where we would have the tent and we would do burgers,” says CEO Karin Oliveira “Now it’s shifted—it’s still for the residents, but we’ve expanded it to the larger community.”
And the community has certainly turned out for it; volunteers serve up hundreds of meals each year and supporters pack into and around the tent to chow down while enjoying the night’s entertainment. Providing the music this year will be The Quonset Brothers.
“I’m always impressed to see how much the community supports us,” Oliveira says. “Sure, it’s a barbecue and the food is good, but it’s that community support that we appreciate so much.”
Funds raised at the barbecue will go to help Salem pay for its new handivan. Between community donations and the proceeds of last fall’s faspa fundraiser, they’re about a third of the way there.
“I would say we have close to $70,000 already,” Oliveira shares. “And the plan is to sell the old handivan as well, which would bring in a little extra.”
With any luck, she says, the donations they receive May 27 will get them closer to the fundraising finish line.
The new van is a bit larger than the old, offering more seats.
“The number of wheelchairs it can fit is the same, but we have more seats for independent residents,” Oliveira explains.
Due to rising costs, the van has already been purchased and is poised to be put to good use giving residents access to the world beyond Salem’s walls.
“The van gets used quite a bit, even in the winter. The staff make sure that they take the residents out probably three times a month for sure,” says Oliveira. “And in the summer they do even more outings.
“It’s a way for them to stay connected with the community because they can see the new buildings, go back to maybe the places where they grew up and see how they’ve changed. It triggers their memory, and so it can trigger conversations. It’s the reminiscing that’s so important for them. And then they feel part of it, instead of just being insolated and not knowing what’s happening outside in the world.”
As always, the Spring BBQ will be run by a dedicated team of volunteers. Foundation executive coordinator Susan Hildebrand notes they’re always looking for more help.
“It’s open to anyone. I don’t think we’ve ever turned a vounteer away,” she says, noting they can always use a few more grill masters to man the barbecues that night. Contact the care home if you’d like to get involved.
If you’ll be attending the barbecue, be sure to bring along some chairs to sit on, Hildebrand says.
Parking that night will be available at the nearby Grace Mennonite Church (1350 Pembina Ave.). A free shuttle will be provided to transport people to Salem.
