PNC functions because of the participation of many. From the beginning of 2012 until the end of March a handful of people stepped into leadership in order to ensure PNC continued. I am indebted to Souad, our long-time Kitchen Coordinator and Rob, Kim, Naomi and Wendy, our interim staff. Souad captains the kitchen with great humour and warmth. Her culinary skills have enabled us to create very healthy, flavourful meals at surprisingly low-cost. Like a mother, she reminds the community that they have to “eat their vegetables”. The interim staff graciously joined her on the front-line, maintaining and building relationships with those who keenly felt the absence of myself and Joe.

In order to give you all a better sense of what PNC is like on a Monday, I invite you to watch a video that Souad helped to produce. While some of you have likely seen it in the past, I assure you it is worth a second viewing.  Our drop-in is often the first point of connection a person has with PNC; it is through this program that people decide to get even more involved. Mondays can feel like a wonderful whirlwind and couldn’t have kept going without the support of Souad, Rob, Kim, Naomi and Wendy.

As we face even more transition, these five people have stayed close. Saying I’m grateful just doesn’t suffice.

So, while it feels meager: thank you friends. Your work has not gone unnoticed.