How We Help People

Every day, 365 days a year, guests rely on the Friendship Inn to eat. We provide a Free Meal Service, offering
hot, nutritious breakfasts and lunches for vulnerable people from Saskatoon’s core neighborhoods and beyond
who may otherwise go hungry. As of July 2024, the Inn is serving up to 1600 meals per day.

Guests of the Friendship Inn describe hunger as “living in chaos”, so serving with compassion, offering dignity
and reserving judgement are core principles. Many guests struggle with complex health barriers which
frequently include poverty; underemployment; mental health and addictions challenges; domestic violence;
long-term disability; homelessness or lack of safe, affordable housing; underdeveloped literacy skills or
intergenerational trauma. For many guests, the warm welcome they receive from staff and volunteers at the
Inn may be the only kindness they receive in a day. We feel strongly about creating a compassionate sense of
belonging, and through our services we hope to help guests feel like an important part of community and a
person who has someone who cares.

There are no qualifying criteria to eat a meal at the Inn – we operate with a ‘no questions asked’ policy to
preserve the dignity of guests. We assume everyone who comes to the Inn has a need, whether for food,
friendship or help to take a good step forward. The Inn also offers access to washrooms, water and various
supports to assist guests with emergent needs or referrals, primarily via our onsite family worker.

Reclaimed or donated food resources are used to create 95% of the Inn’s meals. Each year, the Friendship Inn works to fundraise 95% of our budget to continue serving daily meals to vulnerable neighbours in need.