Community Response

The Friendship Inn

At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the Friendship Inn responded quickly and shifted the Free Meal service to a take-away model on March 14, 2020. On the same day as the province’s declared State of Emergency, March 18, 2020, they made the decision to pause all of the additional programming – including the Volunteer and Fine Options Programs – in order to focus solely on providing food services in a safe manner. In those first few days the mindset had to shift quickly from ‘soup kitchen’ to ‘essential service.’  

As the days unfolded, many health and safety precautions were implemented including guest signage for physical distancing, a plexi-booth for the front door, additional cleaning and sanitizing protocols, and the proper use and need for face masks. 

Their once bustling dining area turned into a warehouse for take-away containers, bottled water, and food donations that continued to come in (much to everyone’s relief!). 

With the continued support and help of our community, the Friendship Inn have been able to maintain provision of two nutritious meals (breakfast and lunch) each and every day to our community’s most in need.

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Engaging for Health Equity is a project of the Division of Social Accountability.

The DSA is proud to be a part of the Saskatoon Inter-Agency Response to COVID-19 and for the critical equity-informed work that is happening in Saskatoon.

Important: For public health recommendations on COVID–19 (symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and risk, and travel advice), please visit the Government of Canada’s website.

For Saskatchewan COVID-19 news and information, visit the Government of Saskatchewan’s website.

The DSA office is situated in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis and we acknowledge Saskatchewan as the traditional territory of First Nations and Métis people, which includes Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10. We pay our respect to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. We recognize the legacies of colonialism and systemic racism in Saskatchewan, which requires focused and sustained societal efforts as we confront historical and contemporary injustices and achieve health equity for all.