
Uko Akpanuko
Daily Herald
Prince Albert residents gathered at Plaza 88 on Friday for Plates of Hope, a fundraiser put together to support the Salvation Army meal program.
While responding to questions, Shannon Parenteau, the artist and organizer said
“I just have non-stop butterflies,” artist and organizer Shannon Parenteau said while responding to questions. “It’s beautiful. My heart is exploding… It (the crowd) is outstanding. It’s sold out. I never thought in a million years we’d be sold out.” The event was emceed by Nora Vedress, and included speeches from Major Ed Dean of the Salvation Army, Parenteau, and an opening prayer by Elder Liz Settee.
In describing the theme of the fundraiser, Dean said ‘Plates of Hope’ was an appropriate name.
“It’s about food and food is such a necessity,” Dean said. “I go home every day and I am grateful for what is in my fridge and I realized that some of those that we serve may have a home but they may not have food or they may not have a home so we are their food source.”

Parenteau said she thought about doing some sort of event to help homeless residents while driving home and seeing them on the street. It got her thinking about why she was lucky enough to have a warm home and fridge full of food while others didn’t.
Parenteau and Dean both gave credit to caterer Randy Whitter for kick-starting the Plates of Hope fundraiser, and said she was grateful for his contribution.
“Randy Whitter, everyone knows him, everyone loves him, he’s the hardest working man in Prince Albert,” Parenteau said. “He said straight up, ‘I have this idea, but I don’t have the time for it.’ I said, ‘say no more, I’m your girl.’”
Parenteau also partnered with Carlton Comprehensive High School student Neviah Johnson, who created a video consisting of Parenteau’s images, interviews with some of the individuals who were photographed, and other short video clips. This was shown after the speeches. “These our beautiful photos,” Dean said. “These are people in our community, and they’re our neighbours. We’re caring for our neighbours, and in an event such as this in an inaugural year to sell out is amazing. Usually in the first year that people have trepidation about an event but this, it sold out and It really went gangbusters after Christmas.
“We’ve got people who have embraced this and said, ‘this is important.’” Parenteau captured portraits of about 50 individuals who used the bagged lunch program provided by the Prince Albert Salvation Army six days a week. The art is going to end up on a wall in the Salvation Army with donors’ names on a plaque (the art was not for sale but people could sponsor a piece for $200). “The idea is that every one of those photos are sponsored because when the exhibition is over, they are coming to our place and we have a wall where they are going on. There will be a plaque with all of the names of the sponsors. I’d like to see every one of those pictures sponsored,” Dean said. Final fundraising totals were not available by press time.
-With files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald
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