And the Envelope, Please…
Dear People, Neighbours, and Friends of St. Thomas’s,
As avid readers of The Thurible know, back in February, Friday Food Ministry Coordinator Wendy Kirschner announced that she would be stepping back from her role with the FFM, which made it possible for us to begin a public search for a successor who would, ideally, overlap with Wendy for a few weeks until she left for vacation, eventually returning as a volunteer. She indicated at the time that she hoped we would be able to find a suitable candidate before the summer busy season.
The Wardens and I are grateful that Wendy made it possible for us to ensure a smooth transition in this cornerstone of our social justice initiatives, and together with the Friends of the Friday Food Ministry committee, I am pleased to announce that we have completed our search and called Wendy’s successor.
I suddenly feel like I’m presenting at the Oscars. May I have a drumroll? And the envelope, please… The successor to Friday Food Ministry Coordinator Wendy Kirschner is…Wendy! Wendy Goodwin, that is.
Yes, Wendy Kirschner’s successor is also named Wendy! Together with our Evensong sidesperson coordinator, Wendy Woodworth, whenever someone says “Wendy,” I’ll have to ask to whom they are referring. (Such is often the case with the surname “Kennedy” around here, as well. There were three Kennedys on the Parish Selection Committee for the last rector search, none of them related!)
Wendy Goodwin brings a broad range of experience to her new role as Friday Food Ministry Coordinator, especially her experience leading teams, projects, and operations, which she first undertook in the financial services sector. After having led the Charity and Diversity Committee for RBC, she decided to use her skills and abilities on a full-time basis to help others in need by supporting social causes.
Wendy began by supporting The Alzheimer and Canadian Cancer societies with their fundraising efforts before moving to the Scott Mission, where she established a major gifts program and began work on a capital campaign to redevelop their site for residential housing. Her time at the Scott Mission gave her hands-on experience supporting those in need, which Wendy found to be a very humbling experience. At the same time, Wendy signed on to be a mentor for Yonge Street Mission, and supported their creative writing program on a volunteer basis.
While the redevelopment of the Scott Mission site was on hold, Wendy began to support St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society, which currently provides over one thousand units of deeply affordable, supportive housing for those who have been homeless, many of whom also face mental health and addiction challenges. When a property manager left without warning, Wendy was asked to take on the management of one of St. Clare’s buildings. Two weeks later, the global COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada, putting everyone’s skills and abilities to the test. Wendy did her best to support isolated tenants, her colleagues, and the management of St. Clare’s through a very difficult time with great grace.
At the same time, Fr. James Shire, focusing on the safety of guests and volunteers alike, ensured that the Friday Food Ministry didn’t miss a beat, pivoting to outdoor meal service throughout the pandemic regardless of the weather, using canopies and industrial outdoor space heaters when necessary. At a time when other programs were forced to shut down temporarily, and in some cases permanently, Fr. Shire and his team proved the resilience of this crucial program serving people from across the GTA. We are indebted to him.
Wendy Goodwin likewise ensured that, despite the pandemic, St. Clare’s would be well positioned for success following a major expansion initiative. Having reached a natural transition point, Wendy decided to accept a position as the operations manager for Bloor Street United Church, just up the block from us at Bloor and Huron. (Incidentally, the architect of our Accessibility Atrium is KPMB, the same firm working on the Bloor Street United redevelopment.) That church is now in the final stages of a complete redevelopment of its property, which resulted in the need to hire a property manager who could take on the responsibilities of the operations manager, as well. Wendy entered a period of discernment as to where she might be called next.
Wendy began to volunteer with our Friday Food Ministry in December 2024 and saw immediately that the environment and goals matched her own beliefs and values. She was happy to have the opportunity to once again provide hands-on support to those in need. And this turned out to be providential, indeed.
One of the things we were most hoping for in Wendy Kirschner’s successor was a person already familiar with the FFM, as well as someone who could take on the logistical challenges of temporarily relocating the Friday Food Ministry’s operations during the construction of the atrium. When asked in her interview whether being tasked with creating “a moveable feast” would give her second thoughts about accepting the position if offered, Wendy’s immediate response was, “I don’t like to get bored.” In this regard, Wendy shares the virtue of industriousness with our current Wendy, who has told me how delighted she is to be working with the next Wendy to ensure that the Friday Food Ministry will continue every Friday, without fail, wherever it is located.
I would like to thank Rector’s Warden Matthew Aggus for overseeing this search with the coordination of the chair of the Friends of the Friday Food Ministry committee, Michael Rowland, who assembled a dynamic duo in Sue Hastie and Jacquelyn Laurenda to interview our incredibly impressive finalists while I sat in on these conversations. Sue and Jacquelyn had the unenviable job of making their recommendation, which I concurred with and referred to Corporation last week. You will see the two Wendys working side by side in the coming weeks.
Welcome, Wendy Goodwin! And thank you, Wendy Kirschner!
Yours in Christ’s service,
N.J.A. Humphrey+
VIII Rector
