There are some who would see a problem, one as complex as it is overwhelming, feel as though the problem is larger than they are and simply walk away.
And there are others who make sandwiches.
Kaireen Crichton made sandwiches, then soups. A volunteer bookkeeper at Christ the King Church shortly before she founded the Blue Door Soup Kitchen in 1982, Crichton found a steady stream of parishioners and community members knocking at the church door, asking for any food that could be spared. Layoffs at local mining companies and a stagnant economy meant that the need was great.
And so, she made a sandwich. Then another, then some soup. She asked Father Brian McKee, who was in charge of the Catholic Charities about a used clothing store on Minto Street. He offered her a room at the back of the store, and a soup kitchen was born. Joined later by volunteers who simply saw how great the need was and cooked by her side, Crichton nurtured both body and soul with nutritious food and a welcoming spirit.
Sadly, she died June 11, not long after her May 26 birthday. It was her 96th.
Flying in the face of anyone who would say only the good die young, Crichton devoted every minute of her days to helping others and the thousands who have walked through the Blue Door Soup Kitchen are better for it.
Really, the entire community is richer for her contributions.
Crichton began the Blue Door Soup Kitchen and ran it with her beloved husband, Roger, who she married in 1949 and shared her life with until he passed in 2018. She leaves behind two children, her daughter Peggy and son Bruce, her extended family and friends, as well as all those who not only made it through their darkest days because of her sandwiches, of her need to make things better one person at a time, but because she treated each one as if they were a guest in her home.
“I was concerned with individuals, offering them a place that was non-threatening,” Crichton told Sudbury.com in 2017 at the Blue Door Soup Kitchen’s 35th anniversary celebration. “We always called them our guests, and they were treated, hopefully, in the way you'd treat a guest — the best you could provide, every day.”
That’s what she did. She reminded people of their value, of their worth, and of their humanity. When hope is in short supply, a sandwich, a smile, and a place where you are welcome can save a life.
Her nephew, Bill Hickey, began working for the Blue Door Soup Kitchen in 2009 at the request of his aunt, and is now the operations manager. He remembers her for her outgoing nature and her ability to listen to the story of everyone she met.
“She loved people, she loved conversation, engaging with people in all walks of life,” said Hickey. “All our clients have a story. So, she wants to know ‘what happened to you? Why are you in this predicament?’ And then do all that she could to help you, to nourish you.”
If you’re able, a donation to the Blue Door Soup Kitchen is her final request. If you cannot contribute monetarily, Hickey said the soup kitchen would benefit most from pre-packaged desserts like granola bars and pudding cups, as they have to buy these specific items for their guests.
A sandwich can feed you, but dessert can make you feel loved.
Geoffrey Lougheed, the founder of the Sudbury Food Bank, called Crichton "a light in our community."
"I had the honour of working with Kaireen for many years. She was always a light in our community, providing a meal and safe place for those in need," Lougheed said in a statement to Sudbury.com. "Kaireen lived her life in faith and for the care of others. Her dedication and passion set the standard for caring and defined not a hand out but a hand up. Kaireen’s sharing spirit will continue to live through the many people in need that she helped, the volunteers, the donors and her friends, a wonderful legacy of love."
Crichton will be resting at the Jackson and Barnard Funeral Home, 233 Larch Street, Sudbury. (Friends may call 2-4pm Friday. Due to COVID-19 Pandemic directives, 25 people or fewer are permitted in the visitation room and 95 in the church. Face masks are mandatory).
Funeral Mass in Christ the King Church, 30 Beech Street, Sudbury, on Saturday, June 19th, 2021 at 10am. Interment in the family plot at the Sudbury Catholic Cemetery.
For more information about or to donate to the Blue Door Soup Kitchen, click here.
