Edmonton – On Sunday, July 8 the Social Justice Ministry, the local conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and JustFAITH ministry of St. Theresa's Parish rallied some of their resources and a few of their members to set up a cold water station, with tables and chairs in the shade, to offer some comfort and hospitality to people in the inner city.

Most of us go to the fridge, or the tap for that cold glass of water, but if you are homeless and living on the street it is not that easy.

On this hot day, a large number of inner city residents walking or biking, stopped by for a cold glass of water, an opportunity to rest on a chair in the shade and even to talk with a volunteer sitting at the table for that particular purpose.

It is an honour to sit and listen to someone who trusts you enough to share their life story in a frank and honest way.

Everyone was thankful for the glass or two of cold water they drank and for a bit of time out from their regular routine. We also enjoyed the opportunity to be of service to our sisters and brothers in this simple way. We can hardly wait for the next opportunity to do it again.

It was a rewarding experience for all of us and we would like to issue a challenge to other parishes in the archdiocese to sponsor this kind of event on a hot day in July, August and September.

Call Maria or Stephen at St. Theresa's Church and we will outline how we hosted this event.