Six months after the roof of the Algo Centre mall collapsed in Elliot Lake, Ont., Mary Hiley still jumps when she hears a loud noise. It was 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, June 23, 2012. Hiley had just finished a shift at the Salvation Army thrift store and was at the mall to buy groceries when the roof caved in, killing two and injuring many others.

“There was this huge crash. It sounded like the whole building was coming down,” she remembers. “I turned around the corner and the staircase I was walking to wasn't there anymore. There was dust and debris all over the place, and people were yelling, 'Get out! Get out!' ”

Her mind racing as she made her way to the nearest exit, Hiley wondered how many people had been hurt.

“The day before, my friend and I were having a cup of coffee exactly at that same spot, at that same time,” she says. “It could have been us.”

Ready to Respond

While emergency workers searched for missing persons, family and friends kept vigil by the mall for days, prompting The Salvation Army's Hope Church to send in a response team.

“We walked the streets for hours each day, giving out hundreds of bottles of water and about 500 sandwiches,” says Captain Pamela Stanger, corps officer. An emergency response vehicle came from Sudbury, Ont., to bolster the Army's efforts, and the corps' drop-in centre was open every day the week following the disaster, offering people food and a place to gather and talk about what had happened.

“I had people coming in for counselling and debriefing—so many, I lost track,” Captain Stanger recalls. “The collapse traumatized everyone.”

She was also on call at the local hospital, where she provided pastoral care to families who had been affected by the disaster.

At the thrift store, co-ordinator Barb Vincent was fielding requests for immediate assistance.

“When the roof collapsed, the people who were staying at the hotel in the mall had to leave everything,” she says. “A person from the hotel came in and explained the situation, and I said, 'Just take what you need for them and don't worry about it,' because they only had what they were wearing on their backs.”

Filling the Void

Volunteers assist chef Barry Tuomi in preparing lunch at the drop-in centre; Above: Thrift store volunteer William Guppy stands by a memorial near the Algo Centre mall

By Wednesday, the city's search and rescue efforts were complete, and The Salvation Army's work shifted from the mall to its ministry unit. The unit houses both the drop-in centre and thrift store, which have seen a dramatic increase in visitors since the mall shut down.

Before the disaster, the drop-in centre, which is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, served lunch to approximately 40 guests. Today, they average 150, as more people need food assistance and a place to connect with friends.

For Elliot Lake, a town with 11,400 residents, located about two hours west of Sudbury, the mall closure has created a significant void.

“I don't feel as connected to the town anymore,” says Hiley, “because I'd go to the mall, and I'd always see people that I knew.”

“People used to go to the mall and sit in the food court and talk,” says Vincent. “Now, a lot of people are coming to us.”

Singles and families, old and young, the drop-in centre serves “anyone and everyone,” says Captain Stanger.

Keeping up with the increased demand has been no small task, but the number of volunteers at the drop-in centre has also increased since the disaster. The kitchen team is led by chef Barry Tuomi, who also provides training for volunteers. With his help, the corps is looking to start a community kitchen program to teach people with low incomes how to cook healthy meals on a budget.

Shopping Centre

Barb Vincent co-ordinates the Elliot Lake thrift store

Programs for low-income individuals are needed more than ever in Elliot Lake, as many people have lost their jobs because of the mall closure. With less money to
spend and fewer places to shop, residents are flocking to the thrift store to buy clothes, toys and household items.

“Our sales and work have gone up threefold,” says Vincent. “We have to get the clothing out faster and we have to find things to sell faster.”

The higher volume has created some strain for the thrift store, but the increased sales are contributing to the funding of meals at the drop-in centre.

The store is assisted by a team of 23 volunteers, some of whom used to work at the mall.

“That has worked out really well,” says Vincent, “because they have experience, and some of them get paid by their company for volunteering.”

The store sees customers from all walks of life, but the mall closure has been particularly hard on people with low and fixed incomes.

“Before, people could shop at the dollar store or Zellers and make do,” says Captain Stanger. “Now, you have to drive at least 45 minutes out of town just to buy socks and underwear, and that's not an option for most of the people we see.”

Not everyone who comes to the thrift store is looking for clothes. With the closure of the town's library, which was part of the mall, books are also flying off the shelves.

With demand so high, the store sometimes runs out of popular items. But donations have been steady, and the store receives assistance from other thrift stores when needed. Heading into the winter season, the store was particularly low on warm coats. It put out a call for help and the Sault Ste. Marie Corps, Ont., answered with 50 coats.

The store aims to provide customers with whatever items they need, but it's more than just a place to shop.

“When the mall collapsed, a lot of people came into the store and wanted to talk about it,” says Vincent. “We have always had people, especially women and widows, coming in, who need to talk. We know them by their first names and we try to help them as much as possible.”

The store also provides emergency food aid when the local food bank and the drop-in centre are not open. In addition, The Salvation Army helps families who are turned down at the food bank, for example, because they do not reside in Elliot Lake.

“There are a lot of families falling through the cracks,” says Vincent.

Hope and Healing

Captains William and Pamela Stanger, Elliot Lake corps officers, visit the Algo Centre mall

Beyond the economic hardship imposed on the town by the mall collapse, the psychological impact has also been severe.

“It was devastating,” says Hiley. “I still dream about it sometimes, the roof crashing down, and then I can't get back to sleep. It was months before I went inside a mall again.”

Captain Stanger says the disaster has been especially hard on those who are already struggling with mental illness.

“It was a trigger for some people, bringing to mind other traumatic experiences,” she says. “For them, it's not just the mall collapse—the world is no longer a safe place.”

Captain Stanger is a member of the social and wellness committee, which is part of the rehabilitation committee for the city of Elliot Lake. She recently took trauma resilience training to better equip her to counsel hurting residents.

“We're all going through the grief process,” says Captain Stanger. “I think it's going to take a year or two to help some of the people who've turned to us.”

As well as counselling residents, Captain Stanger has had opportunities to provide spiritual guidance.

“People are coming to our drop-in centre and they want to know about God,” she says. “They're asking questions and, to the best of our ability, we're trying to answer them.

“We're seeing a lot of suffering humanity at this point in time, and we're meeting people at their point of need,” she continues. “But we'd also like to be there to help them grow spiritually, to start on a spiritual path, and to continue to help them grow and develop on that path.”

With the launch of an official inquiry into the roof collapse and construction of the new mall in progress, Captain Stanger believes that the town is on its way to recovery.

“I'm hoping that we'll heal,” she says. “And in the meantime, we'll help.”