For the past three years, Northridge Community Church in Aurora, Ont., has hosted exciting gala events to raise funds and awareness for their mental-health programs. Though previous galas have been a resounding success and have garnered positive engagement from the community, there was a desire to do something a bit different in 2025—a Newfoundland and Labrador-style kitchen party.

Angela Covert, community and family services manager, was inspired by a personal trip to the East Coast, where she and her husband experienced the beauty of Newfoundland and Labrador, connected with the people and developed a better understanding of the history of The Salvation Army there. Rather than a formal gala event, she decided to plan a more down-to-earth kitchen party.

“You know when you go to somebody’s house for a party or get together, everyone sort of ends up in the kitchen? It seems to be the centre of all the action,” says Covert. “A traditional Newfoundland and Labrador kitchen party is where all that lively energy comes into the kitchen—the music, food, talking, and just hanging out and having fun.” 

Held in September, the kitchen party brought the charm of Newfoundland and Labrador to Northridge, complete with colourful tablecloths, utensil holder centrepieces, catering and an East Coast tribute band. Major Fred Reid, corps officer, did a reading and gave a lesson on Newfoundland and Labrador slang that tied into their mental-health services, and a silent auction raised about $2,700.

A standout feature was a display by The Salvation Army’s territorial Archives that showcased the history of the Army in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We even had a ‘kiss the cod’ ceremony to make visitors honorary Newfoundlanders,” says Covert. “It was a lot of fun and silliness.”

The kitchen party attracted 230 people, including guests, volunteers and staff, and raised $23,400.

These funds will help sustain Northridge’s growing mental-health services. The corps currently has one full-time and one part-time psychotherapist on staff, as well as interns, who provide counselling to individuals in the community who might not have access otherwise. Most of these clients do not have insurance, and those who do are able to use their coverage until it runs out and then continue at no cost or on a sliding scale.

The psychotherapists also lead STAIR (Skills Training in Affect and Interpersonal Regulation), a 12-week trauma recovery group that has been well-received by the community.

“There’s an appreciation of The Salvation Army here in Aurora,” says Covert. “At least 60 percent of the people in the room were from the community, not from the church, so it was a great opportunity to extend the reach to people outside of the corps and let them know a bit more about what we do.”

And according to Covert, the event was a success and many people who attended have expressed interest in another East Coast-themed fundraiser next year. “The whole atmosphere brought a lot of joy,” she says. “My hope is that some of those people will think about us in the future and choose to support The Salvation Army.”

Photos: Silas Allen