Souls Harbour Rescue Mission is celebrating Easter in a big way this year, expanding across Nova Scotia and welcoming more people through its doors. The organization serves thousands of meals each month at its nine drop‑in locations, and Easter weekend is one of its busiest times of the year.

Dartmouth, Yarmouth, and New Waterford are all hosting their very first Easter meals with Souls Harbour, giving more people a place to gather and feel supported.

“We really do feel so privileged to be growing Souls Harbour across Nova Scotia. The more we grow, the more people we can reach, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters most to us,” says CEO Michelle Porter.

In Dartmouth, staff say they expect to see about 50 people a day. Guests find their seats, receive raffle tickets, and are served either plated or buffet‑style depending on location.

“Basically, it’s just like if you don’t have a place to go have a big family dinner, you come and have your big dinner with us,” explains Chief Program Officer Marni Yuke.

The Souls Harbour’s Mobile Mission team, along with CARE’s team, are bringing Easter into encampments, delivering dyed, hard‑boiled “protein Easter eggs” all weekend. Yuke says teams prepared about 600 eggs at their downtown location, calling them “protein power Easter eggs.”

“Basically, here’s a couple boiled eggs, but we’re adding a little fun twist where they’re colored for Easter.” Yuke says. “I think it just brings a smile to their face. We pass out hard‑boiled eggs and food and things all the time, but this is just a unique way to bring a different smile to them and brighten their day in a fun, loving way.”

According to organizers, Souls Harbour currently serves about 12,000 to 15,000 meals a month across Nova Scotia, with many guests relying on daily meals, and demand is rising as food costs climb.

“We’re a private non‑profit. So it [government cuts] hasn’t hit us, although the cost of food has hit us because we are watching our food bills go up, you know, substantially,” says Yuke. The organization is stretching every dollar by buying in bulk, planning simpler menus, and relying on donations of food, clothing, and funds.

Yuke says, “we’re trying to make our portion sizes a little bit bigger because we know people aren’t eating as much potentially at home. But we’re watching what we’re buying and we’re trying to be very intentional about what we’re buying and then buying in big bulk quantities so that when we buy in bulk across all nine locations, we’re getting a better price so that we can make the food go further even though the cost of food is going up.”

Souls Harbour also cuts waste by serving flexible, buffet‑style meals and using staff knowledge of guest preferences.

“We know our guests really well so we know which ones don’t like certain things.” Yuke explains. “The volunteers and the staff know so‑and‑so’s here, they’re not having any potatoes, and so we know not to put potatoes on their plate because we don’t want to waste where someone else can eat it.”

At every location, guests can take home extras such as bread from donations. “Cobs is a big supporter of us so we pick up bread donations every night and we spread them among the locations so that if they come and eat a meal with us, but they also can take some bread home or other food items, it’s not just one meal—it’s usually a meal and something to go just to get through till the next day.”

Souls Harbour credits its work to volunteers and community donors. “We do what we do because of everyone that helps us do it,” Porter says. “It’s just incredible to think about. This isn’t just about opening locations—it’s about creating places where people can find hope, friendship, and a fresh start.”