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MERRITT HERALD FREE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Soup kitchen serving thousands of bowls By Phillip Woolgar THE HERALD
newsroom@merrittherald.com
Husband and wife team Ernie and Pam Whitaker have served soup to the needy in Merritt since the late 1990s. The kitchen is open Tuesdays. Phillip Woolgar/Herald
Merritt’s soup kitchen is looking to serve up another successful year, after a short hiatus over the Christmas season. Following 14 years of operation, co-organizer and cook Pam Whitaker has honed her soup making skills and has helped satisfy the hunger of an average of 50 to 100 people who arrive for lunch each Tuesday. “I call it a bowl of love,” she said. “It feels so good, after hearing that there is such a need, to be able to help out.” She said churches throughout the community have donated to
the soup kitchen, in an effort to keep hungry Merrittonians, and visitors, fed. Along with her husband, Ernie, the couple felt the need in the community, and they took over when the former co-ordinator left in the late 1990s. Their care has even resulted in pair delivering soup to sick individuals. The year-over-year number of people attending the soup kitchen was relatively the same in 2012. With up to 100 people attending each Tuesday, that adds up to a lot of bowls of soup throughout the year.
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Wild felines seek refuge in Merritt By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
A report of two cougars roaming close to the Nicola River near Merritt Central Elementary School is the latest in a series of wildlife encounters within city limits. A woman walking along the trail by the river spotted the animals running away as she approached. Reports that the animals were cougars weren’t confirmed by press time, though City
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of Merritt Bylaw Services Officer Bob Davis said he was almost certain they were cougars by the way the woman described their run. The report of the cougar comes on the heels of a bobcat attacking a house cat on Greig Street Monday night. Davis is warning Merrittonians to be aware of their small pets’ whereabouts while they’re outside. “People don’t need to be afraid. They just need to be a little bit more
‘People don’t need to be afraid. They just need to be a little more vigilant...’ —CITY OF MERRITT BYLAW SERVICES OFFICER BOB DAVIS
vigilant about where they walk and where their pets are, especially small pets like cats and small dogs,” Davis said. Bobcats prey on small animals, such as rabbits, but high snow loads in the mountains have driven them into valley bottoms in search of prey. “They’re looking for
other prey they can easily take down without being hurt, and a domestic cat is on the menu,” Davis said. Although bobcats aren’t considered a threat to humans, Davis added it’s always wise to keep an eye on small children while they’re outside. The owner of the
injured house cat, who asked not to be named, said he was surprised the bobcat came so close to his house to try to snag its prey. The man said his pet is very timid and doesn’t usually leave the steps, so when his wife let the cat out the back door around 8:30 p.m., she didn’t expect it to be involved in the cat fight she could hear from inside. The man said his wife opened the door to break up the fight when she saw the pet pinned down by a
bobcat about three times its size — and about three feet from the door. The bobcat then dragged the cat around the house to the front door. “When that was going on out there, my daughter was in the living room,” the man said. “She’s 3. She heard the whole thing going on.” The man’s wife immediately called 911 and within minutes RCMP officers were on the scene. “One of the members
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actually saw the bobcat holding the cat by the head,” Merritt RCMP Staff Sgt. Sheila White said. “The member approached the bobcat and tried to scare him.” White said the officers tried to scare the bobcat off by yelling, throwing snowballs, using a baton, and eventually pepper spraying it. It wasn’t an option to shoot the bobcat because the incident occurred in a residential area.
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