Soup Kitchen dedicates ‘Tony Martin Community Hall’ (5 photos)

Tony Martin, who once served as Sault Ste. Marie’s MPP at Queen’s Park (1990 to 2003), then later as its MP in Ottawa (2004 to 2011), was honoured by the Sault Ste. Marie Soup Kitchen Community Centre Wednesday, its staff and volunteers officially naming the centre’s dining area as the Tony Martin Community Hall.

Martin was a key player in getting the soup kitchen established in Sault Ste. Marie in 1983, Wednesday’s naming ceremony part of the centre’s 35th anniversary celebrations.

The soup kitchen has evolved over the years (currently helping 80 to 120 clients a day, more as the weather gets colder), from providing meals for the hungry to becoming a community centre offering several programs.

Martin, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2014 leaving him with limited speech, said ‘thank you’ into a microphone held by his wife Anna to the large audience of longtime friends and family members gathered for Wednesday’s event.

“It’s humbling. Tony does what he does because he’s compassionate. I’m humbled but proud,” said Martin’s wife Anna of the honour, speaking to SooToday as Martin smiled and shook hands with many friends and supporters.

Waves of applause went Martin’s way as he entered the Soup Kitchen Community Centre and as friends gave brief speeches in recognition of Martin’s career, one devoted to helping society’s most vulnerable.

“You could not ask for a better employer, co-worker, mentor and all-round fun guy than Tony Martin,” said Madge Sanderson, who worked in Martin’s constituency office.

“As an employer, Tony always told the staff we were all professionals and he would respect our views and opinions regarding issues that came forward,” Sanderson said, adding Martin never forgot the soup kitchen when he became involved in politics, helping it expand its programs and services over the years.

“I believe this place was Tony’s most important and beloved project. He has spent his adult life working to create a better society and the soup kitchen became part of his life’s work,” Sanderson said.

“I will forever be grateful and proud to be associated with you,” she said directly to Martin.

Ray Stortini, a local judge who served with Martin on the Soup Kitchen board, said “a person with a vision and a commitment is worth a hundred who have only an interest, and Tony had the vision of a soup kitchen and the commitment to follow through.”

“Tony’s a really good friend of mine,” said Bud Wildman, former New Democrat MPP for Algoma and cabinet minister who served with Martin at Queen’s Park.

Known for speaking out for those in poverty, Wildman recalled “he was the conscience of the Legislature, and later, the conscience of Parliament. Every time something happened or was debated in the Legislature, he’d get up and say ‘yes, but what about the people who aren’t benefiting? What about the people who don’t have a voice?’ That was important because those people need a voice.”

Ron Sim, Sault Ste. Marie Soup Kitchen Community Centre general manager, and Laurie Zeppa, the centre’s board of directors chair, presented Martin with a plaque of appreciation before officially unveiling the Tony Martin Community Hall sign.

“Tony’s a remarkable soul,” Sim said to SooToday.

“Once he left political life in 2011 he came back and was on our board again until he took ill. Up to that point he was helping to deliver our food boxes...you couldn’t ask for a warmer heart. He’s a real humanitarian.”

Sault MP Terry Sheehan will be reading out a letter of appreciation honouring Martin in Parliament Thursday.

Born in Ireland in 1948, Martin came to Canada with his family in 1960, first settling in Wawa, then moving to Elliot Lake before moving to the Sault in the early 1980s.

With a post-secondary education in political science, Martin was hired by Don McClellan, a Roman Catholic priest at Blessed Sacrament Church, to be a youth program coordinator for the parish.

Martin and McClellan launched the Sault Ste. Marie Community Soup Kitchen, initially based in the Blessed Sacrament Church basement, before it moved to its current James Street location in 1990.