A Summer Bounty of Hope

The Ottawa Mission’s Chef Ric, who directs our food services programs, is often quoted as saying, “A person has to eat well to live well.”  At The Mission, this means preparing and serving the best meals we can to people in need, so that they might have the strength and hope to tackle difficult issues and move on to better lives.  This effort is blessed by the generosity of people who donate to help pay for meals, and also to community partners who donate food – like our good friends at the Orleans Community Garden (the Garden).  This summer will mark the 7th year in a row that The Mission has benefited from the kindness and hard work of the dedicated volunteers at the Garden.

Every Tuesday during the growing season people from the Garden show up at The Mission with a carload of beautiful fresh produce – fruits, vegetables and herbs, and even honey – that our kitchen staff uses to prepare the more than 1,400 meals served at The Mission every day. These donations have grown significantly over the years and now average an incredible 4,000 lbs. per season!  The Garden also helps out with supplies for The Mission’s rooftop herb garden, and makes an annual donation to support The Mission’s herb garden at the Ottawa Little Theatre.

We are honoured to be the charity of choice for the Orleans Community Garden and want to express our deep gratitude to its President and organizer extraordinaire, Gina Lapointe, and all of her team for their contribution to providing this special nurturing and hope to those in our community who need it most.