Author Archives: The Ottawa Mission

No one chooses to be staying at a shelter at Christmas time. But for many there is nowhere else to go and, for them, this can be a particularly lonely and sad time of year. That’s why, at The Ottawa Mission, our staff and volunteers work extra hard over the Christmas season to organize festive activities that will bring some measure of comfort and joy to those who feel forgotten.

A look at just a portion of our December activity calendar says it all:

It all starts with our Christmas dinner – this year held on December 14th – when 2,279 turkey dinners with all the trimmings were served to shelter residents as well as individuals and families in the community who otherwise would not be able to afford such a meal.

On December 16th residents and visitors gathered in the dining room for a special Christmas concert, and all were surprised when one of our regular volunteers showed up with his barbershop quartet! Voices raised in song could be heard throughout the shelter and there were smiles all around.

Our Christmas Eve chapel service is always filled to capacity, with residents and visitors gathering to sing and pray – with many of the prayers focused on hope for a better life. And on Christmas Day, staff and volunteers make a special effort to ensure that every shelter resident receives a small gift.

These are just some of the many activities that help raise the spirits of those who need our help the most at this special time of year.

We couldn’t do any of this without the generosity of our volunteers and donors, and for that we are most grateful.

Merry Christmas to all, and God bless!

For the fifth year in a row, The Ottawa Mission served a special dessert as part of its annual Christmas Dinner for the homeless and hungry this past weekend. As is often the case, the special things are brought about by special people and the festive cupcakes that were served with our turkey dinner are no different.

“Cupcakes 4 Christmas” was started by the woman in this picture named Josée Cowley. She is a skilled baker herself and these days, most of her delicious baking is eaten by her 5 young children at home!

But 5 years ago, Josée has made it her ‘mission’ to gather together close to 3000 cupcakes for our annual Christmas Dinner event. Now she says it’s a family tradition and she looks forward to the big dinner every Christmas. Josée reaches out to her network of fellow bakers – and social media channels like Facebook and Twitter – to find enough people to donate cupcakes for the big event. Often there are even a few leftover for men in the shelter to enjoy for the next couple of days!
So on behalf of all those who enjoyed one of the delicious cupcakes at our annual Christmas Dinner, we say a huge thank you – and Merry Christmas – to Josée and all her fellow baking elves.

Guest blogger – Chef Ric Watson, Manager of Food Services at The Ottawa Mission

Christmas is around the corner and at our annual community dinner planned for Sunday, December 14^th, we are preparing to serve an estimated 2200 meals! The Mission kitchen is a busy place 365 days a year, but at Christmas there is definitely something special in the air.  Our dining room is decorated for the season and 2300 pounds of roast turkey and all the trimmings are being prepared in the kitchen. Add to that our amazing volunteers, who always share such energy and enthusiasm with me, and the Christmas spirit comes alive.

A lot of hard work goes into preparing for the big Christmas dinner meal but I know that everyone involved gets so much more back.  Just seeing people who have so little smiling and enjoying their time with us is truly a gift.  For each of them, this meal is a sign that someone cares about them and their sincere gratitude is heartwarming to experience. My hope is that anyone who is homeless, hungry or alone in our community has an opportunity to enjoy one of our special Christmas dinners. My philosophy is you have to eat well to be well and as a Chef, I want to ensure everyone has a delicious turkey dinner during the Christmas season.

So I want to say a special thank you – to our volunteers and our donors – for allowing us to bring good food, fellowship and hope to those in need this Christmas. I wish you all a blessed and peaceful Christmas season.

Chef Ric

The Christmas season always comes alive very early at The Ottawa Mission. Already we are seeing generous people coming in with donations of all types – winter clothing, sandwiches and also monetary donations to keep our services running for those staying at the shelter. It never ceases to amaze us when we see the outpouring of generosity from the community. And the help doesn’t go unnoticed by the men staying here either – some of whom are facing a Christmas in a shelter for the first time.

The arrival of the winter weather makes life even more difficult for people who are homeless. Getting around to search for jobs or new housing is made that much more onerous in snow and cold temperatures.  The Mission’s clothing donation room is starting to fill up with some winter necessities but many items are going out just as fast as they are coming in. If you have any gently used mens winter coats, winter boots, gloves and hats please consider bringing them down to The Mission soon. You can always refer to our ‘most needed items’ list on the homepage of The Mission website.

Your donations help provide the day-to-day needs of people who have very little and  represents a gift of dignity and care for those who will receive them. It’s often the acts of kindness from people like you that lift their spirits and motivate them to make changes in their lives and give them hope for the future.

Helping men through the journey of addiction recovery is very rewarding but often challenging.  The majority of those who come to The Ottawa Mission for help with addictions have experienced significant trauma in their lives.  Research shows that there is a strong connection between addiction, mental illness, and trauma.

The Mission’s Addiction Services team offers individual and group counselling to men in our programs.  Some clients, however, are unable to benefit from traditional talk-based therapy for a few reasons. They may have mild developmental delays or acquired brain injuries which affect their ability to articulate their feelings. They may have mental illness and be unable to communicate clearly.  Or they may have experienced traumatic events as a young child and are unable to process those events in words because of the age at which they took place. Thanks to a generous donor, there is now a new program available at The Mission for people with any of these communication barriers.

A licensed Art Therapist now comes into the shelter one afternoon a week to work with men in our addiction treatment programs.  In the few months since this program has been up and running, it has proven to be highly effective for those who have difficulty communicating verbally.  It also allows men to create art in the form of drawings or collages or other media that they can feel proud of.

Breaking down barriers is a large part of the healing process for anyone suffering from addiction, and we are grateful for the opportunity to add this unique program to the tools that can help the people we serve regain hope.

Just steps away from the front door of The Ottawa Mission, you will find a small office with a sign reading “Chaplain”. For the last 4 months Cosmas Ajawara has been sitting behind the desk in this office, offering spiritual support to anyone who walks through his open door.

“When people in the community ask me what I do on a daily basis as Mission Chaplain, sometimes it’s hard to describe,” says Chaplain Cosmas. “Spiritual support is much more than just offering prayers.  A big part of my job is actually to just listen, because often someone who is homeless has no one to talk to and may not feel heard. I believe there’s a much deeper need for spiritual support in the shelter than most people think. “

As well as offering his ear to anyone who needs to talk, Chaplain Cosmas has many other duties. He visits with the patients who stay in The Mission’s 14-bed hospice and also holds a weekly meeting with men in our Stabilization addiction treatment program.   He also organizes special spiritually-based discussion groups for staff at The Mission each week.   And every weekday at 11:00 a.m. you can find him in the Chapel at The Ottawa Mission conducting a service for an average of 40 people.

“The people who attend our Chapel service every day are a mix of those staying at the shelter and also people in need in the community, who come to The Mission for lunch,” Chaplain Cosmas notes. “Some consider our Chapel their church and others come because they just love to sing – that’s a big part of the service.  I see them all as members of The Mission ‘family’ because often it’s here they feel safe, welcome and cared for and that’s the true meaning of family.”

We will mark another Remembrance Day this month. A day to reflect and remember the tremendous sacrifices people have made – and continue to make – to maintain our freedom and keep peace in our world.

Here at The Ottawa Mission, we occasionally see men staying at the shelter, or coming in for meals, who have been soldiers themselves and struggle with issues like post-traumatic stress disorder or addiction. Occasionally someone will talk about their military background and experiences but many do not and would prefer not to share those experiences.  Veterans Affairs has connected with The Ottawa Mission in recent years and we can now refer anyone with a military background to the support programs that have been set up to help vets in crisis.

People from all walks of life seek help at The Mission and some of them tell us that Remembrance Day has personal meaning for them, even though they do not have military experience. Robert has been staying at The Mission for a few days, struggling to find work and get back on his feet. Remembrance Day actually makes him reflect on his grandmother’s life. “My grandmother remembered the First World War as a young child and then lost her husband in the Second World War and had to raise 3 children on her own for a few years,” says Robert. “She always told me Remembrance Day was an important but very sad day for her.  Now that I’m older I have a better understanding of how she must have struggled. So I try to remember that even though my problems seem big, my grandparents sacrificed a lot for our country and our freedom. Remembrance Day is very important to me.”

A minute of silence will be observed during The Mission’s daily Chapel service on Remembrance Day, marking the 11^th hour of the 11^th  day of the 11th month. We will remember.