No one will argue that this has been a very cold and very long winter in Ottawa. For people staying at The Ottawa Mission, spring’s arrival in a few days will be very welcome indeed.

But before we officially welcome in spring, another special March event will be held Monday to mark St. Patrick’s Day, or the ‘Feast of St. Patrick’, as it’s known in some parts of the world. A celebratory lunch will be held here that day, one that includes some hearty Irish stew.

To make the day even more special, members of Ottawa City Council, including Mayor Jim Watson, will take some time out of their busy schedule and come down to The Mission to serve the lunch as part of the fourth annual “Councillors Feed the Hungry” event. This annual event is organized by Keith Egli, Councillor for Ward 9 Knoxdale-Merivale and along with volunteering, members of city council are also contributing the funds to buy the food for the special meal.

There are no easy solutions to homelessness but helping people in need in our community is something that requires working together. Thank you to Ottawa City Council for its support and continuing to work with us to provide hope and help to those without a home.

Everyone that comes into The Ottawa Mission looking for help has their own reason for doing so. What’s interesting is that the same can be said for everyone who donates to The Ottawa Mission as well.
Sylvie and Frederick Lecky, along with their daughter, son and their spouses, have traditionally pooled their resources and given one gift each year to The Ottawa Mission. They recently decided to switch to a monthly gift. Here’s why.

Last year, with their lives getting busier and busier – especially with two grandchildren on the way – their annual gift was almost forgotten, and the family decided that they didn’t want to leave it to chance anymore. That’s when they became monthly donors – Champions of Hope. They like the convenience of giving this way, and know it reduces our mailing costs – but they also appreciate that supporting us on a monthly basis makes much more sense, since The Mission’s vital programs and services need to be available to people who are hungry and hurting 365 days a year.

When Sylvie mentioned to her father, Léo Pelletier, that we would be telling the family’s story, she was amazed to learn that he has been supporting The Mission as well – for more than 50 years! And he also shared that during the depression his father – Sylvie’s grandfather – would stop by The Mission each year at Christmas with a $1.00 donation. That was a lot of money in those days!

It’s clear that generosity – and commitment to The Ottawa Mission – runs deep in his wonderful family. We are so thankful to them for choosing to make a difference, and for helping us change lives for the better – every day, all year round.

For more information on becoming a Champion of Hope, please contact Angie Kelly at 613-234-1155, ext. 426, akelly@ottawamission.com.

It’s been three years since Phil arrived in Ottawa from Sudbury – and what a journey it’s been.

Many years ago he had suffered a workplace injury that led to chronic pain, and over time he developed a drug dependency that he struggled to overcome. Phil was unable to work, became depressed, and even considered suicide.

When he got to Ottawa a friend told him about the treatment options available at The Ottawa Mission. Phil is shy and introverted by nature, and at first he wasn’t sure if he could cope with counselling and group therapy, but he worked hard to gain the strength he needed to commit to long term treatment. He entered our 5-month LifeHouse addiction treatment program and says that it was here that he received the tools he needed to help manage his pain, and also gained a sense of self-worth that he was sadly lacking.

After LifeHouse, Phil spent a year in a second stage transitional house operated by The Mission for men who have gone through addiction treatment. It was then that he decided he wanted to help others and give back to the community. He took peer support courses, and for the past six months has volunteered weekly at the Royal Ottawa Hospital where he offers comfort and support to a patient suffering from depression. He is also taking group facilitator training so that he can help others who are struggling with chronic pain. Instead of holding back, Phil is now reaching out to make a difference.

Phil loves animals, and one of his key goals during his treatment was to have a place of his own and adopt a cat. Happily, “Buddy” and Phil have now both found a home of their own.

Winter in Canada can feel long regardless of where you live. But for those staying in a homeless shelter like The Ottawa Mission, the winter can seem extra-long indeed. On top of the cold weather, many people are struck with bad colds or flu bugs.

The Ottawa Mission’s Primary Health Clinic, which celebrates its 7th anniversary this spring, is a busy place this time of year. Before the clinic opened in 2007, people staying in shelters – many of whom do not have a family doctor – had to find their way to a hospital emergency room if they became sick. That was especially challenging for those dealing with mental health or addiction issues. They would often not seek help and sometimes became so ill an ambulance would have to be called. The chances of spreading illness to others in the shelters also increased.

But now, thanks to a partnership with Ottawa Inner City Health, two Nurse Practitioners in The Mission’s Primary Care Clinic can see people very quickly. The NP’s are in the clinic every day of the week and are able to reach a doctor on call at the Ottawa Hospital if the need requires. They also help people connect with mental health resources much faster than before.

For people who have nowhere else to turn, the Primary Clinic makes a huge difference in maintaining good health and accessing vital medical care when it is needed most.   At the same time, it brings hope to many people who often feel forgotten.

There are many definitions and examples of love to be found in our world today, besides the romantic love that many people will celebrate on Valentine’s Day this month.  We are blessed at The Ottawa Mission because we often see many other forms of love and caring – particularly in the kind acts of our volunteers.

This week several members of the Ottawa Fire Department and Emergency Services, including Fire Chief John DeHooge, will be doing something special for people who are homeless. They will spend time on Friday – Valentine’s Day – serving a delicious meal to those who come into The Ottawa Mission for lunch.

Often when we have special events like this, we get comments from people about how much it means to them to know people have gone out of their way to help them and to make them feel special. It’s often these acts of kindness that help lift their spirits and motivate them to make changes in their lives.

The definition of love that we like to honor on Valentine’s Day speaks to the help so many give freely to people in need at The Ottawa Mission throughout the year. It is the definition that reads “unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another”.

Everyone needs advice on managing their finances at some point in their life. For those living on low incomes, these challenges can be especially overwhelming. That’s why The Ottawa Mission, in partnership with the YMCA-YWCA, is about to launch a series of free workshops to help people who need it most.

The program is called M.Y. Money Works. Sponsored by SEDI (Social and Enterprise Development Innovations) and the TD Bank, M.Y. Money Works covers all the bases. It deals with debt and credit, income tax issues, saving and budgeting and shopping smart. It also makes people aware of the many free financial services that are available to them in the community.

The first round of the program begins on February 11, and everyone is welcome. The workshops will take place at various locations across the city and will be offered on an ongoing basis. If you are interested in participating, or know of someone who could benefit, please contact Program Coordinator Hayat Khefifi at 613-788-5001, ext. 5159 for more information, or complete and submit this application and referral form.

(To print form hover mouse over bottom right once viewing PDF, then select the print option when it appears.)

Once a month, people coming into The Ottawa Mission for a meal are treated to a wonderful dinner provided by a special organization.

‘Lawyers Feed the Hungry’ will mark its fourth anniversary in Ottawa this spring.  The program got its start in Toronto many years ago, but spread to Ottawa in 2010 and partnered with The Ottawa Mission to help provide meals to hungry people in this community.

The local legal community raises the money to buy the food for the special meal and Ottawa Mission kitchen staff and volunteers prepare it. Then on the third Thursday of every month, a group of volunteers from different Ottawa law firms come into The Ottawa Mission, put on their bright yellow aprons, and serve a warm, delicious meal.

To date, the Ottawa “Lawyers Feed the Hungry” initiative has raised more than $80,000 and provided almost 21,000 meals for people in need!

“Support is fantastic within the local legal community”, says Jonathan Richardson, one of the lawyers who spearheaded the Ottawa program and remains very involved. “We have law firms that have been contributing money and volunteers since we started in Ottawa and others just coming on board. It demonstrates to me how valuable the program is and how much members of the legal community want to give back.”
To learn more about Lawyers Feed the Hungry, or to become involved,  visit the website at: https://www.lawyersfeedthehungry.ca/ottawa.html#program_highlights  or contact Jonathan Richardson at Augustine, Bater LLP at jmr@abblaw.ca

At this time of year, so many Ottawa natives and tourists alike share the enjoyment of skating on the world’s longest skating rink.  It’s a simple, inexpensive pleasure and almost anyone can participate.

But for most of the men staying at The Ottawa Mission, not having skates puts this activity out of reach.

Bert is staying at The Mission as he begins his journey toward recovery from addiction.   He was visiting with our Chaplain, Tom Donohue a few days ago and they got to talking about the fact that the canal was about to open for the season.   Bert shared that as a child he would often skate on a pond near his home – it was one of his favourite pastimes.

Chaplain Tom took this information to heart and, after a couple of phone calls, secured a few pairs of gently used skates in various sizes.  Bert stopped by Tom’s office a few days later for another chat and Tom was able to present him with his own pair of skates.  Bert was surprised and delighted by this unexpected gift, and has been enjoying his skates ever since.

Sometimes, the simplest gesture can make all the difference.

If you have a pair of gently used men’s skates to donate, you can do so by dropping them off at the shelter (53 Daly Street) or by calling us at 613-234-1144 to arrange for pick-up.

2014 has been ushered into Ottawa by Mother Nature’s bone-chilling weather. This extreme cold makes life more difficult for the men staying at The Ottawa Mission’s emergency shelter. The limited space inside the shelter becomes a little more crowded, getting out in the community to search for jobs and housing becomes a little harder for people staying here,  and the daily requests for warm winter clothing go up.

But there is a silver lining to the cold start of this New Year.  It has resulted, once again, in an outpouring of generosity from the community. It started in the weeks leading up to Christmas and continues still, with people from all walks of life bringing in warm coats, boots, toques and gloves for the men staying at the shelter.  The clothing room is now well stocked for this latest cold snap – our thanks to everyone who brought in donations.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t been able to get a pair of winter boots from the Mission’s clothing room”, says Steve, a resident at The Ottawa Mission for the past 3 weeks. “I saw someone pull up and drop off a box of boots and coats yesterday at The Mission’s Front Desk, and it actually gave me a warm feeling – like someone really cares about me and  the other guys staying here”.

On behalf of Steve and all the others at The Ottawa Mission making good use of the warm winter clothing donations, we thank you and send you our wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful 2014.

Adam and Amy Graham were 10 and 9 years old respectively when Christmas day took on a whole new meaning.  They woke their parents, Tracey and Ron, and everyone trooped downstairs to open gifts.  As is usually the case, the big event was over in a matter of minutes, and Amy and Adam were feeling deflated and a little disappointed. Ron had an idea that he felt couldn’t wait.  The whole family, still in their PJs, put on their winter gear, got in the car, and drove to the Byward Market.  Ron wanted the children to see that some people – the homeless in our community – didn’t have any Christmas at all.

This experience had a huge impact on the children.  They began coming downtown each Christmas morning with small gifts to hand out, paid for with money they had saved or raised.  Four years ago, they found themselves at The Ottawa Mission handing out socks.  When they asked staff what else people might enjoy, the answer was Tim Horton’s gift cards.  This simple gift could work wonders – it would allow them to get out of the shelter and go to a place where they would feel just like everyone else.

Adam and Amy began raising money in earnest, dropping flyers off with their neighbours, and holding fundraisers at school and with their sports teams.  The first year they funded about 40 cards.  Last year, between their efforts and Dad contacting Tim Horton’s for a little extra help, they were able to hand out over 300 cards – plenty for people at The Mission and other local shelters.   According to Mom Tracey, “We get so much out of this small gesture.  Everyone we meet is so thankful, and Adam and Amy (now 15 and 14) have gained an appreciation of the true meaning of Christmas that they carry with them into their lives all year round.”

Thank you to the Graham family for making Christmas day special for so many people in need.