The TELUS Day of Giving was an amazing event at The Mission on May 30, 2015.
Dozens of TELUS employees came into The Ottawa Mission to volunteer for the company’s annual Day of Giving. Along with the volunteer support, TELUS also made a $25,000 contribution to The Mission which went towards the recent expansion of The Mission Hospice.
Thanks to all who made it such an incredible day!
A special part of The Ottawa Mission’s annual Christmas Dinner event for the last few years has been the dessert – a beautifully decorated cupcake beside each plate of delicious turkey dinner.
A special group of people have taken it upon themselves to organize the baking and gathering of approximately 3000 cupcakes for this dinner. Josée Cowley and her family, started ‘Cupcakes 4 Christmas’ in 2009 and have received amazing support from bakers across Ottawa!
Once again this Christmas season they are making sure enough cupcakes are donated to provide the special treat at our annual Christmas Dinner for those who are homeless and hungry.
For more information on donating cupcakes for next year’s dinner, contact Josée through the Cupcakes 4 Christmas facebook page www.facebook.com/cupcakes4xmas/?fref=ts
Mattamy Homes held its 6th annual hockey tournament in support of The Ottawa Mission in December 2015. The event at Bell Sensplex raised funds to support people in need at The Ottawa Mission! To date, this event has raised more than $25,000!
Our thanks to the staff at Mattamy Homes and everyone who participated!
The 5th Annual TELUS Mission Possible Half Marathon, 5K & Relay event was a smashing success! Almost 300 people took part on Sunday, November 15th and almost $12,000 was raised for The Ottawa Mission!
Thanks to our title sponsor TELUS, as well as the Running Room, Mizuno Running and the the several local businesses noted below that contributed donations of prizes for the silent auction at the event. Our thanks to them!
It was a bountiful harvest at the Orléans Community Garden this year. Those tending to garden plots at the community garden at the corner of St.Jospeh Blvd and 10th Line Road donated more than 3000 lbs of fresh produce to The Mission!
The head of The Ottawa Mission kitchen, Chef Ric Watson says “This community initiative has made a significant difference in the variety of homemade and nutritious meals that we serve to people in need.”
Thank you to everyone who contributed some of their bounty and a special thanks to Gina Lapointe, President of the Orleans Community Garden, for the many hours she spent cleaning and transporting the produce down to our kitchen.
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By Natascia Lypny, OTTAWA CITIZEN August 6, 2013
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Mission is cooking up its high-demand meals outdoors this month as its kitchen undergoes much needed renovations.
“You can’t tell people who come here for a meal, ‘The kitchen is closed down for a month,’” says the Mission’s executive director Peter Tilley.
So, when the nearly decade-old kitchen’s health and safety concerns could no longer be tamed with small fixes, the Mission got creative. It rented a fully equipped, 13.5-metre trailer, which sits on Daly Avenue.
The trailer means the Mission doesn’t have to cut back on the more than 1,200 meals it serves every day. The menu didn’t require much tweaking either.
“The equipment inside essentially replicates what we have in our kitchen,” said director of operations Tim Moran.
The space is narrower, with room for only five people (and even that’s being generous). The freezer is smaller, too, meaning the chef has to put in more frequent food orders.
Inside the Mission, a lounge has been squeezed of space to accommodate a new food prep area. Moran said the Mission’s clients, who start trickling in over an hour before meal time, have been “very accommodating for us.”
Moran says these minor adjustments, made possible by the hard work and coordination of the volunteer team, will be worth the new kitchen. The space had been suffering from mould, water damage and peeling flooring tiles.
In all, the renovations are expected to cost $125,000, with an additional $15,000 for the trailer rental. Moran says the work, which is largely being done by the Mission’s own maintenance staff, has been factored into the organization’s budget and won’t detract
from spending elsewhere.
The renovations are set to be completed by Labour Day weekend.
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By Meghan Hurley, OTTAWA CITIZEN
May 1, 2013
OTTAWA — The newly appointed Ottawa Mission executive director says he has big shoes to fill. Peter Tilley, the head of the Ottawa Food Bank, will begin his new position on June 3. He replaces Diane Morrison, who retired in January after 20 years as the executive director.
“I don’t know the actual shoe size of Diane Morrison, but I imagine it must be like Shaquille O’Neal size 17 because they are huge shoes to fill,” Tilley said.
Tilley began working with the food bank as a driver in 1994. He left a high-paying job as an employment recruiting firm executive for the food bank during what he calls a “spiritual search.” After hearing a talk given by a pastor, Tilley thought a new job was exactly what he needed.
“Those thoughts resonated with me and at the age of 33 I wondered if there was more and maybe I just need a break from this,” Tilley said.
When a former client called Tilley in 1994 to see if he could recommend anyone to fill the spot of a driver at the Ottawa Food Bank, he jumped at the chance. The next day, Tilley changed out of his suit into jeans and a T-shirt and went to the food bank to express his interest in the job.
“I took a huge leap of faith,” Tilley admitted. And also a steep pay cut.
It was during his work as a driver that he got to know the staff at the Ottawa Mission, delivering food to the downtown shelter.
Tilley rose to the rank of interim executive director of the food bank in 1999 before he was officially put in charge of the organization in 2000. Since then, the food bank has dramatically expanded from a 2,500 square-foot warehouse to 21,000 square feet and they feed 48,000 people every month.
Tilley said he believes the Ottawa Food Bank was the first in North America to hand out bags at the grocery stores for food drives.
Tilley said he was also behind helping to create a food bank in Gatineau.
When the opportunity to head the Ottawa Mission came up, Tilley took a walk around the warehouse to reflect.
“I see a warehouse full of food, I see we’re in good financial position,” Tilley said. “The Ottawa Mission has always been close to my heart and what an opportunity to look after the more vulnerable people in our community.”
The decision to take over for Morrison became clear after his walk around the warehouse. Tilley said he will talk to stakeholders, staff and clients in the first month on the job to learn about the needs of the community.
From there, Tilley wants to explore how he can help clients with mental illness, addiction and plans to tackle homelessness head-on to find solutions that are more permanent rather than a temporary fix.
What Tilley looks most forward to in his new job is meeting his “clients” and vows to know them all by name after a few weeks in his new position.
“If we’re not going to turn around their life that day, maybe myself or my staff team can just do a small thing that day that’s going to bring a smile to their face and make their day a little bit more bearable,” he said.
The Ottawa Mission’s Food Services Training Program provides men and women with the opportunity to learn the skills required to work in a commercial kitchen.
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