Top Ten Reasons I Love to Come to Work

I have been with Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation for over 2 years now.  I thought I would share to you my absolute favourite reasons I do what I do.

I know that each day I am helping to make a difference.

I am inspired by the people we serve.

I see the difference our work makes in the lives of those we serve

I see compassion and caring at every level.

I know we make every effort never to turn anyone away and that the hardest-to-serve men and women in our community are being taken care of.

I know that we are working on new initiatives every day to serve the homeless in our community.

I know that together with our partners in the community we work at finding permanent housing for those in the shelter system.

I know that we create supportive living environments and housing for those living in shelters that cannot manage on their own, that we provide them with a place to call home. 

I know that we could not do any of the work we do without the support of our donors and our community,  I am truly inspired by their caring.

I know that working here has made me a grateful and content person

 

 

 

I hope your work inspires you every day just like mine does! 

 

To learn more about Shepherds of Good Hope, click HERE

Alcohol Awareness Month

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and it is also a good time to talk about the extremely successful Managed Alcohol Program at Shepherds of Good Hope.  The Managed Alcohol Program introduces a harm reduction approach to helping homeless, hard-core alcoholics stabilize and normalize their lives. 

This very minute population were responsible for using the highest amount of emergency services. It began in 2000 as an answer to the same at-risk population visiting hospital emergency wards repeatedly, being continually incarcerated and being barred from shelters over and over again.  On a more tragic level, one of this population was found in a snowbank unconscious and later had to have the front of his feet removed due to severe frostbite.    Something had to be done.  With the collaborative efforts from the City of Ottawa, Dr. Jeff Turnbull, Ottawa Inner City Health, Ottawa Police Services, local social services and Shepherds of Good Hope, the Managed Alcohol Program was born.

 

By employing a harm reduction methodology we see a dramatic decrease in emergency service calls.  The overall health of the individuals improves because their health concerns have been addressed and they are living a healthier lifestyle. Their addiction needs are met so that they do not need to spend all of their time panhandling to get their drug of choice.  They can experience dignity again. They can now concentrate on building community with each other and the staff and reuniting with family.  They are no longer shunned by society and have become active members of society.  They attend movies, do communal cooking, vote, and even take part in The Terry Fox Race.
A Canadian wide study headed up by the University of Victoria and incorporating other Managed Alcohol Programs across the country is now taking place to assess best practices and what can be done to improve services. 

To find out more, please visit our website HERE

Easter Lunch

Yesterday, I joined the staff and volunteers in the kitchen to help serve a delicious Easter lunch to our clients.

As they entered, I handed out chocolate and wished them all a Happy Easter.

It was really great to spend the holiday with the family we have created here at Shepherds of Good Hope.  Some people don't have a family or home to go to and we want them to know they are always welcome here, cared for by staff, volunteers and generous donors.

Kids that Give

Meet Brayden Davidson, Jonah Longpre and Ashley Matheson.  They are dedicated students from Sacred Heart High School.  This is their first time serving at Shepherds of Good Hope while contributing to their community service hours.  Under the tutelage of Chaplain Mary Defayette, students have been coming to serve at Shepherds of Good Hope once a month for 6 years.

 

 

Thanks kids!

 

If you would like to find out more about our partnership with schools, please click HERE

 

 



Remembering Nancy Scatcherd

Today's post is a guest post by Shirley Soehn, Board Treasurer, Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation. Shirley also volunteers weekly in the soup kitchen.

Nancy Scatcherd volunteering in the kitchen

 

Nancy Scatcherd was a volunteer at Shepherds of Good Hope for over 20 years. She came to Shepherds twice a week to work in the kitchen. Her main task was to make salads for serving approximately 400 clients lunch. She did this with a smile and with as much care as possible.

 

Nancy was similar to many of the volunteers at Shepherds. She was someone who wanted to do something useful for others. She cared deeply for the people who were homeless that needed our help and she enjoyed the camaraderie she had with the other volunteers at Shepherds.

 

One of Nancy’s distinguishing features was the black rim hat she wore when she volunteered. It gave people the impression that she was someone who was pleasant and approachable, and that she was. She would always make a point of greeting everyone in the kitchen with a big hello and a smile. Nancy was often in charge of assigning tasks for serving during the lunch hour and in doing so she would make sure individuals were assigned tasks on the basis of their own needs and wants. She would also make a point of thanking all the volunteers for their help once the lunch hour was complete.

 

Nancy was a joy to work with and she will truly be missed by all her friends at Shepherds. May she rest in peace.   
 

To donate to Shepherds of Good Hope in Nancy's memory, please CLICK HERE

 

To learn more about volunteering at Shepherds of Good Hope, please CLICK HERE

Volunteering in the Kitchen

As part of National Volunteer Week, we've been asking some of our wonderful volunteers about their experience with Shepherds of Good Hope. 

Today I popped into the kitchen as they were preparing pork chops and gravy with garlic bread for lunch and spoke with our chef of the day, Chris.



We are absolutely thrilled that volunteering with us is so meaningful!

Here are some other great shots of Thursday's lunch volunteers!

Thanks for all you do!

 

 

 

For more info on volunteering with us, please CLICK HERE

Talking with Oaks Volunteer, Rob

It's National Volunteer Week!  We have so much appreciation for our volunteers every single week, but we're always happy to let them know how great they are!

The Oaks (Supportive Living Residence)

Meet, Rob, he is a volunteer at The Oaks during lunch.  We asked him a few questions about his experience with Shepherds of Good Hope.

Why do you volunteer at Shepherds of Good Hope?
I had done some volunteer work in the past with this organization and was impressed by the level of compassion toward the clients and the overall organization of the operation. Having a busy schedule of my own with a limited amount of time available, I was hoping to do some work with an organization that was providing a service to its clients that consisted of compassion, dignity and respect and I find that Shepherd's of Good Hope does these things very well.

Has there been a point in time while volunteering here that was very significant to you?
So far there has not been any one situation or experience that has been remarkably different from others (during the time I have been at the Oaks). What has made the biggest impression on me is what seems to be a very positive dynamic between staff members in fulfilling the needs of the clients generally. There seems to be a genuine respect between the staff themselves as well as toward the residents, which speaks to a well functioning organization.

What would you say your experience volunteering here has been?
The experience has allowed me to work in a different side of the food preparation area than I normally do as a professional chef. It has allowed me to see that very simple, but well-made and flavorful food is appreciated. In short, just being humble and making a positive contribution usually has positive results.

Are you interested in volunteering with us?  Please CLICK HERE

Thank You to Our Wonderful Volunteers!

National Volunteer week is April 6-12, 2014.  Shepherds of Good Hope would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our dedicated and hardworking volunteers who have given so much of themselves to help the less fortunate in our community.  Our volunteers are the backbone of our organization and without them we could not provide for the over 1600 men and women who come through our doors everyday.

For information on how you can volunteer CLICK HERE