OREIO delivers much needed items

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by the Ottawa Real Estate Investors Organization. This was the third time this month I had a chance to be with them.

Last week, we were on CTV Morning Live to talk about their food and clothing drive this winter. OREIO is a strong believer in Shepherds of Good Hope. They know a lot of people like to help the homeless in the months leading up to Christmas. They wanted to ensure there was no drop-off once the blah months came along.

So last night they held an event where I had a chance to address the crowd to talk about how Shepherds of Good Hope helps some of the most vulnerable men and women in Ottawa.

It was a good thing I took the van with me. I was impressed with how much they collected in such a short period of time.

Thank you so much to Victor Menasce, Managing Partner of US Real Estate Partners, for his work in making all of this happen.

On behalf of everyone at Shepherds of Good Hope, we appreciate the hard work and the fundraising and we look forward to more donations over the coming weeks.

New Year's resolutions

We're almost two weeks into 2016 and you've either already dropped your New Year's resolutions or you're on your way to forming some new habits.

I hope one of those habits is to become more involved in charitable giving. We have a lot to be thankful for in the nation's capital. But there are people who are hurting every day. They have great potential but they are struggling at this point in their lives.

We see them every day. They are some of Ottawa's most vulnerable men and women. They rely on us for food, shelter and clothing. Over the years, Shepherds of Good Hope has implemented many innovative programs and developed others with partners. The goal of each and every one is to address the specific needs of the homeless population so that we can find housing more quickly for them.

So how can you help with a New Year's resolution? Here are some ideas. I'd love to hear some of yours.

Coffee drinkers: Skip one coffee a week. At the end of the month, you have $10 that you can donate. Yes, your monthly donation can be $10 a month.

Make it a team effort: A lot of people will join fundraising campaigns at their workplace. The most common type of fundraiser is a casual dress day on Fridays. Workers pay $1 or $2 to wear jeans on a Friday. Depending on the size of your workplace, you might have hundreds of dollars to donate at the end of the month.

Make it a family affair: Teaching your kids the importance of helping those less fortunate is important and sets them up to be charitable in the future. Go through your closets and donate clothes that you know you're not going to wear any more. Collect change in a jar and donate it monthly.

Volunteer: There are many ways to give. As a fundraiser, of course, I'm a big supporter of financial donations. We make your dollar do a lot here at Shepherds of Good Hope. But volunteering is also very important to us. We have more than 400 volunteers helping us deliver programs and services, We couldn't do what we without them. As a volunteer, you can see the impact you are having on people.

Take a tour: I've always said that taking a tour of our facilities is the best way to see first hand the impact your donation has on so many people. Once people see the work we do, that we are more than a soup kitchen, many are inspired to give.

If you would like to talk more about how you can help Ottawa's homeless population, please don't hesitate to contact me. Phone: 613-789-8210, ext. 247. Email: asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com

To make a donation, click here.
For volunteer opportunities, click here.

Kelly Funeral Homes does it again

There are lots of things we take for granted every day.

For example, when we wash our hands, we don't think twice about whether there is some soap near the taps. You wouldn't think of showering without body wash or shampoo. Part of your night time routine is probably reaching for that tube of toothpaste.

For the men and women who live in a shelter, though, those things aren't just something you carry around with you every day. You don't get to pick your favourite brand of toothpaste.

Whether it's deodorant, razors or toilet paper, there are items we use every day that we don't think a lot about, expect for maybe when we have to pay for them at the cash register. People who live in the shelter need those items every day, too,

That's why it's fantastic when companies like Kelly Funeral Homes go above and beyond to collect truck-loads of toiletries for us. With their drive, they are providing Ottawa's homeless men and women with much needed every day items.

Thank you so much, Kelly Funeral Homes, for thinking of us again this year.

IODE Walter Baker delivers funding

I had the pleasure this morning of welcoming a special group of ladies from the IODE Walter Baker Chapter. In November, they held their annual fundraiser dinner, fashion show and silent auction Couture for a Cause.

This year they selected the Shepherds of Good Hope women's special care unit as their charity to support. The women's special care unit is a 16-bed unit at Shepherds of Good Hope for women who are homeless and dealing with complex health issues and/or addiction challenges. Care includes counselling, support and life skills training.

The IODE Walter Baker Chapter raised $7,500 which will help us refurbish and redecorate the common lounge. We're also looking at purchasing some medical privacy screens.

Thank you to everyone! I was at the fall fundraiser and it was a fun time.

Remembering the homeless in January

A lot of people like to donate leading up to Christmas. It's wonderful and I'm always blown away by the generosity of people in Ottawa.

Then the cold, harsh winter sets in. We get the January and February blahs. We're bundled up, we're busy with our lives and it's understandable that we have other things on our mind.

But for the homeless men and women in Ottawa, the need is still there.

The Ottawa Real Estate Investors Organization decided to do something about it. They have purposely scheduled their food and clothing drive for January and February. They want to remind people that Ottawa's homeless population needs help 365 days a year.

Thank you so much to Victor Menasce, Managing Partner of US Real Estate Partners, for his work in organizing this drive.

On Wednesday morning, you might have seen Victor and me on CTV Morning Live. Thank you to CTV Morning Live for the coverage.

Cold weather and the homeless

Well, today certainly feels like winter. For those people who like winter and were wondering where it went, wonder no more.

Although milder temperatures are expected tomorrow, that doesn't mean things get easier for people who live on the street.

The cold temperatures are just one thing about winter they have to deal with. At Shepherds of Good Hope, our front-line staff is trained on how to recognize the signs of frostbite and how to deal with it. On very cold days, especially on days when a cold weather or frostbite alert is issued by the city, we let people stay in the shelter. We have a couple of lounges and our clients can hang out and chat with others or watch TV.

But even when it's minus 1, like it's predicted for tomorrow, winter is still difficult for many people living on the street. Think about it. How do you think you would feel if you spent the majority of your day outside in minus 1 temperatures? Trust me, at the end of the day you would feel pretty cold.

The other factor you would have to deal with is the wetness. If it's cold, you're dealing with the snow that can leave your socks wet. In milder temperatures, there's the slush to contend with, which is even a bigger obstacle to staying dry.

That's why we always have a box of socks in the soup kitchen. If someone needs a warm, and dry, pair of socks, we have them thanks to people who donate.

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If you would like more information on how we serve the homeless population of Ottawa or take a tour, please contact me at 613-789-8210, ext. 247 or by email at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.

Students make cards to raise money

Last week I got to meet with two special young people. Gabrielle is in the centre and Graceon the right.

Gabrielle had an idea that was inspired after seeing WE Day in her classroom. She and her sister decided they wanted to do something to help the homeless men and women in Ottawa. Gabrielle and her sister made seven different styles of Christmas cards and then sold them to their family members, friends and teachers. Last week they donated $236 to Shepherds of Good Hope and more than 30 pairs of socks.

I'm always touched by young children who are motivated to help people who are less fortunate. It speaks so well to what type of future leaders we're going to have in this world.

Thank you Gabrielle and Grace. I hope you have a great 2016 and I hope to see you again.

Thank you to all of our supporters

As we count down the final hours of 2015, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has supported our work at Shepherds of Good Hope.

Thank you to everyone who made a financial gift or donated food, clothing or any item to help make the lives of Ottawa's vulnerable men and women better. During the last 12 months, I was touched numerous times by the generosity of our supporters.

The work doesn't stop at midnight, though. Tomorrow, while most of us are relaxing and thinking ahead to our 2016 goals, men and women will be lining up outside the soup kitchen at 7 am for breakfast. Lunch and dinner will be served at their usual times and we expect a crowd for the evening drop-in.

Homeless people don't get to take a vacation from their lives. There is no respite. But thanks to your support over the last 12 months, you have made a huge impact in the lives of many people. You clothed people. You fed them. You helped them get into their own housing. You helped stabilize their health. You helped them reconnect with their families. You helped them find jobs.

Every day, you help create a better life for someone and I want to sincerely thank you for joining us on our mission to offer compassion and care to Ottawa's homeless population. I hope you'll join us in that mission again in 2016.

Happy New Year to you and your families. Before you go, please look over some of my favourite photos from the past year

Time to make that end-of-year donation

It's almost the end to another year. As I write this there is less than 48 hours to make a donation before the clock strikes 2016.

So why is it so important to make a donation before the end of the year?

Well, there are lots of good reasons to donate to Shepherds of Good Hope at any time of the year, but there is always an extra push at the end of the year. Here are some reasons why I'm encouraging everyone to make a donation before the end of the year.

1. We look after some of Ottawa's most vulnerable men and women and they need your help. Your donation is needed because it helps feed, shelter and clothe 1,600 men and women who come to Shepherds of Good Hope every day.

2. It supports supportive living. We run several supportive living homes. The people who live here suffer from mental and physical health issues. Many of them lived in the shelter before we were able to find them a more suitable place to call home. Without your support, many of these residents would end up back in the shelter or on the street.

3. When you make a donation, you're also helping feed and clothe people who live in poverty. We run a food and clothing program twice a week. It's there for people living in the shelter but it's also there for anyone living in the community who is struggling to get by.

4. Your donation supports our programs. Here's just one example. There is a myth that homeless people don't want to work. That's simply not true. That's why we have the Worker Program. It's for men and women who are working but still don't have the means to live on their own.

5. Taxes: Make a donation and you'll impact your taxes in a good way for 2015. We hope you donate because you want to help people, because it makes you feel good, but if the reason you donate is to save on taxes, there's nothing wrong with that.

6. Making a donation will lift your spirits and the spirits of others. Research has proven it makes us feel good to help others.

To make a donation, visit our donation page or call 613-789-8210, ext. 225.

The Christmas Spirit

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I was here serving the gravy as I usually do on Christmas Day. You never know who is going to drop by and this year was no different.

Magalie, 12, Felix, 11, Maxime, 9, Sophie, 8, Elyse, 4, and Alexandre, 2, dropped by with their parents. Maxime had suggested everyone spend the morning making sandwiches for homeless people before anyone opened their gifts. So that's what they did. They arrived at the shelter around 11 in the morning and delivered 40 sandwiches to grateful men and women.

What a wonderful thing to do. They could have spent their morning opening gifts and playing with them. But instead, they were in the kitchen making sandwiches. I know their parents Philippe and Veronic are very proud of their children. Thank you so much for stopping by on Christmas Day.

Every Christmas I get to witness selfless acts of generosity like this one.

It's all about the clients

Merry Christmas, everyone. I know a lot of you are busy with last minute details. Perhaps you have to hit the mall one more time to pick up a last gift. Maybe you're in the kitchen baking holiday treats for the friends and family who are going to visit over the next few days.

At Shepherds of Good Hope, we're getting ready for Christmas, too. The decorations have been up for weeks and the gifts for the men and women will be handed out tomorrow. A lot of the shoe boxes we hand out are put together by school children and I want to send a special thank you to all the students who helped us in our mission this year.

This morning, we were hanging some art in the shelter to give a little more colour and to show off the special talents some of the men and women have. Here's a little exhibit along with a group photo of some of the artists.

Charlie and his Christmas blessing bags

Charlie is at it again.

You might remember the six-year-old boy who came to visit me at the end of the school year. He and close family friend Logan had run a lemonade stand and raised more than $400. Charlie also solicited donations and put together dozens of blessing bags that he handed out to homeless men and women around the market.

Earlier this fall, Charlie decided he wanted to do the same thing again at Christmas. Instead of lemonade, he sold hot chocolate. This time he raised more than $300. And he handed out blessing bags again to homeless men and women.

Charlie stopped by my office this morning with Logan, his mother, and his grandparents. It was so nice to see him again and see that wonderful smile.

I asked Charlie if he was looking forward to Christmas and like any little boy, he's anxiously waiting for Santa to make a visit at the end of the week. But it didn't stop Charlie from coming out during his Christmas vacation to help those less fortunate.

Charlie is an inspiration. Thank you so much Charlie.

Canadian Police College fundraiser

I've blogged often over the year about workplaces that hold fundraisers along with having some fun. The latest example is the Canadian Police College. By holding a jeans day and "charging" people for it, they managed to raise several hundred dollars for Shepherds of Good Hope.

A jeans day is probably one of the more popular fundraisers that workplaces have. I've also seen schools do it but with a twist. Since students wear jeans most days, they charge students a loonie to wear their hat or to dress up goofy on one day a week, usually a Friday. One class even had a pajamas day. That's a little more difficult to do in a workplace, especially if a lot of your staff is having to deal with the public.

But these types of campaigns are very simple to run. And over time, you'd be surprised with how much you can raise in a short period of time.

Thank you to Ross, left, and Jeff from the Canadian Police College for their donation to Shepherds of Good Hope.

Investors Group volunteers in the kitchen

For many years Investors Group has made it a point of volunteering in our Soup Kitchen. They were here again today. What a great looking bunch of volunteers in bright and early to help prepare our daily meal.

I want to thank everyone for coming out again this year and volunteering at a special time of the year.

If you're interested in group volunteering, please check out our volunteer page.

Homeless people come from all backgrounds

There is an interesting article about a group out west that wants the Alberta government to devote more resources to homelessness in rural communities. (Click here to read the story).

It reminded me that we can make quick conclusions about where homeless people come from. Yes, you will find more homeless people in the bigger cities like Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and so on. But they didn't necessarily come from just around the corner to reach the shelter.

I met a homeless person recently who was from Russell. So how does someone in a small town end up in a big-city shelter? Sometimes it's because they can't find a job in their community, so they come to a larger centre like Ottawa to try to find work. They have the best of intentions, but things don't always go as planned. If you have moved here from a rural community or another part of the country, you can quickly find yourself down on your luck if you don't find work. A lot of people who move here looking for a better life don't have family support. They might not have friends who they know well enough to stay with.

We serve a lot of men and women who are new to Ottawa. A shelter is not their first choice, but often it's their only choice. When someone comes to Shepherds of Good Hope, we don't judge. It doesn't matter how far they have travelled or where they are originally from. It doesn't matter what their background is. They may have been struggling to make ends meet. They might have had what some consider a successful life but for a variety of reasons -- financial, health -- they lost those things and now they are turning to us for help.

During the Christmas season, please think of all the men and women who have moved to our great city to try to make a better life for themselves, to have the things that you and I have. Let's give them hope for the future. Please help.

St. Thomas More students outdo themselves

Our driver is going to have to make sure we have a lot of room in the truck. That's because St. Thomas More students outdid themselves this year, putting together more than 200 shoe boxes.

It's amazing the donations we are getting this year from schools. On Tuesday, our driver is actually heading out to three different schools who have collected items to give to the men and women in our care.

Thank you to all of the students. Your Christmas break is just around the corner and I know many of you are excited to get a break from school.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It can be a difficult time for many at Christmas. Studies have shown that people can experience depression at Christmas. Rates of domestic abuse increase. People get into financial trouble because of the pressure to make Christmas perfect.

Now imagine that you are homeless. It can be a difficult and lonely time for homeless men and women during the holiday season. Our mission is always to provide support and care with compassion and to ensure every man and women has the opportunity for a life of dignity. It's no different at Christmas. During the next couple of weeks, all of our programs throw Christmas parties for our clients. It's just one of the many ways we try to create a community for those men and women in our care.

There's lots of baked goods to munch on, we play Christmas music and for a few hours everyone just focuses on having a good time. Later this month, Santa will likely make a visit as he does every year.

We also get groups volunteering to come in a decorate. We already see lots of great Christmas decorations in the shelter. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped create a festive atmosphere.

If you would like to help some of the most vulnerable men and women in the city, please visit our donation page.

We're looking for disposable razors

Everywhere I walk in the Byward Market, I see a lot of young men with beards. These young men are growing beards on purpose and some of them are still going with the man bun. I guess if you decide to wear a beard, you'll make your razor last a lot longer, especially if you're one of those men who doesn't care about trimming his beard around the neck line.

At Shepherds of Good Hope, we're not quite into fashion statements in the same way, but that doesn't mean it isn't important for men and women to have access to those things that will make life a little easier.

One of those things is a razor. We don't think of razors often as something a homeless shelter might need. But we have a lot of men in our care who are looking for work. We also have many men who are part of the Worker Program. This is a program for men and women who are working but have found themselves homeless or who have a strong desire to return to work.

When you go for a job interview, you like to put your best foot forward. You want to make a good impression. You want to go into the interview with some confidence. That can be difficult to do when you're living in a homeless shelter. It can be difficult to do something as simple as shave. Most men I know don't like to shave. But for the men in our care, it's a boost to the confidence, it adds a little self-respect when you can go to a job interview or start a new job clean shaven.

I know razors are expensive. All we're asking for are the disposable razors. We keep them in a drawer and we hand them out when someone needs one.

If you want to donate items to Shepherds of Good Hope, please consider a package of disposable razors. For more details, check out our donation page by clicking here.

Thank you, Ottawa Dragon Boat

The last thing anyone might be thinking about at this time of year is boating, especially dragon boating. But for a lot of organizations, such as the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation, the work goes on all year long.

This week, we met with the good people at Ottawa Dragon Boat to receive a generous cheque of $25,000. For those of you not familiar with how the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival works, every year the festival raises money to support several charities. We were fortunate to be one of the charities last year.

It was a great festival. Our volunteers helped prepare food over the three days. Thank you to everyone who made it another successful event.

Below is a fun photo with Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation CEO and President John Brooman, myself, and Micah Garten, Development Officer with Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation.

Learning from the actions of children

I make it a point to blog every time someone tells me about another group of children making a wonderful donation to Shepherds of Good Hope. At this time of year, I could probably blog several times a week.

This week, a big thank you goes out to the students of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Orleans. On Tuesday, this group of Grade 1-6 students gathered in their gym and made over 2,000 sandwiches -- 2,090 to be precise. It took them less than a morning.

Sandwiches are so important to us. Although the soup kitchen is open for three meals a day as well as an evening drop-in, hunger doesn't follow a schedule. At any time of the day, someone could come to our doors, hungry and cold, and ask for a sandwich. Thanks to schools like St. Francis of Assisi, we have a sandwich to give them. During our evening drop-in, which is for clients as well as anyone living in the community, we make sandwiches and soup everyone.

There is a lesson here to learn from the students. First, it doesn't take a lot of work to make an impact. Secondly, the children don't question what the impact is of making sandwiches or making some other type of donation. They simply do what they can to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. They are also very eager to soak up what knowledge they can about homelessness. They want to know why people are homeless. They want to know what we do to help the homeless people. More importantly, they want to know what they can do to help the homeless. We can all learn from these children.

In the photo are some of the students who made the sandwiches. Thank you taking them all out to our truck. I know Don and Steve appreciated the extra help.