The giving has already started at the Ottawa Catholic School Board

Most of us look forward to Fridays. For many of us, it's hopefully the end of a rewarding work week and the signal to some rest and relaxation on the weekend.

I like this particular Friday for another reason. This morning I had the pleasure of meeting with the Ottawa Catholic School Board Director of Education Denise Andre. The Catholic schools do a lot of fundraising for us every school year and I wanted to thank them for their past support and to talk about the upcoming year.

Little did I know they already had donations ready for me to take back to the shelter. The board offices have two very cute baskets at different locations where people can drop off items for Shepherds of Good Hope. We had two large bags filled with toiletries.

Toiletries are expensive and it's natural to forget that homeless men and women need deodorant, toothpaste, etc. So these gifts are very much appreciated. Thank you to the men and women who collected these items.

It's only the first week of school but we've already had several schools approach us about bringing their students on a tour of our facilities. Thank you for reaching out.

Just based on the first few days of the school year, I think we're going to have a great year and a great partnership over the next 10 months. To all the students, we look forward to meeting you in 2015-2016.

If you're a teacher and you would like to visit Shepherds of Good Hope with your students, please contact me at 613-789-8210, ext. 247 or at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.

Back to school

There were lots of signs today that despite the hot weather, the unofficial start to fall is here. Today was the first day of school for many elementary and high school students. University students are also back in town with many starting a new year of classes tomorrow.

Back to school season is also a special time for us. It's an opportunity to reconnect with students and schools after a much deserved summer break. Every year, hundreds of students help us out by making sandwiches, holding food drives or collecting clothes for the 1,600 men and women we take care of every day.

Many more will come to visit and take a tour of our soup kitchen and clothing program. They will come to listen to our frontline workers and find out firsthand the work we do. Some of them will become volunteers later in the year, We also look forward to getting out to as many schools as we can this year.

Students are out future and we hope that future is one that involves giving back to the community. It can start here at Shepherds of Good Hope. Best of luck this school year and we hope to see as many of you as possible.

If you would like more information on how to book a guest speaker or to take a tour, please contact me at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com or 613-789-8210, ext. 247.