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.

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.

Shepherds of Good Hope is in the news

It's been a good week for Shepherds of Good Hope when it comes to media coverage.

One of the ways to show you what type of impact we're making in the community with your donation is to tell stories. When we can get some of those stories out through newspapers and radio, it gives us a different way to reach you. Lots of people still listen to radio or read a newspaper.

Today, Ottawa Citizen columnist Kelly Egan wrote a column on the TESP diversion program. Some of you might remember that back in June we introduced a new protocol for paramedics. They no longer have to bring a homeless person to the hospital ER. We have health staff at our shelter and we can help homeless men and women with certain needs. I'll let you read the column to discover how beneficial this is.

We also have Alison Sandor at CFRA who profiled the managed alcohol program at The Oaks. This is a very innovative program that has attracted attention from around the world. Again, I'll let you read the story to find out what makes this program so exciting.

I'm hoping that when you read these stories you'll appreciate the impact your donation has on the men and women who have so little but need so much. The three most important things we do with your donation is provide shelter, food and clothing. But Ottawa's homeless men and women need so much more if they are going to find a way out of shelter life and into their own housing.

That's what your donation accomplishes. If you would like to see first-hand the impact your donation has, please call me for a tour of our facilities at 613-789-8210, ext. 247, or reach out by e-mail at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.

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.

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.

Encouraging young people to get involved

We're hearing a lot these days about the demographic shift in Canada. For the first time, there are more seniors than there are people 15 and younger, according to a recent story in the Globe and Mail.

There is also a lot of focus on the boomers, who are just starting to hit retirement age. Finally, we have the millennials.

Writing as a long-time fundraiser, boomers and seniors are the people who donate to us most often. It's understandable. If you are a senior or a boomer, chances are you are well established. Your children are out on their own or close to being out on their own. Over the years, you have made choices about what's important to you and where you want to give your donation dollars to. For all of our donors who are seniors or boomers, thank you for helping Shepherds of Good Hope help so many people who are in desperate need in our community. I can't thank you enough for your generosity, especially at this time of year as we get closer to the Christmas holidays.

So where does that leave the millennials? It's understandable that many millennials are still trying to establish themselves, still trying to determine what causes are the most important to them. So this next message is for the millennials.

There are 1,600 men and women who rely on us every day. We offer them food, shelter and clothing. We offer them innovative programs and services to help them realize a life of dignity. We find them homes in supportive living where they can live more independently while still receiving 24/7 care and support from our employees.

But don't take my word for it. Call me and ask for a tour. I would love to arrange for you an opportunity to see firsthand how your donation dollars impact so many people. We also have many volunteer opportunities. Did you know that Shepherds of Good Hope relies on the work of more than 400 volunteers? You can be a part of our volunteer family. We hope by becoming on a tour or by volunteering, you'll choose to support our work.

Some of you younger millennials might be wondering, can I really make a difference. The answer is a resounding yes and that's why I'm reaching out to you. If you would like a tour, contact me by email at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.
For volunteer opportunities, click here.
To donate, click here.

Students getting a charitable education

One of the fun parts of my job is getting a chance to meet with so many students who come to Shepherds of Good Hope for a tour.

Regular readers of my blog know I'm a big believer in everyone getting a firsthand look at what we do. We're very well known for being a shelter and a soup kitchen. Food and shelter are indeed two very important things Ottawa's most vulnerable men and women need. But we are so much more and over our 32 years, we have moved beyond a soup kitchen.

Typically students come for a tour because they want to do something for us. They want to give back to those most in need, especially as we get closer to the holidays. They visit because they want to see the impact their donation is going to have. Quite often it inspires them to exceed their original goal.

Depending on the size of the class, students get a tour of the soup kitchen, the food and grocery program and we also give a short presentation on our other services.

This morning students from Pierre Savard School and Immaculata High School were here. Thank you so much everyone for coming out.

Halloween at Shepherds of Good Hope

On Halloween, we always make an effort to ensure we have some candy to give out to the clients. Some of our staff will dress up and make the rounds to deliver candy. We also get a fair number of people donating candy to us after Halloween. Thank you so much. We look forward to those donations.

Today, a group from Foreign Affairs, including George Wieringa,Deputy Director, Operations, Strategic Planning and Operations Division, Latin America and Caribbean, dropped by the soup Kitchen at 233 Murray St. with several bags of candy for us to hand out tomorrow. Thank you so much everyone. I hope everyone has a great Halloween.

Looking for sheets and blankets

We had great response yesterday to our Facebook post about sheets and blankets. Basically, we're hoping there are people out there who can donate sheets and blankets to us.

Although we do run everything through the laundry, nothing lasts forever and there are times when you need to replace certain items. Sheets and blankets are important because they help us provide one of the most basic needs for homeless men and women -- shelter.

There's more to providing a bed than just ensuring there is a mattress. Every bed needs clean sheets each day and we need blankets.

If you're able to help, please call me at 613-789-8210, ext. 247. If you need someone to pick up your donation, please call Dan at 613-789-8210, ext. 240.

Thanks to our Facebook friends who have committed to making a donation.

Businesses that do their part

I think it's great that I have several opportunities a week to blog about local businesses that do their part of help Shepherds of Good Hope. Whether it's coming down for a volunteer session, organizing a food drive or collecting money for allowing people to wear jeans during the workday, it all goes to helping us care for the men and women who come through our doors every day.

Recently, Royal Lepage Team Reality, owned by Kent and Gail Browne, had a party for the clients. When it was over, they had a lot of food left. So they turned to us. We didn't hesitate to accept their donation. With November just around the corner, the planning has already started for a lot of local businesses to have holiday or Christmas lunches, parties, events and so on. If you find you've ordered too much, you don't have to throw it out. We can use that food. If you had it catered, your food likely came on trays with plastic wrap or some sort of covering. Just pack it up and bring it to Shepherds of Good Hope.

For Kent and Gail, not only did they serve their clients with some great food, but they also ensured some of Ottawa's less fortunate people also got to enjoy a nice meal. Thank you!

I'm getting to know a lot of people at MaxSys. Every month, someone from their office drops by to donate the proceeds of their jeans day. This week it was Stephanie Csizmadi. This is the third month in a row company representatives have popped in and we love seeing you every time. Keep up the great fundraising work.

I've used MaxSys before as an example of how easy it is for your office or department to raise funds for some of Ottawa's most vulnerable people. At MaxSys, each division across Canada is invited to participate in jeans day. To wear jeans to the office, you have to contribute $5 to that division's charity fund. Company President Bryan Brulotte then matches the donation. See how easy that is? And it does so much good to help the clients at Shepherds of Good Hope.