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.

Clients get a special meal

The men and women who come to our soup kitchen never complain. They're thankful for a meal. But even though they're grateful, it's still nice when we can serve them something different than usual. Today, thanks to a donation from Creative Kosher, we were able to serve trout.

I was in the soup kitchen when the first clients walked in and the look on their faces when they saw what we were serving almost brought tears to my eyes. These are some of Ottawa's most vulnerable men and women. I'd love to be able to serve them meals like this every day. Take a look at these photos.

Sandwich donation from St. Theresa's Catholic School

Wow! The two Grade 6 classes at St. Theresa's Catholic School outdid themselves this year. The students made more than 600 sandwiches for Shepherds of Good Hope. This is the power of youth. Here are a few photos from this morning's event at the school.

From heartbreaking to heartwarming

This story has been getting a lot of attention on social media. It's the story of a woman whose wedding was cancelled at the last minute after the groom got cold feet. The family had prepaid for the wedding reception dinner. Rather than let it go to waste, the family invited homeless people to have the food instead.

I'm sure the young women is still dealing with her called-off marriage. But she took a bad situation and turned it into a good situation for other people.

I see people all the time making donations to our back door. I get phone calls from people asking how they can donate clothing, small household items and so on. There are all kinds of reasons why people want to donate. But the overriding one is that people simply want to help people who are less fortunate than themselves. I don't always know why they picked up that phone or got into their car, but I know what they are trying to accomplish. They are trying to do something nice for someone else.

As we move deeper into fall and closer to the holiday season, what nice thing will you do this year to help someone who doesn't have as much as you? Check out our donation page on the different ways you can help homeless people in Ottawa.

I read an interesting article on the Globe and Mail website about how one Montreal organization is trying to help people understand the issue of homelessness by having them talk to a homeless person.

Basically, what happened is this group found a public spot to set up a table with two chairs. On one side is a homeless person, on the other side is someone who isn't homeless. They are each given a bowl of soup to eat and then encouraged to talk to each other. The goal is to help the non-homeless people better understand what homeless men and women are going through.

There is a moderator to help get the conversation going or to step in if things get too uncomfortable.

I've always said there is no better way to understand the work we do than to come down and take a tour. When people take a tour, their eyes are opened. The most common thing I hear is: I didn't know you did all of this.

But the tours aren't just an opportunity to show off everything we do. More importantly, we want people to have a better understanding of how complex the issue of homelessness is, how much support the homeless often need, and the amount of help we need from the community to make it happen day after day.

If you would like a tour, please contact me at 613-789-8210, ext. 247 or at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com. If you would like to help support the work we do, you can make a donation here.