“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” –Marjorie Moore
Marge and Mark take a quick break from packing hampers in the warehouse.
This week is National Volunteer Week, and for a program like ours that relies on volunteers to run at all, it’s a pretty special one. A few weeks ago when I was looking for inspiration for volunteer week, I came across the quote above, by Marjorie Moore. As a self-admitted political junkie, I love the quote, and I love the idea that people can work together to create a place where they feel at home. Our volunteers come in every week (or in some cases, every day!) for their shifts—so what keeps them coming back? I think what draws volunteers in is that they feel a connection to and a passion for the vision of the House of Friendship: creating healthy communities where all can belong and thrive. So, what does that kind of community look like, and what values are volunteers voting for with their hours here? I have a few ideas.
A community that believes in the right to food
The first thing I see volunteers ‘voting’ for is a community where everyone has a right to food. Everyone here is passionate about feeding people, and about creating healthy hampers. When we don’t have fresh veggies to put into hampers for people I hear volunteers lamenting the fact that the hampers aren’t as healthy as usual. White bread is always left to the end, and whole wheat goes into hampers first.
Ursula bags up some mushrooms for hampers.
Volunteers like Val are excited about ‘selling’ produce people may not know how to cook, like cabbage, turnip, or papaya. They recognize that if you live on low income it can be hard to afford healthy items, and they want to give people nourishing food their family will enjoy. Every day I see excited volunteers going through recipes with people getting food, even writing down tips to send along with them. Volunteers like volunteering here because they are drawn to food issues in some capacity. Like our volunteer Sherry said, “I volunteer here because I like helping people with their food.”
Before I started working at the Emergency Food Hamper program, I was very passionate about and involved with local food initiatives. I love community gardening and urban agriculture, going to the farmer’s market, and supporting local farmers. I’m still passionate about all of these things, but more and more I’m noticing that people on low income often don’t have the luxury of supporting local or organic food initiatives. Local and/or organic food is often more expensive and less convenient to purchase and prepare than conventional or processed food from the grocery store. I started doing research on the price of nutritious food versus how much a family makes on Ontario Works or even working a minimum wage job. I started to doubt whether supporting affordable nutritious food for people on low income and supporting local farmers were even compatible goals.
Because of my change in perspective, I was very interested when the Waterloo Region Food Roundtable, a group of citizens and people in the food industry who talk about food issues in the region, drafted a food charter. Waterloo Region Public Health started the roundtable in 2005, and their mission is to champion a vibrant and healthy local food system. They do this through networking and policy-making. 18 people sit on the roundtable and are from a variety of sectors, from the local farming community, to advocates for those living on low income, to academics and public health professionals. The idea is that if you get many people who involved in the local food system together around a table, you can have better conversations about local food issues leading to more sustainable and comprehensive food policies.
Today is the last day of our 12 Days for Good campaign, and though I am sad to see it go, I’ve been so inspired by all the amazing stories I’ve heard from people who are paying it forward. Today as we celebrate the good deeds done in Waterloo Region, here are some of the highlights of the past week and a half.
To start off, word from the Christmas Hampers Warehouse is that over 4,240 hampers have been delivered to homes in Waterloo Region. This has been our busiest year yet, and it would not have been possible without all the help we got from amazing volunteers during the past 12 days. What a success!
We’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to speak to media outlets about 12 Days for Good. John Neufeld, Jane Barkley, and Natalie Brown were on Talk Local Waterloo Region discussing the impact of 12 Days and how they’ve been involved. Check out the video here.
Snow, ice, and sub-zero temperatures are coming soon. While for some of us this weather provides a mild inconvenience when we leave the comfort of our homes, for people with no fixed address or who are living on low income, the weather can be a serious challenge. Today is day 9 of the 12 Days for Good, and the theme is giving the gift of warmth. This could mean the warmth of having somewhere indoors to spend the night, the warmth that comes with being part of a community, or the warmth that comes from wearing a pair of handmade mittens.
One of the hardest things about getting older is the lack of social opportunities as your mobility, vision and hearing decreases. It becomes harder to get around and sometimes, in poor weather you are stuck at home because you can’t manage slippery stairs or icy sidewalks.
“I broke my leg, and then my toe” an elderly food hamper patron told me on the phone the other day, “all from when I slipped in the snow. Last week, I had to cancel all of my appointments because it snowed and I was too afraid – I don’t want to go through all of that again.”
In my own life, my grandpa is in his late seventies and struggles with the changes to his life that come with age. Because of his health he found himself unable to go out in public, things that he had previously enjoyed doing, like camping and canoeing, had to end. He can turn to family like myself and my father, through ill health and stress, both of which play havoc with his memory and make it harder for him to manage things like his finances and get to vital appointments. Not everyone is like my grandpa though. They may not have any family left, and struggle with social isolation.
Giving and receiving gifts is a very important part of many cultures. They can re-affirm bonds of love and affection, connect communities and demonstrate respect and gratitude. For many cultures, birthdays are very important. In other cultures birthdays pass without any importance. In December, many people celebrate Christmas. For some, the spiritual implications are the most important. These people lament the commercialization of Christmas and believe that all of the spirit has gone out of it. They believe that Christmas should be about family and giving back to those less fortunate.
For others, spending time and money at the malls is the most important part. For many of us, what’s important falls somewhere between those two extremes and can change over time. As you get older, for example, you may come to appreciate the time spent with children and grandchildren. You may ask yourself, “what more do I need?” (more…)
At House of Friendship for our 12 Days of doing good campaign, we’ve got 12 do-gooders highlighting their good deeds. Here are some of the pictures, words, and videos they’ve been sharing about their journey.
Natalie Brown-Kivell is the founder of Common Thread Consulting, a local research and facilitation business that works for social justice and organizational change within not-for-profits and government agencies. She is an active community volunteer and agent of social change, with a passion for decreasing poverty and increasing access to all levels of education. She lives every day trying to live true to her values of equality, building community and collaboration, whether it be with her neighbours, friends and family, community organization or advocating at a broader level. Nothing makes Natalie happier then digging in and making some positive change. Reflecting on her blog here about her influence as a child she observed
“So now, here I am 20 years later thankful for the opportunity that House of Friendship has provided me and the community, to reflect on the good that we have done, highlight the good we are currently doing, and look closely for the good we can do today.”
Juanita Metzger has also been blogging here about her experience, highlighting a different person or organization for each of the 12 days. The people she highlights are doing many creative things to create some good in their own backyard. They’re truly an inspiration! Who is Juanita? She describes herself as a “local community connector. Addicted knitter. Creative, non-linear thinker. Passionate reader. Arts and culture supporter. Compulsive guerilla gardener. Intrepid explorer. Creator of cool goodness. Caped crime preventer with great boots.” She invites everyone to take part in the 12 Days for Good campaign, stating “simply find something good to do each day until December 21st. Really, not so hard! Feel free to share your good deeds on social media with the hashtag #12daysforgood.”
“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” -Immanuel Kant
Karen Scian had a different interpretation of Wednesday’s theme of home or ‘shelter,’ championing the cause of the KW Humane Society and reminding us not to forgot our furry best friends.
As a warning, proceed with caution when looking at the online adoption centre…you may just end up with a new pet.
Carlos Benevides hosts the Beat Breakfast with Carlos, Sophie and Dave on 91.5 The Beat weekday mornings from 5:30 to 9:30. His dream as a child was to talk on the radio. 15 years ago he began living that dream and can’t believe he gets paid to do it. He loves what he does and feels it’s his responsibility to use that platform to make a difference, something we can all do by simply volunteering one day a week for one hour.
This morning, he shared with us the following reflections on his experiences so far:
That’s why I was flattered and excited to be asked to lend my support and get involved with the House Of Friendship’s 12 Days Of Good. To keep on spreading the message of getting involved and as the title suggest do some good no matter how small the gesture.
Christmas is an incredibly stressful and unhappy time of the year for many people. It doesn’t have to be and it shouldn’t be. It should be a time full of happiness as we celebrate all the goodness in our lives, family and friends. I am incredibly lucky. I have a roof over my head, I have food on my table, loved ones that I can rely on, and I have hope that tomorrow will be a better day. Sadly there are those here in Waterloo Region that aren’t so fortunate. I met some of those people who are in need yesterday as I delivered Christmas hampers.
My hope is I helped those people I dropped off hampers to have better days today. It’s difficult for me to write what I felt as I made the deliveries, but I’ll try. I felt a purpose in my life – I was creating a community where no one gets left behind. Where we all feel like we’re pulling in the same direction and I was building a world that I will leave better off after I’m gone. I felt a glow in my chest that warmed my entire body. As I gazed into the faces of those men and women, I felt goodness pouring from me as they said thank you. I felt my heart grow. It was amazing. I gave them food and hope yesterday, but they gave me so much more.
Do some good over the next 12 days and then keep going after that. Don’t stop. Lose yourself in the service of others. Doing so has changed my life, and it can change yours too.
Inspired by this small sampling of how 12 people are taking on the 12 Days for Good challenge? Christmas Hampers are all ready to be delivered, and just waiting for cars that can take them to their homes. Read our page here to get involved.
And, remember to keep tweeting the good deeds you’ve done to us @HOFKW while we continue through day 4 of the #12daysforgood!
Today’s 12 Days theme or gift is ‘community,’ something everyone knows a little something about. But did you know that belonging to a supportive community leads to a host of benefits, including safer communities, people becoming more politically engaged and experiencing a deeper sense of health and well-being? The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council certainly thinks so, and believes that ‘connected communities are safer communities.’ In other words, the key to creating safer communities is to target one of the root causes of crime, social alienation. One way to solve the root causes of many crimes is to increase human interaction in your neighbourhood, or, to get to know your neighbours.
In the spirit of this advice, we’ve compiled a list of ten ways you can be a good neighbour. During the 12 days, I challenge you to try 3 of these ten items. It’s not hard and you might be surprised at how positive the results are. (more…)
Volunteers swing into action and put together the first of several thousand Christmas Hampers
Last Friday, volunteers in north Waterloo were busy. They came together, many of them only seeing each other at this time of year, and got to business assembling boxes of food for people they will never meet. Christmas Hampers officially got into gear.
Inspired by these volunteers and the hundreds who will follow them each day until the 25th, House of Friendship invites YOU to get involved in our community to the power of 12.
Welcome to 12 Days.
The idea is simple: do something, anything, in the next twelve days to help someone else. These can be 12 big things, 12 little things or even just one thing. We`re not asking you to join in on what House of Friendship is doing (although you are very welcome to) we simply want to share the enthusiasm and drive that we see around us and encourage others to make a positive change.
This year, since it is a traditional time of gift giving, we are organizing our own efforts around 12 different “gifts”: the gift of Justice and Equality, Food, Home, Community, Health, Joy, Knowledge, Friendship, Warmth, Diversity, Hope, and finally, Celebrating the Good!
Each day we will share some tips, suggestions, stories and inspiration that you can use to share that gift with our community.
Follow #12daysforgood on twitter, on Facebook and come back here for daily updates.
Day 1: How do you wrap the Gift of Justice?
In my University days, I found myself sitting with some co-workers for lunch, enjoying the nice summer weather. We were doing door-to-door sales at the time and the spirit of the work place was making money and self reliance. You were responsible for your success or failure. Every day, before hitting the streets, it was drilled into us: keep pushing, stay confident, work hard and you will do it.
As we dug into our lunches, the conversation turned to a homeless man we had interacted with earlier before starting work. One of my co-workers observed “If I was on the street, I would never stop, I would clean myself up, get a job and get off the street in a few days.”
In my last blog about advocacy at the house of friendship, I talked about advocacy in our residential programs and with our chaplaincy director, Michael Hackbusch. Today I want to talk about advocacy at the community level, with our family programs.
Advocacy work is something the House of Friendship has been focusing on more and more since our last strategic plan. When we developed our current strategic plan last year, over 400 people were consulted and over one third of those consulted were program participants. What we heard over and over was that people wanted House of Friendship to speak up more in the community to target the root causes of poverty. While we’ve been doing advocacy work for a long time, now ‘speaking up’ is actually in our mission statement, so it’s going to be a bigger focus in the next few years.
Though they’ve been quiet about it, our family programs have been doing advocacy since they began. Family programs at the House of Friendship include our four community centres (Chandler Mowat, Courtland Shelley, Kingsdale, and Sunnydale), as well as the camp sponsorship program. To get some background on each community centre, you can read previous blog posts here, here, here, and here.
In a lot of ways, the community centres are advocacy hubs by their very nature—they provide places for people to come together, have fun, and support each other. This sounds abstract but it’s very important; when people are part of a community they have better access to social networks and resources, and can more easily fulfill their needs. Neighbours who care about each other help each other out, and when there’s a serious issue facing the entire neighbourhood, a community that advocates together is much stronger than a single person.
People gather at Sunnydale for food distribution on a Thursday.
