#12DaysOfGiving Day 12 - Community Care

Throughout the #12DaysOfGiving we had bins in our office to collect winter clothing and canned food for Community Care. What began in 1919 as food and clothing assistance has grown to 17 programs - with their vision for a healthy, caring community where everyone lives with dignity and purpose, they are making a huge impact in our community!

Fast facts about Community Care:

• EVERY client is interviewed, assessed and registered for need
• 1 can of donated food is one can of food we did not have the day before
• 6 times per year (or every other month), a registered client may access 3-5 days worth of food, as well as clothing at Community Care, plus in emergency situations
• 12 percent of our trusteeship caseload are baby boomers
• 13 percent of the population of St. Catharines will access our food services
• 17 different programs are offered at Community Care
• 30 community garden plots were tended by 78 adults and 47 children
• 39 years of age is the average life expectancy of a homeless person in Canada
• 40 percent of our food bank clients are children
• 47 percent of all clients served at the ID clinic are children and youth
• 70 percent of youth seeking shelter assistance are female (16-24 years of age)
• 84 people seek shelter-related assistance through Housing Help on a daily basis
• 206 volunteers are scheduled weekly at CC in St. Catharines & Thorold = 30,900 hours
• 262 clients were supported through the Regional Trusteeship Program to stabilize their housing and keep them safe and warm, including youth 16-24 years of age
• 440 individuals participated in our seasonal tax clinic program in 2014
• 482 children and youth were given the opportunity to participate in sports through the Canadian Tire Jumpstart program
• 566 ADDITIONAL volunteers assisted in many capacities at Christmas=1,700 hours
• 1,087 households had IDs replaced/obtained for the first time through our ID Clinic
• 1,500 children received back to school support through the Snacks 'n' Sneakers Program
• 1,850 households have access to food security each month
• 1919 is the year Mrs. Leone Taylor recognized a need within the community, leading to the agency now known as Community Care
• 3,638 phone calls were received seeking assistance with utilities
• 4,000 pounds of food is distributed daily, 5 days a week
• 13,000 students are fed each school day through Niagara Nutrition Partners (Region-wide)
• 13,732 phone calls were received by Housing Help seeking access to shelter needs
• 358,180 dollars was distributed to 733 families through NEEF (Niagara Energy Emergency Fund) utilities program
• 1 person can make a difference in the life of someone in need in our community

#12DaysOfGiving Day 2 - Community Care

The tree is starting to fill up here at the office!

This year we sponsored a family of 4 with Community Care, we were so happy to give back to such a staple in the Niagara community!

Community Care has been meeting the needs of the less advantaged since 1919. Their mission is to compassionately provide vital service and assistance to individuals and families that meet their basic needs and help bridge their journey to self-sufficiency.

Their impact in the community is best seen through their clients' words:

"Community Care went beyond what would be required to ensure that I had proper housing first and foremost...and nurtured me back to a place where I once again am beginning to feel as if I belong to this community."

"Having warm water for the first time in 6 weeks meant warm baths for all of us. Thank you for giving us back our dignity."

"I have a new outlook on life with a brand new smile on my face. I am no longer in pain with my infected teeth, and I enjoy smiling!"

"My son went to school in his new sneakers today with his new backpack. He was happy to go back to school for the first time ever."

"Thank you for listening...that is all I needed today."

Day NINE: Community Care is much more than just a food bank!

Community Care, St. Catharines & Thorold has been meeting the needs of the less advantaged in our community since 1919. The fundamental principles on which the agency was founded have not changed. Community Care compassionately provides vital services and assistance to individuals and families that meet their basic needs and help bridge their journey to self-sufficiency.

Fast Facts

Community Care currently offers 18 programs

1,850 households have access to food security each month

4,000 pounds of food is distributed daily, 5 days a week

40 per cent of our food bank clients are children

We will assist over 3,000 families with our Christmas program

Over 200 volunteers help out on a weekly basis in St. Catharines and Thorold

1 can of donated food is one can of food we did not have the day before

Want to know more facts? Learn more here http://communitycarestca.ca/fast-facts

Community Care clients say it best...

"Community Care went beyond what would be required to ensure that I had proper housing first and foremost...and nurtured me back to a place where I once again am beginning to feel as if I belong to this community."

"Having warm water for the first time in 6 weeks meant warm baths for all of us. Thank you for giving us back our dignity."

"I have a new outlook on life with a brand new smile on my face. I am no longer in pain with my infected teeth, and I enjoy smiling!"

"My son went to school in his new sneakers today with his new backpack. He was happy to go back to school for the first time ever."

"Thank you for listening...that is all I needed today."

Our tree is full again, this time with food and winter clothing donations - awaiting a new home with Community Care!

"A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal."
- Steve Maraboli

Day EIGHT: Giving Thanks

As a continuation from our last blog post, I just wanted to share this video with everyone and extend a few thank you's.

Thank you to the organizations that allowed us to partner with them - The Kristen French Advocacy Centre Niagara, Project Share, Start Me Up Niagara & Out of the Cold, Community Care, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Niagara Health System, and the YWCA. You have really opened our eyes this holiday season and allowed us to truly be grateful for everything we have.

Thank you to our team here at Rinaldi Homes - thanks for all of your generosity, there will be women, men and children receiving gifts for the first time; children with toys to comfort them before going into surgery; families with warm clothes to get through the cold winter nights; and brave children with warm winter items as a sign of their courage.

Also, thank you to our team for all of their hard work this year. We have grown so much over the last couple years and brought the company to new heights. We are so proud of our accomplishments and can't wait to keep pushing the boundary in 2016!

Thank you to all of our trades and companies that we work with on a daily basis. As we grow and continue to push for a high standard of quality, our expectations are exceeded every time by the hard work of our trades.

"It is not happy people who are thankful; it is thankful people who are happy."

Day SEVEN: It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We are just over half way through our #12DaysOfGiving, and that means we are so close to Christmas! Have you finished all of your shopping yet?!

It's a crazy time of year, with all of the hustle and bustle around the malls, we don't seem to have much time to slow down and really appreciate the things around us. The 12 Days of Giving has really given us a chance to be grateful for everything we have! It's been a time to reflect on so many things that we take for granted.

Think about your morning routine - you get up, have a shower, eat breakfast and rush off to work in your car. You don't really think too much about it. You always have shampoo, conditioner and soap handy in the shower, fresh clothes to put on and you struggle over the decision if you want a bagel or a smoothie for breakfast. What I've realized over the last couple of days, is that even that warm shower I wake up to every morning is a luxury! Some people (more than you might have ever thought right here in Niagara) are struggling to eat everyday, let alone put a roof over their head.

Tonight we will give thanks and be grateful, as our whole team comes together to celebrate our accomplishments in the past year and what's to come! The most important thing is that we will all be together and we can share in the happiness of the season. Along with our Christmas party tonight, we will be collecting food and winter items to be donated to Community Care.

"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving"

- Mother Teresa

Day SIX: A place to go. A place to be somebody. A place to do something.

Start Me Up Niagara (SMUN) began as one of five sites opened in 1999 by the National Network for Mental Health to offer self employment services to people who self identified as mental health consumer survivors and wanted to start a business. This pilot project was funded by Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) to determine whether self employment was a viable work option that could improve the unacceptably low participation rate of this group in the labour market.

During its first year SMUN found that self employment was a good option for a few people but that others needed different options. It also found that mental illness was only one of the issues that  eople accessing self employment services faced. Poverty, unemployment, homelessness compounded by disabilities, poor health, isolation impacted lives and created barriers that prevented an acceptable quality of life.

In response to these findings and with the help of community members who wanted to make a difference, Start Me Up Niagara was incorporated as a charitable organization in September 2000. It works with individuals who are having a difficult time at this point in their lives. Start Me Up offers a variety of opportunities that improve health, increase the level of community integration, support housing and employment.

Start Me Up and Out of the Cold work closely together to make sure that anyone who doesn't have a place to call home, has a safe place to go through the holiday season and beyond! Out of Cold is open every night from November 1 - March 31 serving a hot supper to all who come. They also provide a warm bed for anyone needing a place to sleep overnight. It closes every morning at 7:30.

Start Me Up is open during the day, 365 days a year. It is a safe welcoming place with multiple resources that help individuals get started again. Services include daily drop in, housing and employment supports. In 2015 the SMUN Centre has hosted approximately 30,000 drop in visits with Out of the Cold providing 3,500 nights accommodation and over 20,000 meals. Both Out of the Cold and Start Me Up Niagara are busy happening places that serve many of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Tonight we will be volunteering at Knox Church to help serve dinner!

"The greatest gift you can give someone is your TIME. Because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back." 

Day FOUR: Hope for Homeless Women and their Families since 1927

Established in 1927, in an effort to respond to identified needs in the community. The YWCA Niagara Region has a long standing history of providing safe, supportive housing and programs directed to the development of homeless and impoverished women and their children.

As the largest provider of Emergency Shelter in the Niagara Region and a recognized expert among funders and community agencies, the YWCA offers innovative housing programs and services that provide hope for women and their families living in poverty. The YWCA provides shelter and programs, including:

• Two 20 bed emergency homeless shelters across the region
• 6 apartments throughout Niagara, which serve as emergency shelter for families
• 3 phases of transitional housing across Niagara
• Skill development programming, including at-school programming for youth
• A new modified men's shelter
• A new family shelter that will be built in 2016

Curious how many individuals in Niagara the YWCA has helped?

The YWCA helped 1254 women, 444 children, and 71 families last year. In 2014/2015, 1254 women, 444 children, and 71 families stayed in YW Emergency Shelter last year. They served over 59,835 meals and 4,414 women took part in their skill development programs. 

The YWCA is committed to social change and work to create a community that supports women who are living in poverty and provide support through each step towards financial stability and independent living.

What a humbling experience - bringing over 330 items to be added to the many donations they have already received for the Christmas program this year. All being sorted by volunteers to be packaged and given to over 300 women, men and children! Some of these individuals may have never received a gift before, so having something to open on Christmas is such a special experience (and something many of us take for granted). It's amazing to see the impact such a small gesture can have! 

A Year to Transform Margaret - A Success Story

How much time do you think it would take to get your life in order when it’s brought you to a place you never imagined you’d be? This varies from person to person depending on their commitment to change and Margaret exhibited unmatched drive from the very beginning.

Leaving behind her old life meant starting fresh. Without the trust of her family, Margaret bravely set out to navigate her own journey on the road toward independence. Coming to the YWCA Women’s Shelter was no easy task, but moving on meant leaving a home that held too many memories of a lifestyle best left behind. Margaret faced her fear of strangers as she joined the other guests at the Shelter, unsure if she could even trust the Women’s Advocates.

Margaret proved to be the definition of not only a success story, but a woman of inspiration. She is who I think of when I consider how I would react if ever faced with hardships that challenged my every concept of existence.

Read more about Margaret's story here!

Do you want to learn more about the YWCA and their programs?

• The YW offers transitional housing to help women and families to overcome poverty: http://www.ywcaniagararegion.ca/our-work/transitional-housing/ 
• The YW now also runs a program for men who struggle with homelessness: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/12/15/lafleche-sheltering-men-at-the-ywca
• Interested in volunteering? The YW is always looking for helping hands: http://www.ywcaniagararegion.ca/ways-help/volunteer-2/

#12DaysOfGiving

Our office has been buzzing and I am so excited to tell you about our holiday program this year!

This season is all about GIVING and why not try and give back to as many people as possible. We want everyone to share in the joy this Christmas and have an amazing holiday season, so we decided to partner with several different charities in Niagara for #12DaysOfGiving! We have been collecting items for the Kristen French Centre, Niagara Health System, YWCA, Project Share, and Community Care. Throughout the 12 days we will be posting pictures of all the goodies we have collected in the office and delivering them to the organizations. We are almost running out of space in our office under the tree - I am so proud with how much our team has stepped up to this huge task!

Make sure you are following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - starting on Sunday, December 13th we will be posting all about the charities and programs we have partnered with. We are so excited to tell you about the amazing work that they all do! 

"Happiness does not result from what we get, but what we give." - Ben Carson