#12DaysOfGiving Day 3 - Out of the Cold

Start Me Up Niagara's Out of the Cold program began again in November - and this year they are seeing record numbers. We have been very lucky with the weather thus far, but if the last few days are anything of what's to come, we are in for a cold winter!

In an article in Niagara This Week, Director Susan Venditti has said there is an increase in attendance in not only the dinner program, but also overnight stays. “We’ve had nights where there have been as many as 46 people staying over,” she said, adding that’s well over the usual “busy night” of past years that would see a high of 25 to 30 people.

This year we continued the tradition of serving at Out of the Cold. Seeing the number of families and individuals that don't have a warm place to stay or food to eat is really heartbreaking, especially around this time of year. It is hard to describe that feeling of realization and appreciation for what you have after that experience. It really brings a new meaning to the holiday season!

We were very happy to help the Out of the Cold program and serve a special meal to those in need.

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 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."