Featured Stories
Meeting Need at the Point of Need
“Their faith drove them and their faith was based on love,” said Brian, one of Alvin and Madeline Roth’s five children. When his parents were chosen by their church community to establish a safe place for men struggling with homelessness and addiction in London, they did not hesitate to do so… Read more
Advice for New and Young Socials Workers: Q&A with Gordon Russell, Director of Shelters
Seeking wisdom to help guide her career ahead, Lisa, a new social worker at Men’s Mission, asked several thoughtful questions of her supervisor, Gordon Russell. Gordon recently retired after a meaningful career of 30 years as the Director of Shelters. His responses are described… Read more
Many of you will know that the Men’s Mission provides 111 emergency shelter beds. What is less well known is the temporary residence we provide, known as the Roger Smith Wing (RSW). The RSW is a separate, self-contained area of Men’s Mission offering 35 temporary, rent-geared-to-income individual rooms… Read more
Fill Up the Virtual Bus to Help Prepare Children in Need for the Upcoming School Year
Fill Up the Bus has gone virtual! Rather than bringing school supplies to a bus during one day in August, we invite you to shop for supplies at sharetheblessings.ca anytime between August 3rd and September 30th, 2021.
Sharetheblessings.ca offers an online catalogue of highly needed items for the children at Rotholme Family Shelter so they can be prepared for a successful school year. Some of these items include lined notebooks, gym shoes, reusable water bottles, snacks, child-sized face masks, and grocery store gift cards.
When you select an item to donate through the online catalogue, Rotholme Family Shelter will receive your donation to cover the cost of that item. We will then be able to purchase these items for the children who stay with us throughout the school year.
“School supplies donated through Fill Up the
Bus make such a difference in the lives of the children. When they have items they need like shoes and snacks, they can feel more confident and excited about going to school and they’re better able to focus on their studies”.
– Stacey Wilson, Program Supervisor of Rotholme Family Shelter
Fill Up the Bus will kick off with a colouring contest for children in July. Stay tuned to our social media channels for those details including how to participate.
Thank you to all those who will Fill Up the Virtual Bus this year! The impact you will have is remarkable as children in need become prepared to thrive this school year.
Thank You!
LCF Covid-19 Response Fund
“We knew we had to do something, and we knew we couldn’t do it alone,” said Lori Runciman, Grants Director of London Community Foundation (LCF). When the COVID-19 pandemic began, LCF partnered with Lawson Foundation and Westminster College Foundation to create the LCF COVID-19 Response Fund. The fund is a collaborative effort to assist non-profit organizations with meeting the immediate needs of vulnerable individuals with services like shelter and meals, while also supporting these organizations to stabilize and rebuild their operations in light of the pandemic.
Mission Services of London has been blessed to receive funding from the LCF COVID-19 Response Fund to help secure necessary cleaning supplies and essential personal protective equipment (PPE) like medical masks and face shields. With these important supplies, we can continue to serve neighbours in need throughout this challenging time. As some families and individuals have had to stay at a local hotel to enable physical distancing in the shelter spaces, the funds have also helped to secure to-go containers for meal deliveries amongst other needs. “We know that Mission Services is committed to its mission and it does a beautiful job of supporting so many different individuals where they are at–and that’s a priority,” shared Lori.
Making Together Canadian Challenge
Recently, Mission Services of London received a generous gift from the Masking Together Canadian Challenge (MTCC). Founded by Dr. Elaine Chin in March 2020, the MTCC seeks to provide PPE to healthcare providers who may lack adequate access to these vital supplies. While initially focusing on those serving in hospitals and medical settings, the MTCC recently altered its focus as to who they consider to be “the invisible frontline”. The invisible frontline refers to “the people working in shelters and non-profits trying to provide housing, food, and support programs to our vulnerable populations,” explained Emma Pearce, Project Manager of the MTCC.
Thanks to the MTCC, 60 face shields, 120 boxes of medical masks, and 140 bottles of hand sanitizer have been delivered across the Mission Services of London branches of service. “We saw Mission Services as a place that was filled with compassion,” said Emma. As of early spring 2021, the MTCC has donated over $100,000 worth of PPE to charitable organizations across Canada. We are tremendously thankful to have been included in this wonderful act of kindness and provision of care for people in need.