Helping Hands Street Mission is participating in Giving Tuesday 2024 with a special emphasis on Hunger & Homelessness Awareness. We have set a goal of $5000. What difference does $5000 make on hunger & homelessness in the city of Hamilton?
Helping Hands Street Mission supports folks dealing with social, financial and spiritual poverty through friendship-based support. Walking alongside community members who are marginalized with friendship-based support means that we simply enjoy each others’ company, share whatever we are able to spare, and provide a place of belonging for each other.
Our Friday evening board game nights are a perfect example of how we create a safe place of belonging. This past Friday, Megan*, who has experienced encamped homelessness in the past, was making and serving coffee. Alice, one of our staff members, provided support to her by handing out the doughnuts we had received from Lady Glaze Doughnuts. A few friends from Act 5 sat around a table in our program room playing Scrabble with MC* who has just acquired housing after 3 long months living outdoors and John* who lives with the daily ramifications of life-long disability. Bill* sat close by, not wanting to join the game, but wanting to be close to the fun. In the café area, Fred*, Charlie*, Laura* and Pete* joined Megan* and Alice in communal DJ-ing of favourite songs and discussing topics ranging from politics to how to fix our annoying front door.
What does it cost to provide this place of belonging for folks who are dealing day to day with hunger and homelessness?
- It costs $3164/month to rent our space
- It costs $450 to keep our space warm during the coldest months of the year
- It costs $150/month to keep the lights and the coffee machine on
- It costs $56/month for cups to serve coffee and tea
- It costs $1517/month to have one trained staff person on site during our regular café hours to ensure that we are well-equipped to provide a safe place of welcome
Those of you who are quick at math have already noticed that just to provide a safe and welcoming café space costs us more than $5000/month. This does not include our weekly programming, the running of our free clothing store, and all the work that is done in the background to keep our organization sustainable and our friends well supported. But it does offer the basics to provide over 800 “cups of community” every month. 800 opportunities every month for people to feel welcomed and to know that they belong.
$5000 this Giving Tuesday will go a long way to help us to provide a month of warmth and welcome, community and belonging, for friends facing hunger and homelessness this season. Please consider giving, and build this safe place of belonging with us.
*names changed for privacy
This post is a part of our Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week campaign! We have a goal to raise $5,000 by Giving Tuesday on November 28th. Be sure to make a donation with the form below to help us continue serving our friends that are facing hunger and homelessness in Hamilton.The first $2,500 donated will be matched! Double your impact today by donating.
