A worthwhile experience

I am reflecting on a volunteer experience I had today at one of the better known Humanitarian organisation in Ottawa. I was asked to help out with meal preparation and serving lunch to those who come in from the street in Ottawa's Lower town on Murray Street. The Shepherd of Good Hope is well known in Ottawa and is centrally located on the corner of Murray Street and King Edward. Everyone knows it and knows of their good work for the poor and the homeless. It is the largest Not for Profit organisation dedicated to helping the poor and the homeless in Ottawa.

The story began 30 years ago at the Parish of St-Brigid in Ottawa. The priests of this parish had started  feeding homeless men in this poor area of Ottawa. The need was great and Shepherd of Good Hope was established. Today Shepherd offers many services to the needy from a 500 bed shelter partitioned  in several buildings around Ottawa, free meal service, health, assisted living services and other programs. The services are offered to Men and Women alike. Hundreds of hot meals are served on any given day and the shelter service is helpful especially during our extremely cold winters but also provides a safe and secure place for people who have nowhere to go and are vulnerable.

I was asked by Denis Schryburt who is running for Councillor in the Somerset Ward in Ottawa's Municipal elections on October 27 to lend a hand.
He has been participating in this program for years with his family and friends. We got to 233 Murray street at 08:30 am and started work, put on an apron and start cutting up meat and vegetables so that the experienced volunteer chefs in the kitchen can cook up the meal for lunch at 11:30am. Everyone is a volunteer and many have been doing this work for many years, so they are old hands at it. There is also a permanent Staff who manage all operations and a Board of Directors.

The meals are not only free but nourishing and copious, today there was a thick minestrone with chicken meat, a beef stew, a spicy rice curry, 2 vegetables and a coleslaw, tea, coffee, milk, bread and a rich dessert.  After lunch around 12:30 pm, for those who want we also have sandwiches to give out in case they are hungry in the afternoon.

The clients are old, young, of all ethnic background, male and female. The ladies have there own dining room as per their request. Many are fragile and afraid, the streets can be very mean even in Ottawa.  The whole operation is like clockwork, the dining area is spotlessly clean and all meals are served on chinaware, no paper cups or plastic plates. Many thanked us for preparing the food and serving them lunch today, telling us how good the food was. I saw what a kind word and a smile can make a big difference for someone down on their luck. Some 300 people had a good lunch on what I was told was a slow day due to the long Canada Day Weekend, the numbers are usually greater.

It made me think of the numerous platitudes we too often hear about how Canada is a rich country, when you see this type of need in just one city and this city is the National Capital, can you imagine what it is in other cities like Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary and elsewhere. No need to look in far away lands to help out people you do not know. Look in your own backyard there are plenty of Canadians who need a helping hand and some compassion.

website SHEPHERD OF GOOD HOPE OTTAWA, http://shepherdsofgoodhope.com

Our volunteers on this day at the Soup kitchen of Shepherd of Good Hope.

Report from Stalag 13

For those of you old enough to remember the television series Hogan's Heroes featuring a group of Allied soldiers in a German POW camp during World War II, the prisoners were always a step ahead of the dumb Nazis and the Camp Commander Colonel Klink who was an old softy from the first World War and his side kick Sargent Schultz who knew nothing, nothing!

Well life continues in Ottawa, I have found 2 places who can make a decent Espresso, at least as close to what I use to drink in the morning in Rome. One is the Elgin Dinner on Elgin street of all places, the other is a small café on Kent Street called Délices, I told the owner that I thought his espresso was as good as Rome and now I get a double espresso for the price of a single. Also found a good barber on Gilmour street called Toss. We had a great dinner at Al's Steak House on Elgin last night, it has been around since 1967 run by the Saikali family. I think Al has passed on because his kids are now running the place. The food is excellent with great service. We also noticed that dining out in Ottawa is about the same price as in Rome strangely enough.

My brother and I, he was visiting from Washington DC

  A few days ago I posted a rather unflattering review of life in Ottawa, I have to be careful because people or friends who live in Ottawa will read this blog and may be offended, no offence intended. At any rate those who know me, know that I am a loveable sort and infamous, that's why they are my friends, though as I say it's my view of what I see. This past week I read in the local paper an article by Andrew Cohen, a journalist and University prof at Carleton University, about how Ottawa is a city of tenants. His article was picking up on another article by a British journalist who visits Ottawa regularly and has done so for the last 25 years. It confirmed what I have been seeing all along. In one sentence the article defined Ottawa as a city of Tenants not of Landlords, being tenants no one takes a stake in the city, everyone is detached, it does not belong to them so why bother. An example major bus route cuts are happening on 4 September so the newspaper reports that people will take a taxi now because there is no public transport. That is bizarre to me, but that is the attitude no one will raise a peep about it.

This week is now over and this long weekend we will work around the house continuing to unpack and organize, we are into week 12 of the move, yes 84 days so far, will it ever end. We have done so many visits to the St-Vincent de Paul Society that we should be shareholders, if you want to see our lives go visit them on old Wellington street.  W has done a great deal of work, it is starting to feel like home. We have favourite shops already, found a good dry cleaning place. food places, coffee place, some good restaurants. It seems that going to independent businesses is the way to go in Ottawa, if you want service. Have visited with old friends which is always good and re-comforting, thank God for old friends, bless them all. We have our season tickets to the symphony and looking forward to it. We are also making plans for the future in 2013, stay tuned for that one, major lobbying effort underway.

So we have to remain philosophical about all this and create our own cocoon. If all else fails we have 172 bottles of wine to drink, I am quoting freely from Greek philosophers and Stoics.