A Challenge to Support Belong Ottawa!
Supporting Belong Ottawa & the Kanata Food Cupboard! We've had a wonderful response to our Outreach project in support of Belong Ottawa. Thank you to all who have responded to date - our donations were greatly appreciated. If you haven't already donated, please consider contributing now, but also note that we are hoping to keep this initiative going for the foreseeable future. Please see the Challenge details below.
For many years, St John's has been a committed supporter of the Kanata Food Cupboard (KFC) through both member donations of food and other necessities, and through a financial allocation from the operating budget. In recent months there have been relatively few donations in the KFC bin in the vestibule, and we would like to change that! Please consider picking up something for the Food Cupboard when out shopping. Weekly deliveries will be made to the Food Cupboard as the bin fills up. Thank you for your generous support - the need has never been greater!
Belong Ottawa is the umbrella organization encompassing the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa day care community ministries - The Well, Centre 454, and St Luke's Table - offering programs that 'address basic needs, foster dignity, wellness and hope for all'. We are being challenged to reach out and support Belong Ottawa. Belong Ottawa has provided a 2024 Needs List - as follows:
- men's deodorant
- mini tissue packets
- razors
- Hot Paws/hand warmers
- (men's and women's size M or L)
- bath towels (can be gently used)
- socks (can be gently used)
- reusable shopping bags (can be gently used)
- empty medicine bottles
- mugs
A bin has been placed outside the offices, and another outside the main entrance at St John's (pictured above), to receive your donations. Pick-up can be arranged should it not be convenient to drop off your donation; please contact Roy Mills at millsroyj@aol.com or 613.592.1480. Monetary donations are also most welcome, either through St John's (clearly marked: "for Belong Ottawa"), or directly by visiting the Belong Ottawa website.
St. John’s has an extensive Outreach history with Belong Ottawa, as well as to the Kanata community at large.
As we move forward, it is our hope to increase opportunities to support the needs of our neighbours in Kanata North.
St. John’s contributes to Belong Ottawa in three ways:
- a significant amount in our 'Proportional Parish Share' apportionment annually,
- from our annual St. John’s 'Outreach Budget', and
- through individual parishioner donations.
These ministries are: Cornerstone Housing for Women, Centre 454 Community Day Programs, The Well-La Source (day program for women and women with children), St. Luke’s Table, the Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre (family and individual mental health support), and recently, Centre 105, Cornwall (drop-in day program).
St. John’s is a strong supporter through private donation by parishioners of the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), an Anglican initiative which supports a wide range of development projects and food scarcity needs throughout the world. Locally, we support a Food Grains Project in which farmers sell a crop and donate the proceeds to PWRDF.
We support Refugee initiatives through our Diocesan SAH (Sponsorship Agreement Holder). We settled a Syrian refugee family of four in 2016 with help from the wider Kanata community and the Kanata Muslim Association (KMA). We are awaiting the arrival of another family of four Syrians (presently in Turkey) for family reunification. Both families are led by widowed mothers. We are doing this jointly with the Kanata-Stittsville Refugee Sponsorship Group of seven churches (KSRSG) and our neighbour, the Kanata Muslim Association. This is an interdenominational and interfaith project.
We are strong supporters of our local Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice. In 2014, our application received a $50,000 grant from our Diocese, and St. John’s raised a matching $50,000 for a naming opportunity for a room in the then new hospice. We did this as a major Community Outreach project to help celebrate St. John’s 175th birthday in 2014.
St. John’s parishioners were founders, and are supporters, of the Kanata Food Cupboard. Each Christmas we fill stockings for children. Recently, we joined with other local churches to initiate a food drive, which is to be repeated throughout the year as present need is so great.
We support MAP (Mentorship, Aftercare, Presence), an Ottawa organization that offers help to paroled prisoners, as a Social Justice Outreach.
In 2004, we leased a portion of St. John’s Church Lands on March Road to enable the building of Blue Heron Co-op. Some 86 units are government supported for affordable housing. Additionally, our Rectory is presently rented as affordable housing.
In 2006, an 11-circuit Chartres-style paver labyrinth was donated and constructed on Church Lands behind the Parish Hall. Trees and gardens surrounding the labyrinth followed in 2010. An indoor 7-circuit labyrinth was also installed in the Parish Hall in 2010 for winter walks. Our outdoor labyrinth is open for all to walk and can be booked for groups, as can our indoor labyrinth.
The lower level of our Parish Hall is rented by March Academy, an alternative school for children, and has been expanded since 2006.
Please join us with your enthusiasm, talents, and ideas as we move forward in service!