About us
The Mission of The Inn is to provide service with dignity to those in need of food, shelter and other essentials. This is an important statement. It guides our programs and how we serve people.
Perhaps best known for our food programs, The Inn operates a food bank, soup kitchen, 2 homeless shelters, a mobile market and so much more.
Why The Inn still exists … the role it plays
When The Inn was first started like so many other food banks, it was thought to be a temporary measure. It was the early ‘80’s, a severe recession was raging and thousands were losing their jobs. It was felt that, once the recession ended and the economy ‘got better’ we wouldn’t need the food bank and soup kitchen any more.
Yet, 40 years later, The Inn is still here and with a much greater range of programs. Programs built around helping provide relief to households struggling with the challenges of poverty … of simply not having enough to make ends meet … of getting by day to day but not being able to handle everyday life crises that arise – back to school expenses, birthdays, Christmas, healthy eating, illnesses, getting the car fixed to get to that part time job … and so on.
Changes in our society in these 40 years, have institutionalized and grown The Inn and its programs.
Families are more spread out with children or parents moved to other parts of the country. That safety net of support isn’t readily available. When a family member struggles, family help isn’t just around the corner and they now rely on the community for support.
Government cutbacks in assistance (a person on a disability pension receives the same as 20 years ago). Assistance rates barely cover rent leaving little or nothing for food, clothing or other essentials. This has made visits to the food bank or soup kitchen a necessity – a means for survival.
Employment changes – the majority of Canadians now work in part-time, minimum wage jobs with no benefits. This leaves them living pay cheque to pay cheque with no certainty to the hours they will get and too often, having to choose between rent, food or health.
Credit – buy now and pay later – is now the way of life. High School students can now get a credit card! Many folks live right to their means and don’t save so if they face job loss, they have major debt to manage. The lure of credit, without the knowledge of how to manage it has created a tremendous debt burden and of course, it takes much longer to get out of debt than it does to get into it.
The Inn of The Good Shepherd, through community support, continues to be here – every day, to help households through their everyday struggles. That back pack of school supplies, the hot meal, the fresh vegetables, the tax clinic, a warm coat all represent a caring community that is standing up against poverty. This represents dignity and hope!