Weblog | Salvation Army Community Centre

Brent and Penny’s Adopt a Family

2009-11-08T01:18:00.001-08:00

Our friends over at Rawlco Radio are online with the information for this year’s Brent and Penny’s Adopt-a-Family

Long time Morning Team Brent Loucks and Penney Murphy created the Adopt A Family program in 1988- bringing businesses, communities, families and individuals together to help less fortunate Saskatoon and area families.

The growth of the program in twenty one years has been astounding! $5000 was raised in 1988 and over $100,000 in cash, food and gifts was raised in 2008. More than 400 families, including 1300 children, received gifts and a wonderful meal for Christmas. There are many incredible examples of children who received gifts through the Adopt A Family program, and were so emotionally impacted by the random act of kindness, that as adults have chosen to help another local family.

We are thankful for our partnership with Rawlco Radio through the Brent & Penny Adopt-a-Family and Rock 102’s Toy Soldier campaign as we work with the citizens of Saskatoon to ensure everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Online Christmas Hamper Applications

2009-11-05T09:30:00.001-08:00

For those of you who know if a family who may need some help this Christmas, the Salvation Army Community Centre is accepting online applications for Christmas Hampers starting today. You can also register in person starting November 16th. If you have questions about what the Salvation Army is doing in Saskatoon over the Christmas season, our Christmas portal can be found at www.salvationarmysaskatoon.org/christmas/ which gives information on events, volunteer opportunities, and locations as they become available.

Nomadic Dwellings

2009-10-09T06:07:00.001-07:00

This is being hosted by our neighbors at the aka gallery.

Folie/Culture presents: Nomadic Dwellings

Performances throughout Saskatoon:
October 20th to 23rd, 2009
Opening with artists in attendance:
October 23rd at 7pm
Quebec-based activist art group Folie/Culture, presents the architectural project Nomadic Dwellings in Saskatoon beginning October 20th, 2009. Began in 2007, the project calls on architects and artists to conceive nomadic dwellings for itinerants. The shelters had to be designed for one person, with materials that were easily found in Canada, inexpensive, and recyclable if possible. They also had to be reusable and easy to set up by one person alone.
Between October 20th and October 23rd, the artists involved will set up and display the works in several highly visible locations throughout the city. In the current climate of myopic boosterism for Saskatoon’s bourgeoning economy, this exhibition serves as a reminder of the social reality of itinerancy. As vacancy rates fall and rents increase, the most vulnerable among us fall through the cracks and are faced with the prospect of living without shelter.
While the project is not intended as a solution to the problem of homelessness, it does aim to increase awareness of the issue. Placing the architectural act in the everyday suggests a discomfiting social encounter that architects do not often rub up against. The paradoxical meeting of architecture and itinerancy reveals the degree of interconnectedness between these seemingly disparate sites within the social body.
Since 1984, Folie/Culture has facilitated contemporary art projects with a specific focus on awareness building in mental health. They encourage the work of artists who intervene in the field of social perceptions, engaging a public who may not otherwise encounter contemporary art.

H1N1 Virus and the Salvation Army Community Centre

2009-10-02T08:27:00.001-07:00

We thought that we would let you know that the Salvation Army Community Centre does have a plan to deal with H1N1 if it hits Saskatchewan hard. We have a plan to minimize it’s affects on our residents and the general public. If we do have an outbreak of it at the Centre, we have plans to help those who are infected as well as keeping our other residents safe.

For more information on H1N1 in Saskatchewan, check out Fight Flu.ca or the Government of Saskatchewan’s Influenza website.

Technorati Tags: H1N1,Saskatoon,Salvation Army,Saskatchewan,Swine Flu,Influenza

Free Counselling at the Centre

2009-09-28T08:42:00.001-07:00

Christian Counselling Services is offering free counselling for anyone who needs someone to talk to on Friday mornings at the Centre. If you are interested, please talk to the Front Desk staff for an appointment. The service is free, confidential, and is with a trained counsellor.

New Christmas Website is Now Live

2009-09-28T08:03:00.001-07:00

If you are looking for information about Christmas at the Salvation Army Community Centre, it now can be found in one place at SalvationArmySaskatoon.org/Christmas. There you will find information on hampers, Christmas kettles, our Community Christmas meal and other Christmas events, and Christmas at the Centre.

It is also the place to find information on helping with kettles and once the locations are finalized, where to find locations to drop of toys for both Toy Soldier and Secret Santa.

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to e-mail the Centre at hello@salvationarmysaskatoon.org.

Fall Supper at the Salvation Army Community Centre

2009-09-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

The Salvation Army Community Centre is hosting a Fall Supper on October 17 at 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Cost: $10.00 per person which includes turkey, ham, and all the fixings.

The proceeds go to fund the Nutana Breakfast Program and the Afternoon Coffee House.

Tickets are available from Phyllis at Nutana Collegiate or Sylvia (sylvia.stevenson@salvationarmysaskatoon.org) at the Salvation Army Community Centre.

Information on this event and other events at the Salvation Army Community Centre can be found here.

New location for New Hope's website

2009-09-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know that New Hope Community Church's website is now at www.salvationarmysaskatoon.org/newhope/

Thank You Sleep Country!

2009-09-02T10:39:00.001-07:00

A special thanks to Sleep Country for the donation of school supplies to the Centre. The supplies were distributed to families who needed a little extra help in getting their children ready for back to school.

While Sleep Country has made a big difference in Saskatoon, this is a national campaign as well

From August 1-31, 2009, The Salvation is partnering with Sleep Country Canada in its annual Backpacks for Kids program. The program supports children in grades one through seven who can’t afford new school supplies.
Canadians are encouraged to drop off new backpacks filled with school supplies at local Sleep Country stores. Donations will be distributed to local children through The Salvation Army and KidsFest, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young Canadians who live at or below the poverty line.
Since the Backpack for Kids program began in 2005, and with the generous support of the public, more than 20,000 backpacks filled with supplies have to given to children in need.

Canadian Red Cross, Salvation Army, and St. John Ambulance sign agreement with Saskatchewan government

2009-08-31T11:26:00.001-07:00

From the Regina Leader-Post

Should an emergency situation arise or natural disaster occur, Saskatchewan has a new streamlined plan in place to handle it.
Donna Harpauer, minister of Social Services, announced Monday that the province has entered into formal agreements with the Canadian Red Cross, Salvation Army and St. John Ambulance to assist in providing emergency programs.
"I think it's very important to have a formal agreement with them to recognize them (and) to show respect for the services they do," said Harpauer.
The need to formalize things became apparent after last year's northern forest fires forced the evacuation of northern residents, she explained.
"It was the largest evacuation of the north that our province ever had -- and even though it was chaotic -- I toured the evacuation sites where we were housing the evacuees," said Harpauer. "All the organizations were very organized in looking after everything the people needed."

New public library in Riversdale

2009-08-31T08:21:00.001-07:00

All of us at the Centre are excited that there is a new library in Riversdale. We got this report in an e-mail from city counselor Darren Hill.

I am writing with some exciting news about a great new facility on 20th Street. Yesterday I attended the grand opening of the new library at 20th Street and Avenue K South. This marks the first time in over 50 years that there has been a library in Riversdale.

The new library is wheelchair accessible, and features books in several languages, including Ukrainian, German, French, Vietnamese, Mandarin and Urdu. CD's and DVD's are also available for borrowing, and a Family Story Time each Thursday morning at 10:30 will be a wonderful feature of the ongoing programming.

You can get to the library on either the #1 or #2 bus routes. For more information on all the great things at the library, please call 975-7508. Even though the library opened officially today, people have been using it already and I hear that it is so popular that the librarians are already thinking it should have been bigger! Do drop in and check it out.

A report from our cadet…

2009-08-29T09:03:00.001-07:00

Cadet Kristen Gray served in Saskatoon over the summer and posted a report on her time in Saskatoon on the Canadian Officers Training College website.

Funding Increase for Emergency After Hours

2009-08-20T11:02:00.001-07:00

According to News Talk Radio

After-hours services at the Saskatoon Salvation Army are getting a shot in the arm.
The province is boosting their funding by 82-thousand dollars.
Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer says the money will the facility keep up with a growing demand for its services.
"They have had increases and they are looking at expansion, so this will help them to have more staff on at night."
The money will add full time staff at the shelter, including counselors.
Harpauer says the money should be a permanent addition to the Salvation Army's annual budget.

Re-Zoning Approved!

2009-08-17T19:00:00.001-07:00

The Salvation Army got approval from Saskatoon’s City Council tonight to rezone 341 Avenue T South to zoning that allow a short term emergency women’s shelter to be opened there. This is a significant step for the Centre’s goals of having a safe place for women and children to go to when they are in crisis.

Thanks to all of the staff, officers, our realtor, city councilors, city employees, the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, and our architect Ken Wilson for getting us this far. After we get our building permits, we hope to be open by the time winter hits in 2009. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Captain Rhonda Smith at rhonda_smith@can.salvationarmy.org or the Residential Coordinator, Jordon Cooper jordon.cooper@salvationarmysaskatoon.org. Both can be reached via phone at 306.244.6833.

Backpacks For Kids

2009-08-17T13:37:00.001-07:00

Back Pack’s filled with school supplies are collected by Sleep Country and are made available for families who qualify.

Apply at 339 Avenue C South by August 21st. Packs can be picked up on September 2nd.

For more information, contact the Centre at 244.6883 or e-mail Laurie Gerein @ laurie.gerein@salvationarmysaskatoon.org

Due to school allowances, Social Services clients may not be eligible.

The 2009 Salvation Army Toy Run

2009-08-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

All Motorcycles Welcome

Shiny bikes, revving motors and Santa…in September? Once again Saskatoon’s motorcycling community is working together to collect toys for The Salvation Army’s Christmas Toy Hampers. All interested motorcycle enthusiasts are invited to participate and help to make this the biggest and best Toy Run ever.

Participant Admission: A new, unwrapped toy for The Salvation Army Family Christmas Assistance Program, or monetary donation.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Where: Prairieland Park (rain or shine) at the Marquis Downs Cook Shack

Pancake Breakfast: 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Ride begins at 11:00 a.m. and leaves the cook shack and goes to the Saskatoon Inn.

Enjoy a BBQ at the Saskatoon Inn after the ride.

If you have any questions, talk to Major Henri at 242-6833 (office) or 260-9057 (cell). You can also contact him via email at henri_regamey@can.salvationarmy.org.

On the road again

2009-06-25T10:17:00.001-07:00

The Salvation Army Breakfast Van is going mobile!

Starting on Monday, June 29th, the van is stopping at four locations each Monday | Wednesday | Friday

8:30 to 8:50 a.m. :: The Bridge on 20th
9:00 to 9:15 a.m. :: 525 Avenue I South
9:20 to 9:35 a.m. :: King George School
9:40 to 9:55 a.m. :: 401 Avenue E South

Women's Shelter Re-Zoning Meeting

2009-06-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

On June 16th, the Salvation Army, the City of Saskatoon, and the citizens of Pleasant Hill got together to discuss our desire for a zoning change to allow us to purchase and open an emergency shelter for women and children who are homeless in Saskatoon.

Along the way, there was a mis-communication between the City and Pleasant Hill School and the school was locked when everyone got there. Luckily it was a perfect evening to sit outside and talk so instead of using the school's auditorium, we used the front lawn. The result was we all got to enjoy the late spring weather and no one can accuse us of meeting behind closed doors!

If you missed the meeting or have any questions about the project, please don't hesitate to contact Captain Rhonda Smith at the Centre via phone (242.6833), e-mail, or in drop by in person.

Prison Barbecue

2009-06-24T08:23:00.001-07:00

Every year the Salvation Army Communty Centre heads north to Prince Albert and the Riverbend Institution for our annual barbecue for the inmates and staff there. This year we brought along 450 hamburgers, 350 hotdogs/smokies/sausages, a couple hundred cans of pop, salads, chips, and dessert for everyone.

Yesterday Major Henri, our program director Sylvia, and myself made the trek north and had a great time cooking, serving, and chatting with guys there. Thanks to the chaplaincy staff at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary and Riverbend for such great hosts. Also thanks to staff at Riverbend for being so accommodating to us. We really appreciate it!

Garage Sale on Friday

2009-06-11T12:23:00.001-07:00

Garage Sale this Friday. The fun starts at 9:00 a.m.

Community Event: Garage Sale and Free Clothing at St. Vincent of Lerins Orthodox Church

2009-05-27T08:09:00.001-07:00

Saturday May 30th
8:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.

St. Vincent of Lerins Orthodox Church
Corner of Avenue E and 30th Street

Garage Sale and Free Clothing!

Restaurant Inspections

2009-05-16T21:41:00.001-07:00

With a fair amount of fanfare, the Government of Saskatchewan has released their Saskatchewan Restaurant Inspection Reports. Like all places that serve food in Saskatoon and area, the Salvation Army’s kitchen and dining room is regularly inspected as is our Emergency Response Vehicle.

You can go online and check out what the reports say or you can take our word for it. We are quite proud at how clean our kitchen at the Centre is kept and the report specifies that there are no issues with either one of our food service areas.

Poverty Linked to Higher Health Care Costs

2009-05-14T12:14:00.001-07:00

The Star Phoenix has a quick story on how a new study links poverty to higher health care costs. I was asked to comment and you can read the entire article here.

Low-income Saskatoon residents are disproportionately more likely to visit a hospital, make use of expensive health services and take medication, says a study to be published Wednesday.
The paper, to be published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, is the first of its kind in Canada to link individual income levels to health survey information from Statistics Canada on a regional level, co-author Mark Lemstra says.
The study uses health and income data collected from 3,433 Saskatoon residents between 2000 and 2005. It confirms previous findings that low-income residents are more likely to use expensive health services, such as emergency rooms, and have poorer health overall.
Lemstra says more must be done to elevate low-income people to a middle-income range, which he says could save the province $179 million per year in health-care expenditures.
"You can't have a medical solution to non-medical problems," Lemstra said. "It costs an extra $179 million to ignore poverty."

The Salvation Army Community Centre and “wet shelters”

2009-05-14T11:56:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week a story was published on CBC Saskatchewan that addressed a recent report (PDF) published by the Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, interviewed 44 people who were having trouble finding housing.. Captain Rhonda Smith and I sat down with a reporter from CBC Radio and we addressed several of the issues that came up in the report that were relevant to our role as a shelter for men in Saskatoon.

When the story did come out, it focused on some comments I made about wet shelters. The quotes made it look like we as a Centre were engaged in discussions about a wet shelter which is not accurate and was never the intent of my answer. The greater context of the answer made it clear that the Salvation Army Community Centre is a drug and alcohol free shelter and as a “dry shelter”, we were the wrong people to ask about the effectiveness of wet shelters. I suggested that the people to talk to about wet shelters were the Saskatoon Health Region and more specifically Larson House. When the story was published, I was disappointed that the article did not share the broader context of our conversation and it gave the impression that we were actively engaged in discussions about a wet shelter in Saskatoon when we are not.

For over 100 years in Saskatoon, the Salvation Army has been providing assistance to people with a variety of social and spiritual needs. The Salvation Army Community Centre in Saskatoon continues this practice by offering a alcohol and drug free environment for the community to take come to and receive food, shelter, emergency services, budget management, and spiritual care.

Clients who do choose to drink or consume drugs are referred to Larson House or in the case of extreme intoxication, are picked up by the Saskatoon City Police (or if it is in their best medical interests, we call an ambulance and they are given medical care).

While the vast majority of the 18,000+ beds we served up in 2008 were used by men wanting a drug and alcohol free shelter, some of our clients are determined to continue to consume drugs and alcohol on a consistent basis. For those clients we work with them in finding other places to reside and in extreme cases, we ask that they do find other places to reside other than our facility for the safety of our staff and other clients.

If you have any questions about this or any other manner, don’t hesitate to call the Centre at 306.242.6833 or e-mail jordon.cooper@salvationarmysaskatoon.org or our Executive Director at rhonda_smith@can.salvationarmy.org.

One Day of Hope

2009-05-07T04:20:00.001-07:00

The Salvation Army has released a debut documentary, “One Day of Hope,” on its Web site: www.SalvationArmy.ca. The film, which was directed by Hubert Davis from Untitled Films, gives a day-in-the-life look at the people and places that make up The Salvation Army’s shelter services.