Author: Manna Admin

Manna in the Storm

Manna Admin Manna News, Manna On the Streets (Reporting)

Have you ever heard? “They don’t deserve it!” “Those drug addicts are all the same, they steal, lie, cheat – just to get their next fix!” “Anything you give them – they’ll sell for drugs!”

Jade lives on the street. She has a family who’ll gladly take her back whenever Jade wants to get help, treatment, and counseling. But Jade doesn’t want too.

Jade is somebody’s daughter, somebody’s mother, somebody’s sister, somebody’s lover. Jade lives in a dark space, an empty space, a loveless space, a lonely space, a trauma-filled space. Jade is twenty-six.

Jade’s hands are blue from the cold, her feet need warm socks, and she would use a cup of coffee. She tries to get extra money by pan-handling but city by-laws restrict that action and store owners are reluctant to have people begging in front of their entrances. Her welfare support is spent in the first few days – she has no idea where it went or what she bought. But Jade is still hungry, still cold, and still lonely.

The Bible story of Manna – God’s acceptance, love, and provision given to an undeserving people – motivates what Manna Homeless Society does in Oceanside. We care, value, honour, respect, and cherish the most vulnerable demonstrably with emergency food, coats, socks, gloves, hats, heat-reflective blankets, boots – whatever we have been provided; we share with those in need.

This year Manna has noticed more people living in vehicles than ever before. We hear from Seniors who can no longer afford rent, medications, and food each month – so need to choose what to give up. We see the children of long-term Oceanside residents making poor, self-harming choices. And to all – without judgment – we offer emergency help, some hope for a better future, and the awareness that Oceanside is a caring community that helps one another – even those who don’t seem to deserve it.

This Holiday Season please consider three personal action choices:
1. Re-alignment in perspective – not to judge too quickly or harshly those evidencing poor self-harm choices – these are our sisters, cousins, brothers, moms, daughters and sons.
2. When you see someone in need, text or phone for help from Manna: 250-248-0845.
3. We’re in desperate need of winter boots, gloves, and coats – please drop off all donations at our receiving box opposite the main entrance at the Wildlife Recovery Centre on Leffler Road in Errington.

We Need Your Help

Manna Admin Manna News, Manna On the Streets (Reporting)
Not everyone is looking forward to a warm family Christmas. Some just want to be warm.
In Parksville, Manna is helping 8-12 people every night with hand and foot warmers;
Clif bars; coats, socks, hats/toques, gloves and emergency blankets (reflective silver)…
 
BUT we need your help. We’ve run out of gloves and winter boots. All donations can
be dropped off at our receiving box opposite the main entrance at the Wildlife Recovery
Centre on Leffler Road, Errington.
Thanks,
Jerrold
Manna Community Chaplain
 
ps. When you see someone in need, call Manna – 250-248-0845
We’ll deliver emergency warm gear, food, and blankets

The Manna Van

Manna Admin Donations from Our Community, In Local News

The Manna Van is preparing to serve the needy and vulnerable in Oceanside thanks to a local school’s invitation to offer groceries to families supported through our shared lunch program.

Manna is providing food for forty lunches a day to school students. Then once a month we’ve started offering groceries at a loonie an item to those in need in our community as a way of providing hope and help without judgment. 

 

Manna Christmas Newsletter 2022

Manna Admin Manna News, Manna Reports

The stories provided below are from real people that Manna has had the opportunity to know and befriend this past year or for the past number of years. Names have been changed and details omitted when necessary to protect an individual’s identity. With Manna, we believe everyone helped is a “friend” and not a “client” because we’ve experienced the need for support, encouragement, and help in times of crises.

Sally

Sally came from Ontario five years ago escaping an abusive relationship and hoping for a new start. Manna provided her with a bike, work cloths, and food. Unfortunately Sally only felt affirmation when overwhelmed with chaos and self-harming addictive choices. Sally admits now she never realized her mental health problems and the necessity for counseling and medication. Initially Sally found the Island “too peaceful” so went back to Vancouver for a season.

Two years ago, Sally reached her lowest state and reached out for help. She returned to Parksville where she found supportive housing and continued to accept the friendship from Manna volunteers.

This week, Sally came to the Manna Van and presented a cash donation; “you guys have always been there for me and I just want to help so others can find that same kind of support.”

Mark

Mark thinks our new experiment with groceries is a great idea. Recently Manna has decided to experiment with a new approach when offering groceries. We realize the growing need for support amongst our Senior community. And we realize the temptation for isolation when individuals face difficulty.

Our goal is to help provide a supportive place for community building, support, and encouragement while offering food supplies in this time of economic and inflationary crises. The generousity of our supporters combined with the wholesale purchasing option from QF Foods makes it possible to order large quantities of healthy food options at reasonable prices. We are now experimenting with offering a grocery selection of stews, soups, cooking oil, salt/pepper, coffee/tea, taco shells, Bisquik, rolled oats, and peanut butter for a Loony each while still offering sardines, tuna, and cup-of-soup for free.

Mark likes this approach because he is able to purchase food supplies knowing his money will go to purchasing more groceries for those who may not be able to afford them. Mark expressed that he feels a part of a larger community this way.

Already we’ve been able to offer additional groceries to friends at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen every second Wednesday and have been invited to start offering groceries at the Saint Steven’s monthly Senior Supper.

Mark knows that Manna is more than food or stuff. Regularly he thanks us for “showing up and just being there.” And we appreciate Mark’s encouragement – he’s part of our community.

Dave

Dave is great. He’s positive, encouraging, poor but hopeful. Dave has been coming to the Manna Van since he retired about four years ago. Dave lives in an RV parked on a friend’s field but he doesn’t know how to cook for himself. So he eats at the Soup Kitchen, because that’s all he can afford. He picks up the occasional can of stew from Manna but mostly Dave just likes to chat and “chew the fat.”

Dave admitted that it never crossed his mind that being a part of a community meant being generous. He felt part of the Manna community so when we started to ask for a “buck a pop” for selected groceries Dave felt he could donate so others could benefit. This was the first time in his life Dave voluntarily gave money away – without asking for anything in return.

Mario

Mario was a 69-year-old living in his van in Penticton. While visiting the Island, Mario got into a car accident that left him injured and needing physiotherapy. While traveling back and forth to Nanoose for these treatments, his van broke down. Mario found a place he could live in his van while awaiting a new transmission. Mario had paid $1,000 to a mechanic to find a used transmission which left him with very little money and without transportation to get food or his medications. Mario did not know the area. He suffered from three forms of cancer and had a weak heart which greatly reduced his mobility.

By the Grace of God, Manna came upon him and was able to provide Mario with food, fuel for his camp stove, new clothes, shoes and a 4-wheeled walker. Manna helped take Mario for weekly showers at SOS, have his hearing aids repaired, have his phone fixed and pick up supplies. Over the next few months Mario grew increasingly sick; the mechanic failed to find a transmission for his van; and he was eventually forced to move from the place he had been camping.

Mario decided to use money he had just received from ICBC to fly back to Quebec and accept his sister’s invitation to move in with her. But Mario never returned to Quebec. Twice, he was taken to Urgent Care eventually being admitted into NRGH before being transported to Vancouver for specialist care. Throughout this difficult time, Mario was assisted by Manna with transportation to appointments, food, and most importantly a comforting friendship of support and encouragement until he passed away in St Paul’s Hospital.

Rest Peacefully Mario.

Your friends from Manna

Stu

To say that Stu is a private person would be an understatement – Stu is so private his normal sentence is monosyllabic. So whenever Stu requests something Manna tries to do whatever we can to meet that request. Normally Stu asks for shoes – large shoes, size 14 shoes – not the normal size of shoe we usually have on hand.

Often Stu’s shoes are in tatters before he gets around to requesting help – now we usually have a pair waiting for him and ready to go – but the amazing action that Stu requested recently was help with his feet.

Foot care is so important for our friends. Without proper attention foot fungus, ingrown toenails, and blisters can fester into conditions that threaten the loss of a toe – or worse, a foot – and even progress to threatening the immune system. Fortunately, Manna has a volunteer trained in foot care who can help Stu.  

Meet Raquel, a new Manna Volunteer working alongside long-time Board member and volunteer, Penny.

Raquel is our foot-care specialist. She has gained a “foothold” in our Manna community through her dedicated compassion, friendship, and authenticity. Penny and Raquel travel with Manna’s RV, which provides a private spacious place to engage with friends in discussion about health, hygiene, and foot care. Raquel and Penny are regularly sought out for advice and help. Stu, Mitch, Ruth, and others regularly have their feet examined by Raquel and appreciate the support she and Penny provide.

Manna Program Report

  • Our weekly food distribution has been rescheduled to every two weeks. We’ve begun to offer an increased supply of groceries for $1 each while still offering emergency food – sardines, tuna, and cup of soup. We’re still offering free hygiene supplies – soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, razors, and combs – as well as the opportunity to discuss health concerns with our retired nurse volunteers.
  • The Bike program has been very successful with distribution of a dozen bikes to individuals in need of transportation for work or appointments. Recently, a bike was passed along to a man already hired to work at the new Wendy’s and he’s looking forward to his part-time role and the opportunity to gain new skills.
  • Jerrold, Manna’s Community Chaplain, is going to Orca Place twice a week for morning times of conversation and encouragement. The residents at Orca have begun to seek out spiritual counsel and advice. Recently requests for sleeping bags and tarps are coming in and Jerrold has been able to offer assistance to those sleeping outside as the weather continues to get colder.
  • Pinky and Robin are busy every weekend delivering food hampers to those who phone in for assistance. They regularly assist Seniors and families on welfare unable to financially keep up with the rise in grocery costs.
  • Manna is continuing to supply lunch supplies to Springwood School. assisting with meals for twenty kids each day and as many as forty kids the week before welfare cheque day. We’re also supplying special dietary needs to the children attending school with health concerns.
  • Manna’s newest additional support is foot care provided by Raquel. This service has been greatly appreciated and Raquel is able to assist people who visit our vehicles every two weeks at the soup kitchen as well as residents of OHEART’s supportive housing at the old VIP Hotel.
  • Manna hosted two hotdog barbeques with our friends at OHEART’s supportive housing facility, the old VIP Hotel. We were able to meet many of the residents and renew contacts since many of these friends have accessed Manna support in the past. We remain concerned that a cold-weather shelter for our area is not available at this time and we’re working with OHEART and ICCS to request the province and city address this vital need.  

How to help the vulnerable and less fortunate in Oceanside

  1. Whenever you see someone sitting alone on a bench or in front of a business; pause for a minute and greet that person – say “hello”, ask if you can speak with them for a moment and share your name. See if they’re O.K. or in need of help. Phone Manna – 250-248-0845 – if help is necessary with food, sleeping bag and tarp. Also, if you know of a Senior or family in need, please contact Manna and we will deliver emergency food supplies and help them get set up with the Food Bank if desired.
  2. We’re in need of additional hygiene supplies – travel size soap, shampoo, and conditioner as well as toothbrushes and travel size toothpaste. It is also handy to be able to offer travel size Kleenex, hand wipes, hand cream, lip balm, Tums, razors, nail clippers, combs, and hair brushes. Hand towels and face cloths are greatly appreciated.
  3. Gloves, gloves, and more gloves – we can’t seem to get enough gloves to last the season. We’ve got lots of toques and scarves but we’re in need of gloves. As well as winter boots, rain gear, rain pants, and rubber boots. Drop off all donations at the Manna Donation Box located opposite the main entrance to the Wild Life Recovery Centre on Leffler Road, Errington.
  4. Financial donations. With the rise in grocery costs our savings account has never been this low for almost ten years. Your donation allows us to purchase large quantities of food supplies wholesale from QF Wholesale Foods. This means financial support stretches farther and allows the purchase of healthy options – less sugar and salt – and self-sustainable choices like flour, baking soda/powder, salt & pepper, cooking oil, and rolled oats. Cheques can be mailed to: Manna Homeless Society Box 389 Errington, B.C. V0R-1V0
  5. Stay informed. You can organize an event with friends, family, or colleagues by having Jerrold, Manna’s Community Chaplain, come and address the group. Jerrold is prepared to lead a discussion on the causes of poverty, the situation in Oceanside, or global concerns that have local ramifications. He will also offer additional information about Manna and its ongoing work.  
  6. Pass – us – along. If you like what Manna is doing, spread the word. Please pass along our newsletter and we’re happy to answer questions, just write; oceansidemanna@gmail.com – you can also write us to request assistance on behalf of someone in our community.

From all of us at Manna Homeless Society – thank you for being a part of our community and as we enter the Christmas Season; have a happy, blessed, and joyous Christmas.

The Most Vulnerable

Manna Admin Manna News

Manna’s heartbeat has always been: “providing hope and help to the most vulnerable in our community.” For many years we’ve been offering assistance to those living rough on the streets. We’ve passed along donated clothing – socks, toques, coats, gloves, rain gear, shoes, and boots – whenever requested. We’ve provided weekly groceries to the marginalized, food hampers to families, food gift cards to the bereaved, and lunch supplies for hungry kids at local schools. This Fall, we’ve already stoked a local school with lunch and breakfast supplies for the next few months as they anticipate feeding twenty or thirty kids two meals each day. We’re gathering clothing in anticipation of the winter – warm coats, boots, toques, gloves, rain gear, and socks – so give if you can toward these projects.

But, we feel there is more to do.

Regularly we hear stories of Seniors living in tough situations but unwilling to reach out for help. Seniors who need to sell heirlooms to survive. We hear of Seniors sharing apartments, skipping meals, forsaking medications, and staying away from social contacts. They need your help – and we need your help to find them.

Manna believes that God loves, honours, cherishes, treasures, cares for, comforts, and trusts all people and wants them to experience this kind of love every day. God says in the Bible to love others as we have been loved – so at Manna we also want to honour, cherish, treasure, care for, comfort and trust all whom we contact.

This is where we need your help:

Spread the word to everyone to encourage any Senior struggling to buy groceries to contact Manna (250-248-0845) and we will provide a grocery hamper – we can bring cooking supplies, canned goods, dried goods, flour, and rice – to stock up for self-sustainability.

Sometimes everyone just needs a “hand-up” – some encouragement and assistance to keep going. We’ll offer encouragement and when necessary we’ll offer food – all we need is for people to contact us.

Please help our community of Seniors to reach out to Manna if they are struggling and we’ll do all we can to support, encourage, comfort, care for, and provide for them.

Together we can provide hope and help to the most vulnerable in our community.

Manna News – September, 2022

Manna Admin Manna News

Beth and George should be retiring this year – but they can’t. A work accident rendered George’s back useless for continued labour jobs. With no formal education, injury compensation, or options, George is left trying to pick up odd cash jobs. Beth has bounced from job to job with difficulty getting along with people, particularly educated supervisors who are younger and less competent than she is. They can’t afford rent and never bought a house, had two kids, and live in a fifth wheel.

Last month their son died. He was thirty-six. Tim grew up watching his parents struggle and vowed to be different. He started his own business and succeeded. Got married, had kids, and started taking drugs to combat the inner voices of despair, doubt, depression, and discouragement. Tim never felt good enough. He lost his home, his wife and kids, his business, and his way. Tim always seemed to be happy, but that façade was masking a deep hurt that was soothed only, Tim thought, with drugs. He learned to “cook” his own supply and sell some to friends for spending cash. Something went wrong and Tim was overcome by the fumes where his mom found him dead on the floor of his cabin.

Beth and George’s daughter refuses to have anything to do with her family. She’s escaped and never wants to come back. But she too is hurting, hiding, and huddling from help – hoping that by remaining busy as a mom and business owner she will never have to face her past or deal with the present heartache of a dead drug-addled brother and parents in destitution.

Manna has supplied bikes for transportation to Beth, George, and Tim – each twice – the bikes get broken or stolen but were still necessary for getting to work or doctors’ appointments – so we try to help. Manna has provided weekly groceries for the past five years in hopes of encouraging self-sustainability and a sense of being valued, respected, and treasured by friends who do not judge, condemn, or marginalize.

There is no happy-ever-after ending to this story or the stories of those represented in this story. Poverty of the Soul has robbed individuals of hope. Poverty of the Mind has stunted creativity for problem-solving. Poverty of the Spirit has erased future possibilities and instilled an overwhelming sense of victimization.

At Manna, we believe God loves all creation. Toward everyone God extends value, a sense of being treasured, respected, cared for, comforted, honoured, trusted, and endowed with creative responsibility. God is actively seeking to demonstrate that kind of love to everyone – but it takes courage to be vulnerably loved like God wants to love all His children.

How to help:

  • Pray for our friends who live in vulnerable, marginalized situations that they may find hope through Manna’s encouragement and help to move from surviving to thriving.
  • Contribute to the ongoing wholesale food purchasing Manna is able to do through QF so that each donation reaches further into our community.

The Cost of Poverty

Manna Admin Manna News

Poverty has a cost. The cost of poverty is witnessed physically, mentally, spiritually, materially, relationally, and environmentally. The web-site Homeless Hub [shorturl.at/kEKRU. April 4, 2022] outlines one in seven Canadians live in financial insecurity costing our health, social services, and policing services $72-84 Billion annually. The Homeless Hub also chronicles that one in five households pay more than 50% of earnings on housing. A growing number of Canadians are slipping below the poverty line, while an increasing number of seniors are facing the challenge to purchase food or medicine daily. Inflation is never a friend to those who live pay cheque to pay cheque.

As summer is approaching, many BC communities worry about the arrival of “Shopping Cart People.” Some say, “It’s an eye-sore to see abandoned shopping carts piled with discarded junk and THOSE PEOPLE.” Physically they may be messy and mentally they are often handicapped or dealing with undiagnosed disabilities. These are the easily identified examples of community poverty and the solution is often to move them down the road to the next community. There is no easy solution.

But, the more difficult examples of poverty that pay a heavy price by our society are hidden. Examples include: the spiritual cost of depression and anxiety resulting in an increase of suicide and overdoses in all age groups, particularly Boomers; the breakdown of relationships resulting in an increase in single family and child poverty; the inner disillusionment that leads to disregard for dropping personal trash, cigarette butts, or food wrappers. We all suffer at times from the forces that enable poverty.

The answer, I believe, is not the one presented by the Homeless Hub organization and their desire for greater government intervention with supports. Yes, it takes a willing government to implement policies in keeping with the values of its citizenry, but policies will never be fully implemented and money will always be misspent. So what is really necessary are individuals willing to pause long enough to know the name of the person ‘panhandling’ beside the road, to pick up the odd piece of trash from time to time, and to connect with someone you haven’t seen for a while.

For Manna, we believe our friends are important, so we seek to demonstrate the traits of value, honour, compassion, acceptance, and worth through the practice of listening to someone’s story, never judging or blaming, offering access to the resources Manna has to those we know about in our community, and asking a simple question, “How are you?” – And actually meaning it.

I’m not trying to be “preachy.” We don’t need more platitudes in our life. We also can’t wait for the government to “fix it.” I’m convinced solutions begin when I think, “How can I better understand what is going on here and how to best listen to learn?”

Orca Place

Manna Admin Manna News

The City Council of Parksville has had a checkered relationship with Orca Place at 222 Corfield. Since its inception, I’ve been invited to provide Community Chaplain Support for those living at Orca. This has been a rewarding practice. I’ve been able to drop in for two breakfast periods each week. I’ve helped residents with two “Celebrations of Life” and the process of losing friends. We’ve celebrated birthdays, recovery anniversaries, and new jobs. And I’ve heard life stories – victories and challenges, lessons learned – I’ve appreciated the wisdom gleaned from their experience.

Orca Place is a wonderful example that combines a supportive community with individuals willing to risk transformation. Sobriety can be scary. Medicated normality can be threatening. Replacing inner chaos with calmness is often an experience that requires constant adjustments to a “New Normal.” Thankfully the success of Orca Place is evidenced in changed lives – examples of health, happiness, and feelings of hope found in many who live there.

Annual Report

Manna Admin Manna Reports

We are very thankful for our generous community over the years. These past two years of pandemic have stretched our ability to respond to the needs in our community. While we’ve not been able to independently meet on Saturdays as we’ve done in the past, we have been responding to phone requests and operating upon the invitation at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen and an RV park on Smithers Road.

Sadly, the Covid restrictions have made it impossible for us to offer meaningful participation for our volunteers to build relationships with our friends. The Covid pandemic also isolated many of our vulnerable/traumatized contacts which has resulted in the tragic loss of 20 friends through opioid overdose. The resulting emotional impact upon our marginalized community is hard for me to fathom. Safe to say, many have expressed feeling abandoned, forgotten, anxious, and invisible. Their appreciation for Manna just “being there” is palpable each week – Thank you for making it possible to provide a steady positive support!

We’ve drawn on past years of budget surplus to help us purchase the necessary resources this year. Our grocery expenses doubled to over $93,000 while our donations were $83,000. [This doesn’t include the expenses for our van, for gas, insurance, and maintenance] Fortunately, when we purchase food wholesale from QF, we are able to increase our resource availability, and QF will often subtract a percentage of the purchase as their donation to Manna.

So, for each dollar donated to Manna, QF makes it possible for us to purchase $1.30 of groceries. In other words, you get more “Bang for your Buck” by making a cash donation than you do if you donate canned food.

Our hope for the coming year is twofold: first, as the pandemic recedes, people will experience a lessening sense of anxiety and a greater propensity toward self-care; and second, with greater self-care, we can include with our grocery items those that also promote self-sufficiency, like flour with baking supplies and dried beans for soups.