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Charlotte knits the toques and Vern assists by making the pom poms. Together this team averages 20 hats per visit and has hit the 100-mark this week.

Jocelyn Asselin (Community Relations Manager) brings gifts of socks scarfs and hats from the Gardens Seniors’ Centre in Qualicum Beach.

This has been a damp, cold, snowy time for our homeless folks in the Oceanside area. To date, there is still no weather shelter in Oceanside. This snow has caused all sorts of problems, particularly because the snowfall has happened on the weekend. Because other support services in our area are not available on the weekend, Manna is working around the clock to offer support. We have been able to give out tarps, warm and dry clothes, food and food vouchers, as well as to get some people into trailers, containers and shared accommodations. However, an extreme weather shelter is needed. It is very difficult for Manna to assist all those in need on weekends while other services are closed. The majority of the poor people have very little and need support from the community. We sincerely hope this is the last winter without an extreme weather shelter and that our local leaders will get together to show compassion to our homeless in Oceanside by providing such a shelter.

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.

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?”

Thank you once again to the Seaside Cruizers for their generous donation! $2000 and clothes are greatly appreciated during this holiday season.

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 Donations can be made by e-transfer: mannaparksville@gmail.com Or cheques can be sent to: Manna Homeless Society P.O. Box 389 Errington BC VOR 1VO

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: 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. When you see someone in need, text or phone for help from Manna: 250-248-0845. 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.

Manna Homeless Society gratefully accepts the generous donation from friends at Berwick in Qualicum Beach. This wonderful group of women knit toques and collected gloves, hats, and coats for the most vulnerable living rough in Oceanside. With hearts of compassion, the residents of Berwick donated to those living on the streets. Thank you friends from Berwick for your generousity, kindness, and compassion for others.

Gary died last night. He was twenty-eight. Does it matter why? Would it make a difference if he died from weather exposure, diabetic shock, or drugs? Does it change perception to know if he was homeless or from a wealthy family? Would it help to know if Gary was alone or under medical observation? Gary is dead. Here’s my rant. Gary’s death is needless, pointless, meaningless, useless, and unnecessary. We live, we’re told, in a civilized country; “the best place in the world to live.” But we treat our poor and drug afflicted like aliens from a Third World Country – only worse. There are answers, there are solutions, there are better ways of doing things than we are doing in BC and Canada – but it takes a resolve to act and shift the current system structures. Almost ten years ago SFU identified the costs of poverty and homelessness upon our system; $100,000 per homeless person with additional health care, policing, and property damage compared to the cost of incarceration of $70,000/person or the cost of supportive housing at $30,000 a person. Solely from a cost perspective something needs to be done. There are civilized countries who are making a difference and offering solutions. Switzerland and Portugal are but two examples. We know the advantage of “Housing First” – an initiative that first seeks to house someone in a safe environment before accompanying an individual toward transformative action through counselling, therapy, rehabilitation, or training. Here’s my four step blueprint for system structure change toward a successful solution for homelessness, poverty, and the drug afflicted. Realize we have the money and people available to make a difference – it may require a reallotment of funds and adjusting the “success matrix” so that services and funds prompt self-sustainability and independence. BC Housing supervise suitable clients to “Board” within appropriate private homes – to rent rooms or basement suites with oversight so as to reduce housing wait lists for Seniors or physically handicapped and those released from correction facilities – freeing up space in the current rental market and thus placing pressure on current corporate landowners to lower rental costs. Adoption of “Housing First” approach and the immediate inclusion into recovery programs upon individual request rather than the necessity for a two week waiting period that is currently practiced. An invitation to the table of policy makers and policy enablers so as to encourage experimenting for success – baseball players who hit homeruns less than 30% of the time are wildly successful; hockey players who score less than 25% of their shoots on net are declared elite; basketball players who average less than 20 points a game are considered stars – we applaud athletes every time they try – why do we fear failure for trying approaches that may save lives like Gary’s?

Are they only seen as drowning rats? Seven homeless adults, living under stairs, Seven homeless adults, but no one cares, Seven homeless adults. Seven homeless adults, cold and wet, alone, Seven homeless adults just wanting someplace, a home, Seven homeless adults. Seven homeless adults, but who will give a damn Seven homeless adults in this abundant land, Seven homeless adults.