Ariel Troster
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
That quote is from the irreplaceable Fred Rogers, and I think of it often when I meet new people and organizations in Centretown. The very best part of my job is meeting the volunteers and staff who do the hard work to support the most vulnerable in our community, beautify our neighbourhoods, and make downtown Ottawa a great place to live.
A few examples:
- At HighJinx at 290 Kent Street, Leigh and Karen serve meals to neighbours and help them find housing. All of the vintage goods in their thrift store are sold, with the proceeds going to helping people in the neighbourhood.
- Volunteers from Ottawa Inner City Ministries distribute sandwiches, winter clothing, and hygiene supplies to people experiencing homelessness in downtown Ottawa.
- The Centretown Community Food Centre, the Dalhousie Food Cupboard, and the Parkdale Food Centre fight food insecurity and provide groceries and community meals, so our neighbours don’t go hungry.
- Belong Ottawa runs programs in three downtown locations for people in need, including shower facilities, hot meals, laundry, and referrals to community supports.
- At the Catherine Street Community Service Hub (370 Catherine Street), staff from the city and the provincial government can help residents and newcomers access key government benefits and community services. The Centretown Community Food Centre is also on site, as well as outreach workers from community organizations.
- Centre 507 on Bank Street is a drop-in respite centre that is open overnight and also offers meals and social supports during the day (check their website as they are in the process of expanding their hours).
- The Centretown and Somerset West Community Health Centres run a wide variety of community and outreach programs, ranging from breastfeeding support, to drop-in play groups, to seniors’ activities, to homeless outreach and harm reduction.
There are so many organizations in Centretown that are here to help. I hope you will join us at our Meet the Helpers virtual community forum on Wednesday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m.
You can register at: www.arieltroster.com/meet_the_helpers
It takes a village to tackle the issues we are facing in Centretown, but fortunately, we have a great one.
Ariel Troster is the city councillor for Somerset Ward.