About 45% of operational funds for Lighthouse is thanks to private and corporate donors, fundraising events, grants and donations from churches, foundations.
This is the 14th in a series of columns written by staff from The Lighthouse to help the community better understand people experiencing homelessness and those who support them. This column will appear every other Monday.
“Do you have any socks?” Rita asks. “My feet are soaked, and I don’t have anything left to put on that’s dry. I’ve been wearing these for over a week.”
I turn to grab a new pair of socks from the bin behind the desk. Rita is one of a few participants who have stopped in today looking to pick up some essentials — hygiene items, socks, underwear, gloves.
When you’re couch surfing, sleeping on the streets, or even accessing shelter, it can be difficult to access the basic necessities. Most of the essentials at The Lighthouse have come in through donations, and we’re grateful to be able to provide people with the items they need.
As a non-profit, The Lighthouse relies on support from a variety of sources, including the amazing generosity of the Orillia community. Operating an emergency shelter for 58 individuals, a 20-unit supportive housing program as well as numerous other programs requires many resources to meet the needs of the people who access The Lighthouse’s services.
Do you ever wonder where resources come from to operate an organization like The Lighthouse? How do we get everything we need to provide services to people who are experiencing homelessness in Orillia?
Operating all of The Lighthouse’s services requires a budget of approximately $3.3 million annually. This includes all of the services that have been mentioned in previous columns, including emergency shelter, meals for shelter participants as well as the bagged lunches for community members, supportive housing, outreach, and the community shower and laundry program, just to name a few.
Government funding and participant program fees fund The Lighthouse’s supportive housing. We are thankful that at the moment we do not need to fundraise for this program.
All other programming operates out of community services. Fifty-five per cent of our annual budget is government funded while the remaining 45 per cent of operational funds comes through private and corporate donors, fundraising events, government and non-government grants, as well as donations from churches and philanthropic foundations.
The majority of the tangible resources The Lighthouse has available for participants comes from private donors and other organizations in the community. When someone is accessing emergency shelter, outreach services, or supportive housing, they sometimes aren’t able to get everything they need to be appropriately clothed for the weather.
The support of the community is invaluable, and people are often looking for ways to help.
What is the best way to donate to The Lighthouse?
The Lighthouse categorizes donations into three types: monetary, food and textile.
Monetary
Monetary donations allow The Lighthouse to continue daily operations that provide support to anyone accessing our services and purchase supplies on an as-needed basis. Any donation greater than $20 is eligible for a tax receipt. Monetary donations can be made on The Lighthouse’s website. If you have questions about monetary donations, you can contact Meagan, development director, at meagan@orillialighthouse.ca.
Food
Serving more than 70,000 meals per year, The Lighthouse kitchen is a busy place. That’s more than 2,500 meals per week, every week. There is a team of five staff and about 30 volunteers who prepare most of the food served. We also have strong partnerships with various organizations in Orillia and the surrounding area that allow us to receive food donations.
Individual community members also play a significant role in providing the necessary food for the people we serve in The Lighthouse’s café and community bagged lunch program.
Any food that is served at The Lighthouse must be prepared in a certified kitchen and have been stored in a way that maintains all food safety standards. It is best if our team knows in advance a food donation is going to be dropped off. This allows our food service team to plan meals and ensure no food is wasted. Food donations can be arranged by contacting Jane, food service manager, at kitchen@orillialighthouse.ca.
Textile
The Lighthouse is only able to accept certain textile donations. Our buildings have limited storage, and we need to ensure what is provided to participants is useful and appropriate. As they are temporarily staying in a congregate living setting, each participant has a tote and a locker in which to store belongings. It may not be a lot of space, but our goal is to ensure they have what they need for a week’s worth of clothing.
The Lighthouse works with a number of partners in the community to help provide people with necessities they don’t have to pay for. Organizations like 2nd Chance Thrift Store, Uplifting Blessings, Salvation Army, and Living for Jesus are all able to work with Lighthouse staff and participants to ensure people can access what they need.
Supporting people in our community who are experiencing homelessness can only be done well when everyone comes together. At The Lighthouse, we do everything we can to support each person we come in contact with. With your support, we can ensure the sustainability of our organization as we all manage through this extreme housing crisis together.
Linda Goodall was the former executive director at The Lighthouse. For more information contact Dale Rowe Executive Director at dale@orillialighthouse.ca.
Rosemary Petersen is the assistant director at The Lighthouse.