Church communities – rally together to help the homeless

I have heard it said again and again that

“the greatness of a nation can be judged by how it treats its weakest members.”

This famous statement suggests that if a community desires to do some self-introspection, investigating how it treats those in need can be an excellent mirror to use.

A little over two weeks back, news of a, give or take, week-long cold snap began to circulate. There was a significant concern for those without shelter, those without a warm place to sleep.

This concern quickly became “a call to Alms” for our community, and once more, our community had another one of its finest hours. The speed at which we mobilized was nothing short of astounding. There was no lack of means, and neither was there a lack of nourishment.  

The alignment between The Churches, The Not-For Profits, The RCMP, and the two towns was exemplary. And last but certainly not least of all, the volunteers who rolled their sleeves up, masked up, and came out to be physical conduits of love were nothing short of amazing. 

Between the Osoyoos and Oliver  – Seventh-day Adventist churches, we had the capacity to host up to 30 people safely. Should we had received more than that, there was a backup plan to make other spaces available. The shelter opened every evening at 5 pm, and dinner was served – thanks to all the donors and volunteers.

An average of 8 people showed up for dinner, with 5 staying for the night. 

We want to thank Jo Tanner of the Oliver Missions Society for her tireless work and many others who gave of their time and resources