“No One Should Spend Christmas Hungry”: Why Your Support Matters This Season
By Meighan Hartley, Interim CEO, Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation
As Interim CEO of Shepherds of Good Hope, I have the privilege of seeing the impact our community makes every day. This year, as we approach Christmas, the need in Ottawa is higher than ever. More people are arriving at our doors seeking warmth, safety, and a meal, and many have nowhere else to go.
Right now, thanks to a generous donor, every gift made before December 24 is being doubled up to $35,000. This means that a single donation can have twice the impact and help ensure we can serve everyone who needs us on Christmas Day.
A Meal That Means Someone Cares
For many, Christmas is a time spent gathered around a table with family and friends. But for people who are experiencing homelessness, it can be one of the loneliest days of the year.
When someone walks through our doors on Christmas morning, they are coming in from the cold, from hunger and often from deep emotional exhaustion. A warm holiday meal can remind someone that the community still sees them and still cares.
Inside the kitchen, our amazing chef team, including Chef Tim Barton, will be preparing a traditional Christmas dinner with turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes and dessert. I recently asked him what this meal means to the people we serve, and he told me he sees the impact every day.
“You can see the change in people’s bodies when they get consistent nutrition,” he said. “A few weeks ago, a gentleman stopped me on my way in and told me he could feel the difference these meals were making. I had tears in my eyes by the time I walked inside. That moment meant everything.”
Restoring Dignity at the Hardest Time of Year
Nobody grows up imagining they will spend Christmas in a shelter or out on the streets. When someone sits down to a real holiday meal served with care, it can reconnect them with hopeful memories of a different time. It can give them strength to face the challenges ahead.
For someone like Rashad, a 57-year-old who alternates between shelters in our city, a Christmas meal is more than food. It is a moment to feel human again.
Donations Doubled Until December 24
With demand at an all-time high, we are working to make sure there is enough for every person who comes through our doors. The matching gift means:
- $5 becomes $10 and provides two Christmas meals
- $25 becomes $50 and provides ten meals
- $100 becomes $200 and provides forty meals
We hope to reach the full match before Christmas Eve, so everyone has a place at our table.
I want every person who joins us on Christmas Day to sit down to a real holiday dinner surrounded by warmth and dignity. Your support helps make that possible, and for someone facing hunger and hardship this Christmas, it can mean everything.