Lenten Outreach Project – Welcome Baskets

Remember Rummage Sales – the thrill of emptying cupboards as well as the feeling of supporting those in need? A Rummage Sale at ESG is something we can only look forward to in the future – but we do have an opportunity now for you to check out your kitchens in particular and clear out some useful but perhaps not needed items!  Think of it as ‘Rummage Light’.

Imagine a person moving from one of the ravine encampments to a city shelter. Following a period of time, they are eligible to move into permanent housing – an apartment of their own.  However, this person likely has just the clothes they came with and a few personal effects. Hardly what it takes to supply a new apartment.  While they do receive support from the shelter staff in finding furniture,  there isn’t a lot of money left after rent payments for even these basics – sheets, towels, plates, mugs, etc…  Every day items we take for granted and often own in abundance.

ESG Outreach invites you to participate in a Lenten project – to provide 15 Welcome Baskets for people moving from shelters into permanent housing. In December, ESG partnered with Rosedale United, volunteering to create 5 Welcome Baskets. With a short turn around, a small group of volunteers donated what was needed to fill these baskets. The first recipients were overwhelmed by the abundance they received as they set out on their new life journey.

We have committed to creating 15 Welcome Baskets for April. We hope that you will embrace this project individually, as a family, as neighbours or as a group. It is a big undertaking but we know that the heart of ESG is big and will welcome this challenge with open arms.

Please read all the information here. We look forward to connecting with you through this Lenten Outreach Project.