Hope is Where the Heart Is
Erika and her daughter, Sarah, at Agincourt Baptist Church.
Erika Abele, our Director of Women’s Programs, had the honour of speaking at Agincourt Baptist Church and Ossington Avenue Baptist Church, about the role their support has had an Oasis. Read on for what she had to say about the role of hope in buoying our hearts.
You don’t have to look very far to see the needs in our community and how they have grown. Your own grocery bill is showing you the high cost of food, just imagine this for people who live on the margins. Yet, even within these challenges, hope is always sneaking its way in at Oasis.
These past few weeks, we’ve wanted to raise awareness of the impact this is having on our community. To that end, our very own Harry Compton was featured in an article in The Toronto Star explaining rising food prices and the impact on our community members. We also wanted to involve churches that have partnered with Oasis in the past and thank them for their ongoing support.
Things may be going back to “normal” after the pandemic but for us at Oasis nothing seems normal. Our programs have all had to adapt and services have increased dramatically. We’ve seen the needs in the community increase. More frequently it is common for the food bank line up to “go all the way around the corner.” More frequently the women’s program receives requests for mental health services. We get phone calls from people who want to connect their senior parents to programs as they still struggle with isolation.
It seems our “new normal” just means expanded services.
But the story we’re telling is not just about the struggle it’s about the strength of our community and about what we’re learning. It’s about how resources are being shared and how hope is brewing.
Our story is one where our own community members motivate, inspire and push us forward. We share the stories of people like Immaculate or Nelson and their commitment to giving back and serving others. And as we shared stories at several churches the response has been so encouraging. We’ve received financial donations and some offers of those who want to get their hands dirty and volunteer.
There is something very special that happens during our programs at Oasis. There is a sense that we are all doing something together. There is often laughter, sometimes tears, but certainly a sense of purpose that binds us together.
That line up may still be around the corner but for now it seems hope is the first one in and is refusing to leave.
