The Scott Mission

• Who We Are
  • Our Mission
  • Our Core Values
  • Our History
  • Our Team
  • Board of Directors
  • FAQs
  • Employment Opportunities
  • Contact Us
• I Need Help
  • I Have A Spiritual Need
  • How to Meet Jesus Christ
  • Worship With Us
• I Would Like To Volunteer
  • Groups
  • Opportunities
• Programs & Services
  • Men
  • Women and Family
  • Children, Youth and Camp
  • Childcare Centre
  • Childcare Application
  • Retreat Centre
• News & Events
  • Press Releases
  • Thanking Our Friends
  • Newsletters
  • Holiday Meals
  • Miracle Stories
• Speakers & Tours
  • Tours of 502 Spadina
  • Speaker's Bureau
• I Would Like To Donate
  • Sponsorship Items
  • One-Time Donation
  • Monthly Giving
  • Planned giving
  • In Memory
  • In Honour
  • Gifts in Kind
  • Corporate Giving
  • Donation of Securities
  • Church Giving
  • Privacy Policy
  • View Order History
• Multimedia Gallery
• About Poverty & Homelessness

On a clear day you can see the CN Tower from the top of the climbing wall at the Scott Mission Camp.

It’s a view Kevin Persaud owned the first time he climbed all the way up last summer.

“I love rock climbing,” said the 15-year-old, who is back for his seventh year at this camp north of Brampton.

This summer Persaud is honing his leadership skills as he trains to be a counsellor through the Scott Mission’s Foundations program.

The Grade 11 student at William Lyon MacKenzie Collegiate Institute in Downsview feels he’s up to the challenge. After all, his counsellors were great role models. He’s eager to be one, too, and make a difference in someone else’s life.

He knows just what camp can do for a kid.

“I used to be very shy,” he said before heading out to canoe on the pond. “Camp helped me open up and present myself more strongly. That has been very important for me.”

Over by the soccer field, Elijah Marriott, 13, talked about his experiences at the Christian camp in the three years he’s been coming. For one, his spirituality has grown stronger. Along with Bible lessons, he’s also learned invaluable life skills including cooking, teamwork and the importance of community.

“I like it because we’re not just learning one thing,’ Marriott said. “There are sports and cooking and all kinds of activities.”

Last summer, in arts and crafts, he made a frame from Popsicle sticks and spelled out his name with a stapler. His works hold a place of honour in his room, a reminder of wonderful days spent at camp.

“Camp is the best place,” said Marriott, a Grade 7 student at William Armstrong Public School in Markham. “It’s so big and there’s space to be free.”

The Scott Mission helped save Iyan Kulendran’s life — he was “rescued from the streets” — and now he’s giving back as a camp counsellor.

“Like a lot of kids here, I came from a broken home,” said the 24-year-old former gang member. His youth pastor became a positive role model in his life.

“He always told me I was a leader, but I didn’t see it,” said Kulendran.

Like him, many of the campers have had bad role models and were “influenced by the wrong people, drugs and violence,” said Kulendran. Camp gives them the opportunity to escape their daily lives and be in a positive and nurturing environment.

The campers, who come from across the province, have one thing in common: they’re all from low-income families and receive subsidies to attend camp, paid in part by Fresh Air Fund donations.

Without financial support, most of the 600 children who attend each summer would never leave their inner city homes. They’d never see a grasshopper, catch a frog or take a hike in the woods.

Breanna Nash, 12, has been a camper for six years.

“Every time I come it just gets better,” she said, adding there’s always a new adventure to look forward to, such as this summer’s pool parties, launched because the traditional camp fires have been put on hold owing to the cloying heat. The parties are a time to get to know the new kids.

She also loves the counsellors. “They’re people you can connect to. They understand you,” said Nash.

She did admit, with a laugh, that the hardest part of camp is “getting a bunch of mosquito bites or being sick.”

Her goal this summer is to be invited to Awards Camp — a special week for youth who’ve done exceptionally well and show leadership qualities. That certainly would be a feather in this aspiring counsellor’s cap.

This is Silvia Skoutarou’s fourth year as a counsellor and she can’t think of a better job. Several years ago, she gave up her job in design and finance to work with people.

“This has been the most amazing opportunity of my life,” she said. In fact, it inspired her to enrol in the child and youth work program at Humber College.

“I realized I could spend my life impacting others,” she said. “It’s more rewarding and I’m more passionate about this than anything else in my life.”

For the past 30 years Elaine Rennie has performed a kind of Christmas miracle, devoting her holiday to those less fortunate. Every year – come snow or sleet – Rennie can be found in the Scott Mission kitchen helping cook and serve the hungry and the homeless at the annual Christmas Day lunch.

Tomasz Dybowski digs in to some soup during a mid-day serving of Christmas dinner at the Scott Mission on Christmas 2009. RENE JOHNSTON/TORONT STAR

"I get a lot out of it," she said. "For years I've volunteered in God's work." That work has included volunteering at other organizations such as her church and the Canadian Bible Society as well as the Scott Mission. But it is here where she comes every Christmas – just to be part of something bigger. "I get more back in personal satisfaction and spiritual being than I actually give," said the senior who lives in Richmond Hill.

The first year Rennie volunteered with the Scott Mission at Christmas, she baked a dozen cookies for the homeless and brought for her and her husband to give out. "I just decided it was something I wanted to do," she said of her decision to volunteer on Christmas Day. Her husband has been dead for the past year and a half, she said. But she still feels the pull at Christmas time to volunteer at the mission.

Close to 350 homeless men and women were treated Friday to a dinner of tomato soup, salad, smoked turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, roasted potatoes, mixed vegetables and a fruit flan. The Christmas meal was just one of a number that were held across the GTA, including the 27th annual East York Seniors Christmas dinner which was organized by Toronto councillor Case Ootes. And on Boxing Day the Good Shepherd Centre will be offering up its holiday feast.

For Nathan Ho, a 26-year-old volunteer, being at the Scott Mission on Christmas Day encompasses the spirit of Christmas. Ho, who works in IT with CIBC, believes it's important to give back to the community. And he finds it personally rewarding to be helping those who are less fortunate than him.

For the poor and the homeless this year has been tough. Demand at the Scott Mission's food bank has risen by 30 per cent. There is also an increased demand for counselling services and clothing, said David Smith, executive director of the mission. "Day-to-day stuff is where the increases are," explained Smith. "The 364 days that aren't Christmas. For most people rent is going up, income is going down and food is more expensive. I'm not that surprised that the food bank need is up by so much."

Increasingly, the Scott Mission is seeing a growing number of new Canadians at its doors. Many came here expecting a better life only to find poverty and a weak economy, Smith said. And that troubled economy has not only hurt them but also taken its toll on the budget of the Scott Mission as well as many other charities.

The Scott Mission is down in donations by $1 million and that may translate into a cut in services, he said. But Smith is trying to remain optimistic. After all Christmas is the big giving season. And perhaps donations will go up, said Smith who works tirelessly to make sure no one goes hungry on Christmas Day or any other day of the year. Next on his plate are plans to open a transitional shelter for women and children within the next couple of years.

"There is a huge demand," he said.

Annual Free Toy Store provides gifts for 2,600 needy children

Grange Park area resident Deanna Dolson wants to give her granddaughters, Isabella, 6, and three-year-old Marissa, the best possible Christmas she can.

Former navy seaman Mike Crandall is a regular at Toronto’s Scott Mission where he and other hard-luck veterans were honoured for their service yesterday.

“I know a lot of vets who come here,” Crandall, 55, said. “I have been coming here off and on for years.”

The Scott Mission hosted a special Remembrance Day service Wednesday afternoon in honour of homeless veterans.

Former navy seaman Mike Crandall is a regular at Toronto's Scott Mission, where he and other hard-luck veterans were honoured for their service yesterday.

"I know a lot of vets who come here," Crandall, 55, said. "I have been coming here off and on for years."

He was stationed on the destroyer HMCS Kootenay for three years before moving to Toronto.

"This place (mission) has helped me and others out over the years," he said. "I even worked here at one time."

He was among vets and dignitaries attending a Remembrance Day service in the gymnasium of the Spadina Ave. shelter.

Joe Sweeney, 74, of the First Royal Canadian Regiment, said he found out about the mission after he began drinking heavily and was having a hard time coping upon returning from a tour of duty in Korea.

"I came in here for clothes one day and they helped me out," Sweeney said. "I was never homeless but I was really close."

Many of the homeless vets may be suffering from mental health issues or post traumatic stress that leads them to the streets. "We are here to honour these people," Sweeney said. "They fought and served like many other veterans."

Canada's first veterans ombudsman, Patrick Stogran, said a number of servicemen returned home "as walking wounded" after a tour abroad.

"They can't adapt when they return home," he said.

He called on Veterans Affairs to try and determine how many vets are homeless and how they can be helped.

His office will be monitoring the issue of homeless veterans, Stogran said.

Scott Mission serves 8,000 meals a month but it's also a daycare, food bank and shelter

The Scott Mission's Christmas banner went up this week over the entrance to the Spadina Ave. building, which serves as a depot for Santa Fund boxes. (Nov. 3, 2009)

JIM RANKIN/TORONTO STAR

It is decidedly crisp on this morning. Cold, in fact. A signal that we are now closer to winter than a summer past. Above the entrance to the Scott Mission, another sign, as a staffer perched on a ladder drills into place a Christmas banner. Yet another message hangs outside the nondescript three-storey Spadina Ave. brick building, teasing, "Just a soup kitchen? Ask again."

Indeed.

Step inside, as tens of thousands of downtown Toronto residents, some of them homeless, do each year, and feel the warmth.

There is a subsidized daycare, a camp program, women's groups, an emergency shelter, food bank, clothing bank and, yes, a busy kitchen and dining hall, which serves up 8,000 meals a month. That number is up a thousand from last year and up, too, is the number of families using the emergency food bank. Last year, the mission filled 16,000 grocery orders. This year, it's looking at about 20,000.

Around this time of the year, the mission, founded in 1941 by Morris and Annie Zeidman, also serves as a depot for Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund gift boxes. Staff and volunteers will deliver 300 or so of them. Dec. 1, the clothing bank becomes a toy bank, with toys bought by the mission, supported by the CP24/CHUM Christmas Wish program.

Carol Elliott, director of the mission's women and family ministry, oversees the Star box operation each year. She's also delivered some of those and "when you take it to the door, the kids are all happy, because they may have gotten one before." It is also "sometimes a bit of a shock" to see where the people she serves live. And there have been times, while delivering, that she has seen the looks on the faces of kids who are not getting a box, which can be "disappointing."

Elliott offers to give a tour of the place where she started working 15 years ago, following a very different career in computer sales.

The dining room is full with the second sitting of the day. Diners, mostly men, line rows of tables. In the afternoon, the mission serves sandwiches from a window, free to whoever is hungry, including the occasional university student.

Upstairs, children have just returned to the daycare from an outing, and the smell of lunch wafts from waiting trolleys. Although the mission is Christian-run, anyone is welcome. The kids, aged 4 and 5 in this room, singsong a simple prayer before eating: "Oh, thank you, Lord, for giving us lunch."

In the chapel, men are welcome to take part in prayer or simply sit in a warm place. Some doze in chairs. Others line up for services such as the identification clinic, or help with getting free voice mail, or inquire about flu shots and a haircut.

Tucked in a basement office is Lynwood Strickland, a tall, lean man with a warm Alabama drawl. He is the mission's director of operations. "You can see what's going on in the world when you come through a place like this," he says.

The demands for help this year, food in particular? "Gee, whiz, it's higher than it's ever been."

So, too, as it so happens, is the demand for a Star gift box.

If you have been touched by the Santa Claus Fund or have a story to tell, please email santaclausfund@thestar.ca.

Read at thestar.com

Number of people attending up, while donations are down

Harvey Richards, Rod Radford and Luis Castaneda enjoy turkey and the works at the Scott Mission. (Oct. 12, 2009)

COLIN MCCONNELL / TORONTO STAR

With the recession hitting families hard, a new report finds more and more people are in need of food banks, but the slumping economy also means less people are able to give this Thanksgiving.

A new report by the Ontario Association of Food Banks says 20 per cent more people are now turning to food banks each month versus this time last year. It says this "dire" situation means there are 350,000 needy people in Ontario.

Most of the new food bank users are people who only recently lost their jobs due the economy.

"Those are some people who have never been in a food bank in their life and never expected to be in a food bank," said Gail Nyberg, a spokesperson for the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Aggravating the situation is the rising cost of basic groceries like milk, baby food and pasta.

The report found that the average yearly grocery bill for a family of three has jumped an extra $432 since January 2008.

One in three Ontario food banks said it does not have enough food to feed everyone that knocks on its door. The report says food banks are being forced to stretch supplies thin, shrinking the amount of food they give to each person.

And users are being hit hard by the difference.

"You're not getting as much as you usually would," said Cliff, who uses the food bank.

"If you get a basket loaded with food, it'll only last you probably a day."

The Scott Mission, which provides warm meals to the needy every Thanksgiving has also seen a jump in the number of hungry people stopping by. Last year, the mission fed 300 people, but the demand has jumped to 400 people already fed this year.

"The need is really getting severe, and we're having a hard time coping," said David Smith, a Scott Mission spokesperson. "We don't want to turn anyone away."

"You've got to thank God every day you wake up -- and for free food -- thank Toronto," said Michael, who had a meal at the Scott Mission.

The Daily Bread Food Bank is halfway towards its goal of raising 200,000 kg of food, but it is far from its goal of raising $500,000 by the end of the week.

Read at ctvtoronto.ca

For many of us in Toronto, Thanksgiving is a time of indulgence.

 

Turkey with all the trimmings is the traditional option, but feasts of all kinds take place in the city on this holiday weekend.

But for some, it’s the only meal they’ll eat all day.

The Scott Mission is serving up its annual holiday dinner and at least 300 people are expected to attend.

“I think the thing that’s really different this year is the variety of people,” explained David Smith, the mission’s executive director.

“It used to be, 15 or 20 years ago, only homeless people. And now it’s the working poor as well, and a lot of new Canadians also come. They just don’t have enough to pay the high rents in Toronto.”

The mission also provides daily meals to the less fortunate, as well as groceries and winter clothing.

If you want to help, click here. 

Read at Citytv.ca

Scott Mission sets table for 400 during tough economic times

  COLIN MCCONNELL/torstar news service

Harvey Richards, 66, and Rod Radford, 58, enjoy turkey and all the fixings yesterday at the Scott Mission. Some of the city’s most needy get their Thanksgiving dinner at the Scott which is run by the support of hundreds of donors and volunteers each year.

 

Seventy-year-old Maurice Kiel elbows his way toward Scott Mission executive director David Smith and leans in to shake his hand. “Give my compliments to the chef,” Kiel says. “I will, Mo,” responds Smith.

Nearby, a frail elderly man with a cane is ushered to a table. He says: “I feel like Jesus.”

Thanksgiving Day at the Scott Mission is a busy one — some 400 meals must be prepped and cooked. That translates into 30 turkeys, three 15-kilogram boxes of potatoes and three 15-kilogram boxes of salad, and scores of volunteers.

Smith oversees the operation like a conductor leading a symphony.

The Thanksgiving meal not only provides sustenance for the body but also for the soul, he says.

The Scott Mission is one of several places across the GTA where Thanksgiving meals were offered yesterday for those who are homeless, jobless or without family.

Demand for all services at the Scott Mission is up because of the recession, says Smith.

For every four people the mission served last year there is now a fifth, he explains. At the same time, donations are down by about 25 per cent or about $1 million so far this year.

Scott Mission isn’t alone. Many other agencies and shelters across the city are facing similar problems — the need is up, donations down.

The homeless are particularly hard hit by the recession this year, but the Scott Mission is also seeing many new faces, including those who have lost their jobs in the manufacturing sector and don’t have money, says Smith.

Read at Metronews.ca

400 to feast at Scott Mission

While most families prepare to spend Thanksgiving dinner together this weekend, The Scott Mission is preparing to give the homeless a feast.

Approximately 400 of Toronto's less fortunate will be welcome to turkey dinner on Monday as part of their annual Thanksgiving dinner. The Scott Mission has been serving Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for 76 years.

"Scott Mission got going in the great depression in 1933, so we've been serving meals to give people a little cheer for a long time," said Scott Mission's executive director David Smith.

"People in distress feel a lot lonelier and isolated while everyone else is enjoying the holidays. Scott Mission gives people a place to fill their belly on Thanksgiving and feel like they're at home," Smith said.

Yesterday, Scott Mission also handed out 96 turkeys to families in need. The turkeys were donated anonymously.

The weather this long weekend won't be as warm as the past two years, when Toronto experienced balmy conditions of 26C last Thanksgiving and 31C in 2007.

"This year Thanksgiving won't be anything like the last two years, but it will be a mix of sun and cloud today and tomorrow, with highs of 12 C and 11 C and lows between 4 C and 3 C," said Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.

Monday will be rainy with a high of 10C and low of 5C.

"The upside is that it won't be too hot to cook," Phillips said.

The first 90 or so of 600 lucky kids boarded the bus to the Scott Mission camp on Monday, July 6.

The camp, which is now in its 51st year, offers children in low-income families from throughout the GTA a chance to enjoy the great outdoors without having to shell out a small fortune.

With 100 acres up near Caledon, the Scott Mission camp has a variety of activities to keep kids entertained, ranging from canoeing, hiking and rock climbing to photography, drama and arts and crafts.

The mission offers eight six-day sessions each summer, with families having to pay $40 or less per child, per session, depending on their own financial situation. Private donors subsidize the vast majority of the camp's costs; without those donations, it would cost families over $600 to send a child to camp.

Scott Mission executive director David Smith said the subsidized camp offers an outdoor experience for many kids who would never have the opportunity otherwise.

"A lot of these kids don't have anything, or because of their family situation, they don't have the money to go to camp," he said. "Some families don't pay anything, but for the ones who do, it gives them a bit of ownership and the pride that they're sending their kids to camp."

The camp accommodates children and teens from seven to 17, with different age groups enjoying the camp at different times. Toward the end of the year, some of the most promising youngsters return to the camp for an extra leadership session, and families who may not be able to take yearly vacations can also have a chance to enjoy the space late in the summer.

Camp director Jeff Johnson said families are always grateful for the opportunity afforded them by the mission.

"They have a lot of appreciation that we offer this program and that it's so highly subsidized," he said. "There's really something for all kids at the camp."

Sylvia Alarcon said her two sons, 12-year-old David and 10-year-old Joshua, had a great time at the camp last year. They were among the first campers to take the trip up north this summer.

"It's just great to give them a chance to explore new things," she said. "It's especially important now with the (city worker) strike, because there's not a lot for them to do in the city."

Earl and Lori Shearing are sending their 10-year-old son James to the Scott Mission camp for the first time. Lori said the camp should help James gain confidence with other children.

"He's really, really shy, so this is a good opportunity for him to get out of his shell," she said. "At first, he didn't want to go, but today he's really excited. He wanted to go at 8:30 this morning."

James Shearing said there would be plenty to look forward to at the camp, including "meeting new friends and having lots of fun, good meals and sleeping on the top bunk."

While the camp offers kids a break from city life and a chance to tackle new challenges, it also helps build valuable social and leadership skills they might not obtain if they did not attend.

Longtime counselor Miranda Munro started out as a Scott Mission camper. She said her own experience has helped her broaden her horizons, and it's that knowledge that keeps her coming back.

"It's cool to see, year after year, the kids grow at the camp," she said. "A lot of these kids are from the inner city and they love it because it's out of the ordinary. It opens up a whole new perspective."

Because the campers are largely subsidized, the Annex-based Scott Mission is always taking donations to help more lucky kids experience the great outdoors. For more information on the camp, or to make a donation, call 416-923-8872 or visit www.scottmission.com

Read the story at InsideToronto.com

Rock walls, bike trails make Scott Mission summer headquarters for hundreds of kids.

Clang, clang, clang.

The unmistakable peal of the bell can mean only one thing. Food's on in the dining hall at the Scott Mission Camp and the kids come running.

You don't have to call Andrew Powell twice. After riding bike trails, swimming, climbing the rock wall or manoeuvring the high ropes course, this fitness conscious 16-year-old is ready to chow down. And as any parent will tell you, teenage boys love to eat.

The grub must be great – Powell has been coming to camp since he was 6 years old. His sister Christina, now 25, was a camper before him.

Good eats aren't the only reason Powell makes the trek to Caledon each summer.

"I go back to camp because it's a fun place to be," he said. "There are so many activities – biking, wilderness, archery, canoeing, high and low ropes, dance and a lot more."

Powell loves to test his mettle biking. "The hills are really tough," he said, adding that he can't wait to get back to camp in a few weeks and go riding.

But camp is more than fun and games. It's where he'll also put his leadership skills to work as a counsellor-in-training, bringing him closer to his goal of becoming a full-fledged staff member and mentor for the younger kids.

"My favourite counsellor is Mike Fischhoff," he said of his role model, adding Mike always sets a good example. "We're good friends. If I'm having a bad day, Mike's there to put me back on track. He's a good influence and a cool guy."

Powell hopes to follow in his footsteps. And he'll have some good advice for the kids coming up behind him.

"Camp is cool – and don't worry about the little creepy crawlies. Camp is their natural habitat, too."

The Scott Mission has been running summer camps for 51 years, giving kids from low-income families a chance to get out of the city and let loose in the great outdoors.

Originally a farm, the Caledon camp is the summer headquarters for 560 kids, said camp director Jeff Johnson. It's been a Fresh Air Fund camp since 2005.

Read the article at The Toronto Star.

At least 300 of the city's poor and vulnerable were fed a roast-lamb breakfast at the Scott Mission's 86th annual Easter meal yesterday.

The menu of green pea soup, coleslaw, roasted lamb, roasted baby potatoes, vegetables, and jello with fruit was scarfed down by the shelter's clients -- many of them homeless men who are regulars at the College St. and Spadina Ave. shelter.

"The meal program is probably 90% men," said David Smith, executive director of the Scott Mission. "Probably a third of those are either homeless or in and out of the shelter system. The other two thirds ... probably have rooms around the neighbourhood."

Smith said the Easter meal carries a price tag of about $1,200, accounting for the fact that each meal costs about $4.20 to put together. The lamb yesterday had been donated. He also added the current economic meltdown has increased the demand for the Scott Mission's food bank by 20% in recent months.

Mark Huckvale, 54, has been living in the Salvation Army shelter on McCaul St. on and off for about 10 years. He is also a regular at the Scott Mission.

"For the last few days we've been having a lot of roast beef meals that are awesome," Huckvale said.

Another diner at yesterday's meal, Mustafa Elmouchir, 38, said he's been having a hard time finding work since emigrating from Morrocco four months ago. Yesterday, however, his main priority was getting a nutritious meal.

"It's delicious," he said.

Note to Billy Bob Thornton: The Scott Mission has potatoes and gravy.

Volunteers piled it on yesterday as about 400 needy people filled the Spadina Ave. shelter for an Easter meal that included roast lamb, soup and hearty vegetables.

And they did it with an enthusiasm Thornton might not recognize.

The actor-cum-singer dissed Canadians last week in a testy interview with the CBC's Jian Ghomeshi, saying our audiences are like "mashed potatoes without gravy."

"I finished all my food – you can feel my stomach," said a smiling Yonas Asfaw, 42. "This is a good place, a good place. I come here each day on the bus from Scarborough."

It was the 68th year the Scott Mission has served up an Easter meal to the down-and-out from across Toronto, said executive director David Smith.

"Holiday weekends are hard for people on the street or those who are isolated living in the neighbourhood," he said. "So we try to give them something special."

The food was donated by a meat company. Private donors fund most of the mission's annual $7.5 million budget, Smith said.

The steaming plates of food were devoured quickly after volunteers distributed them throughout the packed dining hall. Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff was to have helped serve, but Smith said he came down with the flu on Saturday and had to skip the dinner.

Elmosgefa Elmouchir chowed down and flashed a happy grin, wiping gravy from his chin.

He said he's been going to the mission since he arrived in Canada from Morocco in December, getting fed and getting information to help him seek a new career.

"In Morocco I was an accountant," said Elmouchir, 38. "But when I came here I found it difficult to get a job because of the recession."

Maurice Kiel, 70, said he's been going to the mission "for years" after he retired as a baker.

"You get a good, nourishing meal, companionship and I see people I haven't seen in a long time," he said.

Tough economic times and job losses are forcing more people in Toronto to use food banks.

The Scott Mission, which provides support and provisions for the homeless and low-income, estimates demand is up 20 per cent over last year.

On Sunday, almost 400 people attended the centre's Easter dinner.

Paul Hall, a former driver, lost his job this year and is feeling the pinch. "I just lost a job, and what are you going to do?" he told CBC News. "Humans are very resilient. You can take a lot."

Robert Singer is unemployed, and so far hasn't had much luck finding a job. "It's hard finding gainful employment, it's very tough," he said. "I'm so lonely, and it's nice to have someone to relate to, someone just to talk to, and have a meal, a warm meal in your belly."

People attending the mission ate a dinner of roast lamb and fresh vegetables, made in part with donations to the mission.

Executive director David Smith said the recession is affecting how much people can give, just as demand for help is growing.

He said he's seeing more and more "working poor" — people with jobs who can't make ends meet.

"People need food to take home, so obviously those are people with homes who don't have enough money to pay for food, because it's a rising cost," he explained.

Torontonian Jennifer Hill served the Sunday dinner as a volunteer, with her three children. "We believe in helping, most important is to teach our children to be able to walk up to anybody, and speak to them, and treat them as any other human being," she told CBC News.

Hill's daughter Madeline said serving at the Mission is teaching her a valuable life lesson.

"There are people out there who don't have everything, and that do need help and that even if they don't have as much as you do, they're still people, and you can just talk to them, they are not going to hurt you or anything," the 14-year old said.

The Scott Mission handed out 43,000 bags of groceries, and served about 210,000 hot meals last year, Smith said.

CBCnews.ca

Reviewed by Zagat, the Christmas dinner would receive top marks: The food will include filet mignon from a St. Lawrence Market butcher, the decor will be the layered arches of Osgoode Hall, the service will be delivered by the likes of Ontario Chief Justice Warren Winkler, and the cost will be zero dollars.

In fact, guests will be paid $10 from the pocket of the founder of the Lawyers Feed the Hungry Program, Martin Teplitsky.

As many charities struggle through a holiday season overcast by a slowing economy and stalled donations, the Lawyers Feed the Hungry Program, which is staffed by volunteers and serves the first of a series of holiday meals today, has emerged as one of a modest handful of exceptions.

Charities that are best weathering the economic storm tend to be those that rely on private rather than corporate donations, and those that have updated their fundraising techniques.

The Lawyers Feed the Hungry Program satisfies both criteria.

Organizers raised about $300,000 this year from lawyers who attended fundraising galas and bowling tournaments. The funds help feed about 1,350 people a week and will go toward the green beans, bread pudding, soup and French fries served today.

Mr. Teplitsky picked up the tab for the 200 pounds of filet mignon from his favourite butcher ($2,600), and will bring $6,000 in $10 bills to disperse among the 600 diners he expects.

"For people who have nothing, just having 10 bucks to buy cigarettes or a bottle of wine. ... They're very grateful," Mr. Teplitsky said.

A report released last week by Toronto-Dominion Bank Financial Group warned that the current economic climate means demand for many charities will increase even as the government tightens its purse strings. "This creates a perfect storm for charities," the report said.

But if other Canadian charities are any measure, and if TD Bank's forecasts are accurate, Mr. Teplitsky and his high-powered volunteers may have to make a few trips to the bank of extra $10 bills this year, the 11th anniversary of the program.

The Salvation Army has been drawing the same amount of donations this holiday season as last, but has reported an increase in demand for the Christmas assistance it provides.

"What we're concerned about is that our demand is up in virtually every province 10 to 30 per cent," said Salvation Army spokesman Andrew Burditt.

"People have been coming since September asking when they can apply for Christmas assistance, so the net result is that we're behind."

Chief Justice Winkler, who was reprimanded for being too generous in the portions of roast beef he served at the first Lawyers Feed the Hungry Christmas dinner 11 years ago, said he will keep this in mind as he doles out filet mignon today.

"This was kind of a rough year for a lot of people," he said.

But for some charities, the gap between donations and demand can't be bridged by the rationing of filet mignon.

Recent corporate fundraising banquets for Easter Seals Canada have brought in 10 to 15 per cent less money than expected, according to Max Beck, the organization's CEO. One major donor, Saan Stores Ltd., went bankrupt last year.

The Scott Mission in Toronto, which provides support and provisions for city residents in need, has seen a dramatic decline in donations, and has received only $200,000 of the $800,000 it hoped to collect this Christmas, said Avril Henry, a Mission spokesperson.

The Salvation Army has adapted by expanding its campaign into the e-universe: The charity has developed an avatar for its iconic donation kettle.

A pixelated version of the traditional kettle is available at the charity's website so "online bell ringers" can customize and host their own iKettle to collect donations.

Most kettles in the GTA will also allow donations to be made through debit and credit card this year, Mr. Burditt said, adding that the kettles raised $14-million of the $23-million brought in by Salvation Army donations across the country.

Thanks to the success of its puppy sponsorship program, donations have increased this year to Alberta Guide Dog Services, which provides dogs to people with visual impairments.

For $250, the puppy's handlers write letters to the donor, supposedly from the puppy itself. At the end of the animal's training, the donor gets a "graduation photo" of the dog with its new owner.

Even in good economic times, the line outside the Lawyers Feed the Hungry Program's Christmas dinner grows each year, as word gets out about free steak and crisp $10 bills.

Mr. Teplitsky said he isn't worried.

But one organizer said she is anxiously waiting to see how far the line outside Osgoode Hall will stretch this afternoon.

*****

Survival tactics

What some charities are doing to survive:

Make a Wish tries to pick up the phone and call every single donor, no matter how small the gift.

Kids Help Phone is reaching out to corporate donors to let them know the economic situation is creating extra stress for families.

The Salvation Army has improved its online donation site, the iKettle, to tap into a younger demographic. One of the most effective additions is a way for people to donate their time.

The Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children of Victoria, struck up partnerships with local media to get free advertising.

Diana Mehta and Amanda Truscott

This may not be their permanent home, but on New Year's Eve, it's their place to party.

Fred Victor Centre for Women helped residents ring in 2009 last night, starting with a quiet dinner, followed by dancing and non-alcoholic drinks until the countdown.

"A lot of our women have been through a lot in their private lives," support worker Kuriat Yusuf said. "Most of them aren't going to be with their families so when they're here, we want them to have good memories."

New Year's makes her feel optimistic, said Kathy DeWolfe, 39, one of the 48 women staying at Fred Victor on Lombard St.

"It means some positive changes," she said. "I'm just excited to celebrate the new year with people I consider family."

DeWolfe came to Toronto from Vancouver several years ago but because of a bike accident and unemployment, she's been forced to turn to a shelter. In the new year, she hopes to sharpen her computer skills, quit smoking and get her finances in order.

'HEALTHIER HEAD-TO-TOE'

"My plan is to be healthier head-to-toe," she said.

Covenant House on Gerrard St. E. was preparing for a dance for about 90 youths.

"We have a full house tonight, but we also have a 10 p.m. curfew," Covenant House spokesman Rose Cino said yesterday. "There's been a dance and karaoke since we began 26 years ago.

"At this time of the year, it's very difficult. Kids who are on the street, like everybody else, long for the magic of the holidays and being without families, we try to make it as much like home as possible."

The shelter staff act as DJs.

All was quiet last night at the Scott Mission; the shelter has New Year's activities today for its overnight clients.

"We're going to have a special dinner, a game of bingo and movies," said Holly Thompson of the College St. shelter.

Some shelters had no New Year's festivities planned.

"People associate New Year's Eve with going out and and partaking in alcoholic beverages, and we're a dry house," said Adrienne Urquhart of Touchstone Youth Centre on Pape Ave.

At the Salvation Army Gateway shelter on Jarvis St., clients have the freedom of picking three days a month when they can stay out later or not return overnight without penalty of losing their bed.

"We like to give them freedom within what we're able to do," shelter case manager Ann Andree said.

Scott Mission brings people together on the most festive day

It was nine years ago that Paul Wesley married Eileen Cruise inside the Scott Mission. Yesterday, the couple celebrated the true meaning of Christmas by sharing a turkey dinner at the shelter.

"I can't begin to express what this place means," said Cruise, who is in her 50s. "I feel like I'm at home, here. People like tradition and this place is great especially for lonely men, because these guys aren't going to be cooking themselves a turkey dinner."

For Roy Turk, the Mission on Spadina Ave. provides a place of solace when Christmas is often a rough time for him.

"I haven't seen my son, Gayton, since he was three; he's 20 now and maybe in Georgetown, I don't know," said a teary-eyed Turk, who was recently laid off from a job but landed back on his feet, moving furniture. "I miss him a lot. But at least I can be with other people here."

MORE ANXIOUS

These were only two stories among the some 500 empty stomachs that were fed yesterday. David Smith, the shelter's executive director, said people are feeling more anxious because of the recession.

"In the same way that people are worried about their jobs, people on social assistance are worried about having their apartments next month," Smith explained. "We try to treat people as if they're part of our community and so people have a place to call home, even if it is for an hour or so."

Smith said the need for these dinners increases each year with more immigrant seniors coming in.

"A lot more addiction and mental illness is on the street," he said. "My message is: Don't worry so much that you keep helping people. Because if you find yourself in the other side of the line at a soup kitchen, you'll be glad people contributed."

The Mission also gave away Christmas presents of tube socks, tuques, gloves and scarves to diners. Over the holiday season, they gave away 2,700 grocery cards and toys for 2,400 kids.

Across town in the west end, another kitchen opened its doors for the low-income and homeless.

St. Francis Table on Queen St. W. planned on serving about 200 turkey and chicken dinners, after receiving extra canned donations from 44 schools across the GTA.

"We always have a need and people are generous," said Brother John Frampton. "Then 15 turkeys came walking through our doors the next day."

Juan Santillan, the very picture of yuletide good cheer, beamed at the volunteers standing along the wall of the Scott Mission. "Feliz Navidad," he said, his smile wide. "Merry Christmas."

AARON HARRIS/TORONTO STAR

Moe Keele, centre, pauses during a meal at the Scott Mission in Toronto, Dec. 25, 2008.

The 50-year-old has been out of work for six months. The job market is "very bad, very slow," and none of the companies he has worked for since he immigrated from Peru in 1991 is hiring. He knows this, he said, because he has called every one of them.

Construction companies, demolition companies, cleaning companies, asbestos-removal companies. In difficult economic times, all shrinking.

He now lives in a shelter.

But his Christmas was "good, thank you." He has "a hope – hope in the future." And, thanks to the generosity of the mission, he had a hearty holiday meal.

As it has every Christmas since 1941, the Scott, on Spadina Ave. near College St., served dinner yesterday – albeit in the morning and early afternoon – to poor people. Sitting at candlelit tables covered by festive tablecloths, 400 to 500 ate a traditional feast of turkey, vegetables, potatoes and soup.

They received a gift of a toque or warm socks upon their exit.

"We put a bit of extra effort in on Christmas to make sure that they feel that they're home," said mission executive director David Smith.

"They're always respectful, they're always grateful. But I think on Christmas, they see the little extras we put out, and they're grateful. Lots of times, they won't say thank you. But you can see it in their faces when they leave that it meant a lot to them.

"This is the difference between being totally alone and being at home on Christmas."

Many of the visitors, most of whom were men, were painfully aware they were not at home. Daryl Mahar, 46, said the end of December is among the most difficult periods of the year for him: the holiday season triggers distressing thoughts of his estranged family in Nova Scotia.

"Those of us that are here right now, by ourselves, really are alone," Mahar said after his meal. "We are alone. I've got no family in Toronto, no friends."

The "fantabulous" Scott meal served by the volunteers, he said, was a welcome respite from his dark thoughts.

Several Toronto facilities for the needy served holiday meals earlier in the week. Several held their turkey dinners yesterday.

At the Salvation Army location on Dovercourt Rd. near Bloor St. W., over 100 rotating volunteers, some of them children, scrubbed dishes and prepared and served a sizable meal to hundreds of hungry visitors, many of them immigrants, in a basement room festooned with Christmas decorations.

They cooked 75 turkeys, 140 kilograms of potatoes, dozens of pies and "several gallons" of gravy, said Salvation Army spokesperson John Murray.

The effort was especially appreciated on Christmas, said visitor Brian Henderson, 48.

"It makes you feel better inside that you know you helped other people," said Anikei Allen, 13, who has volunteered with her mother, Paulette Lewis, a local real estate agent, for four years. "You haven't just taken stuff from Christmas, you've given back to people who don't have as much as you do."

On its 21st anniversary, St. Francis Table, the Parkdale "restaurant for the poor" that serves $1 meals, offered a choice of turkey or chicken to 200 patrons: the homeless, seniors on fixed incomes, immigrants, the working poor.

"It was great. It was wonderful. It was marvellous, even. Just wonderful. This is one of the best," said Robert Duchene, 76. "And they treat you like a human being."

What were you doing Christmas Day? Chances are you spent it with your family or a loved one and had a traditional holiday dinner with all the fixings.

There are a lot of people in the city who don't get that choice. And about a thousand of them turned up at the Salvation Army's annual Christmas meal downtown Thursday.

It's one the few places the homeless can go and not feel quite so disenfranchised. And it allows volunteers who give up their special day a chance to give back to those who have a lot less.

Many who partake of the full course servings are homeless and admit they depend on the Sally Ann to help them get through what can be a very tough holiday alone. "When people shun you away, tell you to not come around or don't bother coming to see us, well, that's when you come to a place like this," points out Howard Johnson. "Where people want to see you."

Johnson has been without an address since 1979. He doesn't know how he would have survived without the kindness of strangers. "I live in a park," he shrugs. "It's the only place that's open for the food. There's a lot of homeless people. There's a lot of people who don't have as much as we always wanted to. You don't want to do it, but sometimes you have no options. Sometimes the choices are not there."

The hospitality is as good as the food, which requires the charity to stock up on 75 turkeys, 300 lbs. of potatoes and a river of gravy.

Francisco Ochoa is grateful for the free meal. "I'm eating turkey," he smiles. "Delicious! It feels like home. And I am having a good time!" He calls it a "Godly thing" for those who help out.

Christmas carols and live singers play as a backdrop, keeping it all festive. But it belies a growing and serious need as times get hard.

"We've seen a 15-20 per cent increase across the GTA," reveals Salvation Army Capt. John Murray. "And some specific pockets across the GTA, we saw a 50 per cent increase over last year. That's extraordinary."

Those who give their time and their holiday to help out are learning lessons about how the other half lives and the feeling that comes with aiding those in need.

"We're here to give back the community this Christmas and also for him to learn that it's very important to help others," explains Elizabeth Michala about the presence of her young son.

But the Salvation Army wasn't the only place doing good work on Christmas Day. The Scott Mission has been serving up sumptuous Christmas meals for the past 67 years.

The homeless sit down to turkey, potatoes, a salad, soup and a dessert, a treat for anyone but a feast for those who scramble just to find something to eat every day.

"We provide a nice Christmas meal for anybody who feels they'd like to come," Executive Director David Smith outlines. "People come and they get a bit of home." He estimates between 400 and 500 people will sit at one of their tables over the course of the day.

Back at the Sally Ann, Johnson knows how society often looks at those with no home and little hope. But he claims people have to do what they can to survive.

"Sometimes we have to do things our own way," he shrugs. "Even things we don't want to do, we have to do them. Even if it's pushing a grocery cart up Yonge Street. You know? Wish I didn't."

Did he ever think he would be here when he was younger? "No," he responds without hesitating. "Nope."

The Salvation Army confirms this is their busiest time of year, but it's also the time when they have the most donations and volunteers. The bigger concern is what will happen in a couple of months.

If you'd like to help out now, click here to contribute to BT host Kevin Frankish's iKettle.

And to aid the Scott Mission in its good work, click here

Because it's getting a lot harder to make it on the increasingly mean streets of Toronto. But for one day, at least, they're a lot kinder place to be.

A basement room at The Scott Mission, which is usually used as a depot for used women's and children's clothing, has now been transformed into Santa's workshop.

Filled with brand new toys, books, sporting equipment, puzzles and games, stocking stuffers, even winter hats, mitts and scarves for children up to 12 years of age, the space is home to the Mission's annual Free Toy Store.

The Scott Mission, a Christian non-denominational organization based at College Street and Spadina Avenue in the Annex, has hosted the holiday gift program for more than 50 years, said its executive director, David Smith.

"That's a lot of toys," he said, adding that the free toy store gives parents and caregivers the freedom to choose the gifts they think their children will enjoy most.

"We're trying to give a bit of dignity to people. They don't want to feel like a charity case."

Smith said the initiative, which will run from December 1 to 12, is all about giving people a renewed sense of optimism for the future.

"We're trying to give people a little bit of hope. That's what it's all about," he said, adding that a lot of immigrants and newcomer families make use of the free toy store.

"The barriers are just so high for them."

Smith said The Mission tries to help the whole family get ahead by offering referrals to job counseling and training programs as well as assistance with tenant issues, among other things.

"People might be surprised to come here for toys and get help with other things," he said.

Lucrecia Mendoza checked out the free toy store with her 17-month-old daughter, Jamie Chimal Wednesday morning.

"I came for some toys and presents for Jamie so that she has something this Christmas," said Mendoza, who came to Canada two years ago from Veracruz, Mexico.

"Last year she was only 6 months (old), now she can enjoy it more."

Mendoza, who lives in North York, learned about the program from friends and made an appointment to come "shop."

Expecting her second child in March, she said money is a little tight and there isn't much extra cash for luxuries.

Dania Dineiro, another mom checking out the hats and mitts bins at the toy store, is in a similar situation.

"(Life in Toronto) is very expensive and there is not enough money to have these kinds of things, said Dineiro, who has a five-year-old daughter also named Dania.

"(Kids) want everything. My daughter sees all the advertisements on TV and wants everything."

Both Mendoza and Dineiro, who came to Canada from Mexico City just five months ago, said they're very grateful for the Mission's free toy store.

This year, The Scott Mission's Free Toy Store has enough gifts for up to 2,400 children. The initiative is made possible through a $20,000 grant from the CP24/CHUM Christmas Wish campaign. Toy companies as well as various donors also generously contribute to the program.

The free toy store is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Each afternoon a crew of volunteers restocks the room for the next morning's "shoppers".

Families can also apply to receive grocery store vouchers as well as food hampers from The Mission during the holidays.

Click for video

Scott Mission helping out at Christmas

Robert James Dorgan says he wears a hat emblazoned with a four-leaf clover because he’s lucky to have a square meal on Thanksgiving.   

The 75-year-old was one of about 350 people who enjoyed a turkey feast at the Scott Mission yesterday.

“Every day is my lucky day,” Dorgan said.

As officials with the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank wrapped up work on a disappointing Thanksgiving drive yesterday, hundreds of the city's disadvantaged were being served a traditional feast at a downtown mission.

Donations were about 15% lower than at the same time last year, but food bank executive director Gayle Nyberg was hopeful post-holiday food and cash gifts will pick up. The campaign began Sept. 26 and ends Oct. 17.

"The last week is typically a good week," she said after teams of volunteers finished for the day around 2 p.m.

"Once this election is over, I'm sure they'll pay attention again," she said of donors.

The tally when staff and volunteers left was 122,900 kilos in food gifts, plus $269,000 cash, Nyberg said.

"This is good, but still a long way to go," she said.

This year's goal is 226,800 kilos of food and $500,000 in cash, Nyberg said.

Always worrying about a decline in donations -- especially during economic turmoil -- she said "usage has increased sustantially." There has been a 7.4% jump in clients who rely on the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank since last year.

Nyberg said government assistance is inadequate because the average food bank client pays 77% of their income in rent.

As the campaign winds up, Nyberg said food in short supply includes baby formula, cans of fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, pasta, pasta sauce and rice.

Donations can be dropped off at any GTA fire hall, Loblaws and Real Canadian Supermarket. Cheques can be sent to the Toronto Daily Food Bank, 191 New Toronto St., Toronto, M8V 2E7. Its website is: dailybread.ca.

Elswhere, more than 500 of Toronto's less fortunate sat down to Thanksgiving dinner at the Scott Mission on Spadina Ave.

"It's hard for some to come to a shelter for a meal," said David Smith, the mission's executive director. "But this is the home meal for these people," he said. "For them, the people sharing the meal with them here are family."

Each diner was treated to a three-course meal, either turkey or roast beef, plus a slice of fruit pie for dessert -- all served up at the tables by 30 community volunteers.

About 115 kilos of turkey and 70 kilos of roast beef were served during the midday meal, with decorative napkins and leaves adorning the table to give it a homey feel, Smith said.

Not everyone can afford to put a turkey on the table at Thanksgiving. That's why each year the Scott Mission makes sure those less fortunate don't go hungry on the holiday.

Between 350 and 400 people will head there on Monday for turkey dinner, and as mission executive director David Smith explains, they're grateful for the meal.

"They look forward to it every year, and it's hard to come into a place like this and have a meal, to sort of admit that you can't supply all your own needs," Smith notes. "It humbles them and they're very grateful. So we try and serve it in a dignified way, the way we'd like it to be served to us."

The Scott Mission has been serving the meal for 68 years, which it's been able to do in large part because of contributions from the community.

Platefuls of Thanksgiving turkey, potatoes, and vegetables were also being served at The Good Shepherd Ministry, and Gary, one of those sitting down to a meal, was visibly emotional.

"It's beautiful. It brings a tear to my eye," he said. "So many loving people, there's not enough love in the world."

The Ministry expected to serve 1,500 meals on Monday. To do that they roasted 90 turkeys and mashed 1,500 pounds of potatoes.

Meanwhile, the Daily Bread Food Bank is still looking for donations from the public as it tries to meet its fall food drive goal, which will help nourish the needy through the next few months. The food bank reportedly still needs a half million pounds of food and $500,000.

On Friday CityNews held its traditional food drive to help Daily Bread and viewers helped chip in $29,100 and 12,000 pounds of food to the cause.

Those wanting to donate to the food bank can drop off food at any Real Canadian Superstore, Loblaws, or fire hall.

Most-Needed Items:

• peanut butter
• canned fish or meat
• canned vegetables and fruits
• pasta
• pasta sauce
• rice
• beans
• lentils

Nissan Canada Inc. (NCI) marked the 15th anniversary of the Nissan Canada Foundation August 6 with a donation of 25 new vehicles to charitable partners across Ontario, including two to Caledon.

"Fifteen years is a huge accomplishment, this is a great day for the Foundation," said Mark Grimm, president of Nissan Canada. "We're very proud and very grateful for the opportunity to be a good neighbour in the senior communities across Canada. It truly is a pleasure to help celebrate these seniors for their contributions to Canada's social and economic fabric."

Caledon Meals on Wheels is one of the organizations to receive one of the new vehicles, and the Scott Mission, which has a camp in Caledon, is another beneficiary. The Scott Mission uses their vehicle to, among other things, facilitate outings for seniors who can easily become isolated.

Each donation is made possible through generous support and partnership from Nissan dealer partners across the country.

The Nissan Canada Foundation was established in 1993 with the objective of helping Canadians in need, with a special focus on seniors. Throughout the year the Nissan Canada Foundation participates in several events to help raise funds in support of Canadian charities.

At Scott Mission Camp kids see stars as well as new sides of themselves.

Christian Fortino loves the sound of silence.

At Scott Mission Camp, in the Caledon Hills, he's truly experiencing it for the first time.

"At night you don't hear cars and trucks," the wide-eyed 14-year-old exclaims as he heads to the pool after helping to clean his cedar-panelled cabin.

"It's so quiet and beautiful. And stars. Such beautiful things you never seen in the city."

It's Christian's first summer at the camp, a former dairy farm and one of 106 getaways supported this year by the Fresh Air Fund.

Christian rhymes off a list of his favourite activities: the rock-climbing wall, high walking ropes, swimming, canoeing and tennis.

"You have so many choices to pick from," he says, adding dark nights in the countryside make stargazing a new-found delight.

"It's too bright in city," he explains. "I live beside a mall and a TTC station, so it's even worse.

"Here, it's so quiet, no distractions. The sleeping is wonderful," he says, then points an accusing finger at cabin mate Yaroslav Savemko, 13, who, he announces, "snores so loudly."

At camp, there's a daily competition for the golden broom, awarded to campers with the cleanest cabin.

This day, Ian Brooks is doing his part to capture it for his buddies, wielding a corn broom to gather dirt and snack wrappers.

He says he's learned that housekeeping "is fairly easy," but has learned even more in eight summers at Scott Mission Camp.

"I've learned that I'm very strong," the 13-year-old says of his sessions on the climbing wall. "It's very high, but it's not very scary.

"There's always something fun to do here," he adds, revealing he's become more confident in himself and his abilities.

That's something that impresses camp director Jeff Johnson, who remembers Ian as just a little guy eight summers ago. The 30-year-old father of three says he enjoys watching campers grow in stature and skills.

"We try to offer them a little bit of everything, give them a chance to do things they don't get a chance to do at home," he says.

Johnson works for Scott Mission, a non-denominational Christian street mission on Spadina Ave. in Toronto, and runs its children's after-school programs in Lawrence Heights. He spends 10 weeks each summer at the camp and gets just four hours off each week.

"It's great to provide a summer camp experience for kids who couldn't afford it otherwise."

Roughly 70 Toronto youth from low-income families embarked on a unique camping experience this week with thanks to the Scott Mission.

Campers spend six nights at the camp, and with week-long sessions taking place all summer long, the Scott Mission Camp can accommodate roughly 600 campers each year. Because the camp is geared toward low-income families, the cost of sending kids to participate is low.

"The mission subsidizes the camp almost 100 per cent, and we ask that families pay $10 to $40 a week to send their children," said Scott Mission Executive Director David Smith. "If a family needs it, we'll sometimes waive even the $10 fee because we feel that all children should have a chance to enjoy camp."

While Smith estimated that expenses at the camp work out to roughly $600 per camper; funding comes entirely from mission donors.

The 120-acre camp offers kids a chance to play tennis and badminton, use a climbing wall and take part in arts and crafts. Each year, the mission tries to add new features to the camp to enhance the campers' experience.

"The problems kids can face can be so severe but you can see that getting away to camp for a week makes a difference," Smith said. "Some kids have never been out of the city and they're amazed at the sound of quiet. They come back and they've expanded their horizons - you can see it on their faces."

The youth in attendance certainly appreciate the experience.

Alex Simpson set off on Monday, July 7 for his third year at the Scott Mission camp and said he was looking forward to participating as much as ever.

"You get a lot of memories up at camp and me and my friends all have a lot of fun," he said. "You can make new friends there and by the end of the week, the whole cabin is your friend."

His mother, Leona Simpson, said being able to send her children to camp is a welcome way to help them experience the outdoors, adding the Scott Mission opens doors for those who would typically be unable to send their children to such a facility.

"I remember going to camp as a kid and I have some of my fondest memories from that time," she said.

She added the care and attention each child gets at the camp eases her mind as a parent.

"There aren't too many places out there that will take such good care of your children, where they'll be fed well and have this kind of experience," she said.

Longtime counselor Devin Munro has been involved with the camp for most of his life. He started out as a camper when he was much younger and has continued coming back to help mentor the youth for the past 11 years.

"It brings a different atmosphere where kids are able to get away from the things they deal with in the city," he said. "They can spend time together and have fun and not worry about the things they might have to worry about in the city."

He added he benefited from his friendships with counselors when he was a camper. Counselors at the camp take on big brother and big sister roles for youth who may lack positive role models in their lives.

"Just having someone who will sit and talk to you can make a big difference," he said. "All the (camp) staff are there because they care about the kids."

This will be the 50th year the Annex-based Scott Mission has operated its Caledon campsite for underprivileged youth. Its popularity - and the demand for camp spots - has grown to the point where it now has a lengthy waiting list of roughly 200 children per year.

For more information on the camp, or to make a donation to the Scott Mission, visit www.scottmission.com or call 416-923-8872.

Hundreds of kids who otherwise might never get the chance will be enjoying summer camp this year thanks to the Scott Mission.

Jojo Chintoh met up with the first group of happy campers. Click here to watch the heartwarming story.

Like every other summer camp, it costs money to send kids away. But low-income families have a chance to send their kids away for as little as $10 - 40 per week.

The Scott Mission, a Christian organization funds the camp of overnight fun for kids from low-income families from Toronto.

The Scott Mission camp has been running for 50 years now, and this year, 600 kids from low income families will get a chance to indulge in a bit of summer camp fun. Executive Director David Smith says the camps are funded 100% by The Scott Mission, so parents can send their kids without their wallets getting lighter.

Smith says The Scott Mission can't often help these families in their legal or financial problems, but at least they can give them a little hope for the future.

Smith says some of the parents cannot even afford the $10-$40 fees, so they usually waive them.

Camp Director Jeff Johnson says kids will get to do everything from canoeing, wall-climbing, archery, biking and swimming.

CALEDON, ON—Word-of mouth keeps the Scott Mission Camp — which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year — full, with a waiting list of 200.

The camp’s history is intertwined with that of the century old Scott Mission, named after J. MacPherson Scott, a Presbyterian minister who started a Christian synagogue to minister to Jewish immigrants. Initially conducted at various locations, the camp began its ministry on the beautiful 100-acre property on the Niagara Escarpment in 1958. The Scott Mission Camp picks up kids at the downtown Toronto mission and buses them north to Caledon.

Great response

“We’ve never advertised and we always have a waiting list,” says camp director Jeff Johnson. "When a child comes back from the camp, they tell their friends and we get overwhelmed by the response.

“Presently, we can accommodate 90 to 100 guests per week,” he says, “One year, we bumped it up to 120 people, but we found it difficult to build the relational connections.”

The camp aims to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through fun-filled, relationally driven experiences. As Canadian culture has changed over the last decades, so have the challenges faced by the guests at the camp.

“Most of our campers come from single-parent homes,” Johnson says, “and so we’ve witnessed an increased amount of family dysfunction.”

He believes the increase in gun violence in Toronto has also affected the kinds of things low-income families deal with on a daily basis.

Yearly highlight

For many children the camp experience is the highlight of their year.

Pauletta, mother of Jade Campbell, a 10-year-old guest at Scott Mission Camp, speaks enthusiastically about the camp in Caledon and Scott Mission’s year-round after school program.

“They’re teaching the children about God, which is important because the youth today are doing so many bad things,” says Pauletta. “One thing I noticed in Jade’s life is that she is constantly reading her Bible.”

She believes her daughter is interested in her Bible because she has been encouraged to do so in a camp environment. “My daughter not only gets to see the stars but she gets to meet the Maker of the stars,” Pauletta says with satisfaction.

For more information about the Scott Mission Camp, visit www.scottmissioncamp.ca.

A week-long escape from spending summer in the city is the stuff of dreams come true for hundreds of Toronto’s poorest people.

The Scott Mission has created a nearby Shangri-La in Caledon, where children trade their crammed public housing neighbourhoods to play in 100 acres of hilly open grassy space where shade is provided by tree cover and campers can go canoeing and swimming in a clean man-made pond.

In the Caledon camp life is care free, worry free and wholesome.

It’s a hiatus from the daily grind of living in their communities of Regent Park, Lawrence Heights and Alexander Park where social housing dominates the these culturally diverse neighbourhoods and where poverty is rife.

“There’s value in these camps,” said Mike Fischhoff, who is assistant director of camper development for the Mission. “I’m amazed each year by the children who marvel over a butterfly or frog because they’ve never seen one before,” he added.

Fischhoff and 50 camp counselors made it all happen for the 588 campers who attend through July and August last year.

Contributions from private donors turn these camp life dreams into reality too. A $618 donation covers the costs of sending one child to camp for one week ($106 pays for a day). Parents of campers contribute as well, paying a geared-to income rate, from a minimum of $15 to $50 at the most.

Marcia Tyler has five children aged 26, 16, 13, 9 and 5. Four of them have enjoyed camp life thanks to her discovery of the Scott Mission eight years ago.

“The Mission is a godsend,” she said.

As a single mom since 2000 and living on very little income, Tyler manages to budget enough money to send them to the much-awaited summer camp.

Her boys go yearly and love it – the younger one especially when he attends the same week with his brother. Tyler’s youngest child has heard so many rave reviews from her older siblings that she’s eager to enjoy the same experience next year. Campers must be seven years old (and no older than 17) to attend the overnight camp.

“The people at the camp are just beautiful people for what they make happen for my children and for me,” said Tyler. “The camp is affordable, it is motivating for my children and instills in them a love of the word of God,” she added.

Facilities include a high ropes course, climbing wall, bike trails, sports fields, swimming pool, basketball court and a playground.

The Tylers are among 80 to 100 children who attend the camp weekly through July and August. They are the lucky ones. According to Fischhoff, there are 100 names on the waiting list every summer too. Favourable word of mouth travels so well about the Scott Mission Camp that advertising is not necessary, he added.

For more information about the Scott Mission or to make a donation – just $22 pays for recreational supplies and equipment for a week, or $150 buys a mountain bike for the camp – call (416) 923-8872 or log onto www.scottmission.com.

G.K. Cameron's motto is: When you're not sure when you'll eat again, you don't let good food go to waste.

"I'm eating everyone else's. I'm starving," said a sheepish Cameron, 60. "It's the best meal I've had in a long time."

Living alone in a rooming house, with just a hot plate to cook on, never mind the expense of the ingredients, he could only dream of preparing such an elaborate meal for himself.

Without the mission, he was facing Easter alone, with a menu of potato chips, water and a half-eaten candy bar he found on the street.

"A lot of us are confused and weak and down and out. This is a chance to feel normal," Cameron said.

Nearly 400 people showed up for the free Easter meal, which the mission has been serving for the past 67 years in Toronto, said executive director David Smith.

The Spadina Ave. mission relies upon donations to serve hot meals 365 days of the year.

Head chef Rodney De Silva and his two helpers, who have been preparing all week, surveyed the diners from the kitchen door yesterday.

"In the past we served turkey or ham at Easter, but this year we made it special with roast beef," said De Silva. A native of Sri Lanka, De Silva tries to mix up the daily menu with ethnic offerings like chicken curry and Chinese stir-fry. "I make those dishes more spicy. They seem to love it," he said with a chuckle.

Many of the diners, almost all men, are regulars whom the staff know by name, including David Zackon who sat by himself.

The stainless steel ring on his pinky finger - the mark of a professional engineer - speaks of better days, but his frayed and soiled jacket belies his present reality.

"I'm Jewish, but I'm here every day like clockwork. A lot of us would be in big trouble otherwise," said Zackon, 70.

After the mission, he was headed to the Brothers of the Good Shepherd on Queen St. E. for lunch and then St. Patrick's Church on McCaul St. for dinner, he said.

The joy of Easter was shared by hundreds of men and women at shelters across the city.

David Smith, executive director at the Scott Mission, said every Easter they put on a meal for the 1,000 people who come through the College St. and Spadina Ave. shelter.

Dining tables at the Scott were laid out with baskets of fresh buns, cutlery and bottles of juice for all those preparing to dine with a bit of style and dignity -- before being served a hot meal of roast beef, potato and veggies.

It's volunteer servers like Janet McCarroll-Spiers and her daughter Caleigh, 14, who worked the kitchen, who made the event special for those in need.

"It's fun to help out," Caleigh said.

David Zackon, 70, made the trek to the Scott from his Dundas and Sherbourne St. apartment via TTC. " I get a good Easter meal here today."

At the Good Shepherd on Queen St. E. Brother Tim Liss was looking over 1,300 who enjoyed a turkey dinner.

"We hope that not only by giving them this meal they have the chance to socialize with friends," Liss said.

Seeing firsthand the plight of Toronto's homeless has inspired a group of Georgian College students to do more to help.

After volunteering for a day at The Scott Mission - an organization which helps the city's poor, homeless and abandoned - the first-year police foundations class kick-started a local clothing drive.

The students have placed drop-off boxes at four locations in the area to collect used clothing and footwear. The drive runs until April 12. The collected items will then be sent to Scott Mission and given out to those in need.

Student Andrew Filsinger said the volunteer trip - the brainchild of program instructor Steve Miller - made him and his classmates realize how much they take for granted each day.

"We saw first-hand that there is a lot of people in need," added 20-year-old student Bradey Monahan.

The class volunteered for four hours on Feb. 21, serving food, helping out in the kitchen and unloading and sorting boxes of supplies.

Police foundations co-ordinator Donna Jansen said the volunteer work is not a requirement of the program, but is always well-received by the students. Each year nearly everyone in the class participates, she said.

"This is the first year there has been this unexpected outcome," said Jansen, the program co-ordinator since police foundations was implemented at the Owen Sound campus six years ago.

Student Jeremy Hilbert said 80 garbage bags filled with clothing have been collected since the drive began two weeks ago.

A box in the college's cafeteria requires emptying every few days, he said, while another at Kirklands Valu-Mart in Sauble Beach is filled about three times a week.

So far, the drive's success has been solely due to word of mouth, he said.

"It's kind of overwhelming to see this positive response," said Hilbert, 27.

Jansen said volunteering at places like The Scott Mission will have an impact on the students which will carry on into their professional lives and "make them better police officers."

It teaches them care and compassion, she said, and shows them there's more than just good and evil.

The Scott Mission provides shelter for 45 men each night, serves hundreds of meals each day, provides free clothing for the needy, serves 40,000 people a year at its food bank and provides free toys to thousands of children.

Student Blair Weinberger said the mission especially needs men's clothing and work boots.

Drop-off boxes are set up at the college's cafeteria, Kirklands Valu-Mart in Sauble Beach, Herbal Magic in Port Elgin and A&P in Owen Sound.

On any given morning, the Scott Mission's spacious - and multi- functional - chapel is filled with light, the strain of hymns and the chatter of 50 to 100 odd men awaiting a hot meal and good conversation.

High on a wall above the action, a sign of welcome reads "I am the vine, you are the branches."

If the Scott Mission is indeed the vine, and those flocking to the 65- year-old Toronto landmark in search of hope, shelter and support, its branches, then Basil Ludlow might be considered one of its roots.

Through a series of uncanny coincidences in the 90-year-old architect's life, Ludlow believes he was destined to play a small role in building the Scott Mission into the institution it is today.

Born in England in 1917, Ludlow's humble beginnings read like a story that may very well have put him in a mission line-up himself had his life's course not steered him in another direction.

"I come from a rather tragic background," he said. "My entire family - my mother, my father and two of my four brothers - was wiped out by a bomb in World War One when I was just seven months old."

Missing for two days after the blast, Ludlow was later found unharmed folded in a mattress on top of the Royal Chelsea Hospital, a building designed by esteemed 17th century architect Sir Christopher Wren - a sign of his future career, Ludlow thinks.

After his discovery, Ludlow was put in an orphanage for a time, then sent to live in the country home of his uncle in Kent. There he attended a boys school and at age 17 was articled to work for a local architect friend of his headmaster.

"It was five years, no pay, but I loved it," he said.

After graduating a month after the Second World War began, Ludlow volunteered himself for the war efforts and was shipped to Canada for training. He spent time in Saskatchewan, Trenton and Hamilton, but it was in Toronto, his future home, where he met Joan, his future wife, at a round robin dance at the Active Service Canteen.

"She stood out because she had beautiful red hair," he said, Joan beaming beside him. Shortly after their meeting, Ludlow married Joan, the daughter of staunch Scott Mission supporter and Zeidman family friend Alice Johnson Macbeth, in Moncton, New Brunswick. Their wedding on Oct. 13, 1942, also marked the day Rev. Morris Zeidman and his wife Annie founded the Scott Mission in a storefront location on Bay Street.

Little did Ludlow know it was these ties that nearly 20 years later would secure him the job of designing a new building for the Scott Mission back in Toronto, where he and Joan settled following the war.

"When I first went in to be interviewed by Rev. Morris Zeidman, he was very abrupt and cool," he said. His prospects at being hired weren't looking good until he mentioned Joan's mother. "He immediately got on phone to her at that news and I was hired right then."

The rest, as they say, is history. Ludlow designed the building at 502 Spadina Ave. in two phases: the basement and first two floors came in 1961, and when the need for more room arose, a third floor was added in 1975.

"They used to fill that place right up. It was very sad some of the people there," he said. "I used to go and stay for a while to get an idea of what work we had left to do and they'd all be sitting there in the big dining room, enjoying a good hot meal. It's good work the Scott Mission does."

Today, within the walls Ludlow built, the Scott Mission provides shelter for 45 men each night in its main-floor chapel, serves hundreds of nutritious hot meals and bag lunches on a daily basis out of their kitchen and dining room, provides free clothing for needy men, women and children in its basement store rooms, serves nearly 50,000 people each year through their food bank, and provides day care services for 61 children in its colourful third floor classrooms.

Although Ludlow and his wife now live just a five-minute walk away from the mission at Kensington Gardens Nursing Home (another of example of how the thread of his life has sewn him into the fabric of the Scott Mission community, said daughter Vivien), he hasn't been back to the building in years. And even then, he wouldn't be able to see the fruits of his labour even if he did - he went blind almost overnight a few years back. Still, he wonders at how his vision of the mission has held up over the years.

"I designed the chapel with coloured glass. Is that still there? Does it look good?" he asked, a look of pride on his face.