Here are several ways you can help your neighbours in need.

#1 Beyond the Streets
A Welland group of volunteers that occasionally partners with Holy Trinity and makes clothes and necessities available free of charge at The Market Square once a week. They are presently asking for blankets, tents, sleeping bags, and comforters. Website – https://www.beyondthestreetswelland.com/

#2 The Mobile Closet
This organization travels around the area to certain events, giving free clothing away. Next week it will be at the Welland Library for one day (Monday, July 25, 11am – 1pm). Summer clothing is still being received at two St. Catharines’ locations. Website – https://www.niagarasmobilecloset.com/

#3 Items for Ukraine
Donated items are being sent by a lady in Niagara Falls. They include toothbrushes, toothpaste, bars of soap, ladies’ hygiene items, lysol wipes, and band-aids. Refugee children in Ukraine and newly transplanted Ukrainian children in the peninsula, need balls of all kinds, soccer balls, lego, colouring books and crayons, hot wheels, kits for assembling, dolls. (Dollar store items are useful) Household furniture is also being accepted by a Church in Grimsby for refugee families.

If you wish to donate to any of these groups, please contact Carole McLeod. Items can be left at the Church when Jennifer is there, delivered to our home, or picked up by Norm and me. We will see that the appropriate organization receives them (we have donated to, or are presently donating to each of them).

Three things to remember:

1. Never place clothes in a clothes bin on a street corner. They will be sold for use as rags and stuffing for toys.

2. If you wish to know the status and details of various charities, check out the Charity Intelligence Canada website (https://www.charityintelligence.ca/). It is now free of charge and profiles many charities, telling their financial transparency, their demonstrable impact, their need for funding (reserves vs. program costs), and, most importantly, if you are deciding where to give your money, the percentage of money received or given to their cause.

3. Finally, don’t overlook donations to the Canadian Lutheran World Relief, which addresses humanitarian world crises. Their website is – https://www.clwr.org/.

What a joy it is to give!