By Tara Hall
It was in the parking lot of a Canadian Tire where Brian Braceland was asked by a friend to come and volunteer with him at Shepherds of Good Hope.
Braceland agreed and since he lived in the neighbourhood he often walked to the community soup kitchen for his shift. Twenty years later, he still volunteers every week even though he now lives in Orleans.
“I consider Sheps my family,” says Braceland. That’s what keeps him coming back. He likes people and enjoys getting to know the ones who come to Shepherds for services. He also enjoys getting to know other volunteers and working with Shepherds’ staff.
He and his partner volunteer in the community kitchen. Their day starts at 6:30 a.m., preparing and serving breakfast. They often work a double shift making sandwiches for the Shepherds’ evening drop-in program and preparing and serving lunch to the community.
Shepherds of Good Hope isn’t the only place Brian volunteers. He’s also an active volunteer at a local museum and at his church.
“I like to volunteer,” he says. “I grew up in a family with little resources and learned that you help each other, or you stumble over rocks.”
Braceland started in the community kitchen and still volunteers there, but over the years he’s also volunteered with Shepherds in the Hope Garden, growing fresh vegetables for the kitchen and supportive housing. He has even made wine for Shepherds’ innovative Managed Alcohol Program.
When asked what he’d say to other people in the neighbourhood who may be considering volunteering with Shepherds of Good Hope, he immediately starts listing reasons he volunteers: “It’s orderly, appreciated, safe, needed, good for the heart and soul, and you meet a lot of people.”
Shepherds of Good Hope relies on generous volunteers like Braceland and is actively recruiting new volunteers to help meet the needs of the community. There are plenty of shifts throughout the week for volunteers to choose from–each shift makes a difference in the lives of the volunteers and the people they serve.
In the community kitchen the breakfast shift runs from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m., and involves making and serving breakfast to people staying in the shelter.
The lunch shift goes from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and includes preparing and serving a full three-course lunch to anyone in the community who needs a meal, as well as making sandwiches for the Evening Drop-in program.
Shepherds serves three meals a day, every day of the year. Dinner prep and service is from 1 to 5 p.m.
It’s not all about the food. The evening drop-in program relies on volunteers for fun activities like bingo, karaoke and games nights, or even just chatting with the people who visit the program.
Volunteers are welcome as groups or individuals, and many, like Braceland and his partner, plan their weekly schedule around coming in and making a difference.
Braceland’s friend asked him to volunteer at Shepherds twenty years ago, and he’s been serving ever since.
If you’d like to join him and his fellow volunteers, please visit www.sghottawa.com/volunteer to find out more.
Tara Hall is the Manager of Communications and Community Engagement, Shepherds of Good Hope.