In December, St. Mary Parish in Saskatoon opened the doors of its hall on 20th Street West as an overnight warm-up location, in partnership with the Salvation Army and with federal government funding.
Since Dec. 4, 2023, the warm-up location has been open at St. Mary’s hall from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven nights a week. With life-threatening frigid temperatures, the importance of having an overnight warm up location is more important than ever.
- Find more information about the project on the diocesan Catholic Saskatoon News site at: ARTICLE.
- Find more information about the City of Saskatoon’s Extreme Cold Weather Emergency Response strategy at: LINK
Ways to help:
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Pray:
Please continue to pray for the guests of the site, for staff, and for everyone involved.
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Advocate:
Take time to advocate for those in need: meet, inform, and/or work with elected officials at every level of government, with other helping agencies, and people of other faiths to take collective steps that will reduce poverty.
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Donate:
Monetary donations to assist St. Mary Parish in continuing to provide outreach and support for those in the neighbourhood without access to many basic needs can be made in person, dropped off or mailed to St. Mary Parish, 211 Avenue O South, Saskatoon, S7M 2R6 (cheques can be made out to the parish with “Warm-up shelter” written in the memo line.) Those wishing to set up longer-term pre-authorized donations can call the parish office at (306) 244-2983 or e-mail Ryan Baker at rnbaker@rcdos.ca to receive a pre-authorized giving form. E-transfers can also be sent to rnbaker@rcdos.ca (please include your name and mailing address along with “Warm-up shelter” in the memo line). All donations over $20 will be issued a tax receipt.
Donations of needed items – including blankets, mitts, gloves, toques, and jackets – can be dropped off at St. Mary Parish Office during regular office hours, or any time at the Salvation Army, 339 Avenue C South, Saskatoon.
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Volunteers
Volunteers are not yet needed: As this project is new, organizers are still discerning where volunteers might be able to serve most effectively. Contact Myron Rogal in the diocesan Office of Justice and Peace at mrogal@rcdos.ca to be kept up-to-date.
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