Ray of Hope: Half century of helping people in need
Mennonite kitchens, social services still reaching out to anyone who is struggling
KITCHENER — When it comes to helping those in need, Ray of Hope spent the past 50 years feeding the homeless, helping youth get off drugs and find jobs, and providing a home for refugees.
That’s the work the Kitchener agency hopes to continue doing for another 50 years, said Harry Whyte, chief executive officer with Ray of Hope Community Support Services.
“Out of a life of faith, you should see human need and then respond in a human way,” Whyte said as the agency marks its 50th anniversary.
Ray of Hope was incorporated on May 27, 1967.
The year-long celebration began Friday night with a worship gathering at Waterloo Mennonite Brethren Church in Waterloo. For the next year, their 50th anniversary will be marked by other celebrations, including a fundraising gala night in November.
“Our mission statement is to demonstrate the love of Christ with the marginalized, disadvantaged and the troubled. That’s who we are. We live it out,” Whyte said.
“For people living in poverty, it can be a lonely place.
“You come here and people say they miss you. You feel loved,” he said. “That is what our guests value.”
Ray of Hope was the brainchild of Arman Wright. He was a Christian pastor at a small church in Guelph; and then became a chaplain at the Guelph reformatory, where he helped young men who were struggling when they got out of jail.
Ray of Hope has its roots in youth justice. A farmer donated land to Ray of Hope and they built a halfway house for men leaving jail. The agency then partnered with the province and operated secure and open facilities for youth.
Although the provincial government has downsized many of their facilities for youth, Ray of Hope still runs two facilities, one in Petersburg and a home at Madison and Charles streets.
At the same time, Ray of Hope was also involved in street ministry, helping the homeless.
Ray of Hope continued assisting young people with a youth addictions program. And they had a youth employment program, where teens could work on their resumés and learn the life skills needed to make them employable.
Their Morning Glory Café and Bakery opened on King Street and two other smaller cafés opened at Heffner Toyota and The Family Centre in Kitchener.
Whyte, who came on as chief executive officer in 2008, said he hopes to expand the youth addictions program. Currently, he has staff in five local high schools two days a week to assist with substance abuse.
“It’s about being engaged early and bringing services to where the kids are at,” he said.
“If I had one wish, it would be to grow our capacity to engage with kids and their families and be available in every school,” said Whyte, who points to Ottawa where similar staff are in 48 schools.
In 2005, Ray of Hope began helping refugees. It stared Welcome Home, which is now in Waterloo. Up to 15 refugees live in a house on Allen Street with paid live-in interns. The program is funded solely by church donations.
Ray of Hope moved to 659 King St. E. in 2010 with administrative offices upstairs and a community centre on the main floor.
There, they feed about 220 people each day for dinner 365 days a year.
The centre opens at 3 p.m. each day and guests can enjoy coffee, tea or water. Instead of a consistent offering of pastries, workers now offer raw veggies with dip and apples which are donated by Martin’s Family Fruit Farm.
“We wanted to give them a healthy snack,” said program director Jon Hill.
The kitchen was revamped in 2015 and now its catering with Morning Glory works out of the larger kitchen.
The community centre also offers washrooms with showers for guests and laundry facilities, all run by a staff and volunteer.
In addition to male and female washrooms, the centre has two universal washrooms.
Twice a month, two nurses offer foot care in the first-aid station and hair cuts are available twice monthly.
The centre also has a chapel with drums, an electric piano and six guitars.
The Marketplace is stocked with food items from dried goods, fruits and vegetables and meats that guests can sign up for and take food with them.
The centre also has community rooms that schedule various activities, such as making crafts, baking brownies and cookies, and music lessons with two Wilfrid Laurier University students.
“It’s about building relationships. It’s about belonging to a group and raising their quality of life,” said Hill, who’s worked with Ray of Hope since 1976.
“Thirty per cent of the homeless are regulars,” he said. “They likely won’t get a job because of mental health issues, so how can we make their lives better.”
For Hill, 63, his job is his mission. As a young man he was addicted to drugs and alcohol until he became a Christian.
“I can have an effect on people struggling, because I was there,” said the Waterloo man.
“I don’t Bible-thump. I build relationships. I bring up the gospel when they know I care.”
As for the future of Ray of Hope, Whyte said the issues of mental health and substance abuse will remain at the forefront, but the way in which these issues are dealt with will change.
“I have no idea where we will be when it comes to youth justice or addictions, but I’m really confident that people will be stirred by God to meet those basic human needs,” he said.
“We are part of the community, but we are not giving up who we are fundamentally,” Whyte said. “We shouldn’t have to change and give up being Christian to do what we do.”