Dream Centre finds creative solution as COVID-19 thwarts Thanksgiving gathering, but help is needed
Each day, hundreds of Calgarians rely on the Calgary Dream Centre to help them through the toughest challenges of their lives.
Now, the organization that provides faith- based recovery services for men and women caught in cycles of homelessness and addiction, faces challenges of its own during the pandemic. Thanksgiving dinner is traditionally one of its major events, an opportunity for all clients to enjoy companionship and reaffirmation. But due to COVID-19 regulations and restrictions, half of them are unable to attend.
This year’s Thanksgiving celebration is going to look different, says chief executive officer and executive director Jimmoore.
“Normally, we’d invite a couple hundred people to our main cafeteria and cook up 40 to 50 turkeys with all the trimmings … it’s a joyful occasion,” he says. “It’s like sitting down with a big family. We affirm them, tell them how good they’re doing and how we’re really proud of that. It’s a moment for them to take centre stage.
“This year, we’re going to pivot. We’re putting hampers together with turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, dessert and we’ ll have volunteers and case workers deliver them to hundreds of individuals in our residences.”
Aside from their main location, which houses 125 men in a former hotel on Macleod Trail, the organization has men and women living in duplexes, homes and apartment buildings across the city. The Dream Centre is putting on a dinner for those living in the main building and hopes to bring Thanksgiving to everyone else.
Many clients are working through addictions, and, Moore says, “the opposite of addiction is connection.
“When they come to the Dream Centre, we give them a new social climate, letting them develop friendships and we help keep them on track in terms of their goals and aspirations.”
Many of the Centre’s services — including the Thanksgiving hampers — are only possible thanks to public support, and donations are being accepted through the organization’s website to help make this holiday special. A donation of $75 will provide a Thanksgiving meal for an entire house, but anything given will help.
Robbie Daniels credits the Dream Centre for the hand up that helped him turn his life around. Originally from Morley First Nation, Daniels, 40, has battled alcohol addiction since he was 13.
“I’m getting close to my two- year mark in sobriety — I feel like I’m getting stronger every day,” he says. “The Dream Centre is like my foundation … I have an agency to back me up and help me be independent.”
Daniels says the Thanksgiving meal is very important, whether it’s held communally or provided through the hampers, as it keeps people connected.
Daniels, whose spirit name is Standing Buffalo, has found employment in peer support, providing mentorship. He has also reconnected with his spiritual side, visiting with homeless people to sing and pray.
Of the Centre, he says, “It’s about being around good people, people who are in the same boat as I am and that makes me feel like I’m not alone.”
To donate to the Calgary Dream Centre so it can achieve its Thanksgiving dinner goal and to continue serving the community, visit calgarydreamcentre.com/donate.
THIS STORY WAS CREATED BY CONTENT WORKS, POSTMEDIA’S COMMERCIAL CONTENT DIVISION, ON BEHALF OF CALGARY DREAM CENTRE.