Strides to end homelessness

Kelowna’s Gospel Mission is hosting a walk and run this weekend in support of its programs aiming to end homelessness.

The Strides to End Homeless event will be held on Saturday at the Gospel Mission, and participants have the choice to walk five kilometres or run 10 kilometres.

The goal of the event is to raise $45,000 to go toward programming run by the Gospel Mission, and as of Tuesday morning, 75 per cent of the goal had been reached, said Sonja Menyes, with the Gospel Mission. Last year’s event raised around $48,000. This year, for the first time, there will be prizes available for the top fundraisers.

“(Homelessness) really affects a lot of families, and it really can happen to anybody,” said Menyes. “A lot of people are a couple of paycheques away from being out of their house. Everyone that comes to our shelter has their own story, and most people are working to improve their lives.”

Money raised will go toward supporting the Gospel Mission’s 90-bed shelter, where three meals a day are provided to anyone in need in the community, along with showers, laundry services, toiletries, a barber and a free dental clinic.

“People are also able to meet with case workers who connect them with various agencies in Kelowna to try and get an income going, to get mental health help or to get help finding a place to live,” said Menyes.

The Gospel Mission also has an outreach worker that goes into the community to meet with people living on the streets, give them food, water and socks, and to connect with them, with the goal of helping them find housing, said Menyes.

Another program supported by the Strides to End Homelessness event is the Gospel Mission’s Harmony House.

“Harmony House is a home where women who have already gone through addiction recovery live and take courses on life skills, financing and courses on anger management,” said Menyes.

“Some of them are working part-time, but it gives them a breather where they can work on themselves before they move on.”

To register, go online to kelownagospelmission.ca/strides.

Check-in is at 3 p.m., at 259 Leon Ave., and the walk will begin at 4 p.m.

Following the walk, free soup will be served at the Gospel Mission.

“People get the opportunity to meet some of the people we serve and walk with some of the people we serve,” said Menyes.