Helping the needy on holidays

Helping the needy on holidays

By Beatrice Sison-Paez

Christine Cushing with Cooking for Life participant, Ria.

The youth at Covenant House Toronto are setting new traditions to liven the holiday spirits this season. Participants of Cooking for Life, the youth shelter’s latest initiative, are baking cookies with a holiday twist to share with the whole house.

The program, launched in May, is designed to train interested youth in the culinary arts and to prepare them for employment in the industry. The nine-week long program can accommodate up to 10 people. Last week, the House hosted Canadian celebrity chef Christine Cushing, who rolled out the dough with four participants to make star-shaped cookies dotted with sprinkles. Cushing sees her involvement as an opportunity to share her passion for and express her encouragement. Cushing is known for her TV shows – Fearless in the Kitchen, Christine Cushing Live and Dish it out. She has also written three bestselling cookbooks.

Cooking for Life has been a treat for Ria, a resident and trainee, who dreams of becoming a sous-chef. “It has helped me a lot, at first I came here without the knowledge of how to bake,” she says. “It has opened my eyes to appreciate cooking because you see the love that’s put into it.”

Since the program began, eight trainees have secured employment and several are finishing their apprenticeships. “It’s about getting the skills but [also] getting the confidence to believe in themselves,” says Rose Cino, Covenant House communications manager.

Building a sense of community is also important to the staff. “That’s the way we try to promote involvement, that you’re a family and you need to work together to support each other and get the work done,” says Danielle Neilson, who runs the house’s vocational services. “We work with them for such a long time, so in many situations Covenant House becomes their family.”

Though many have found a family at Covenant House, Christmas can trigger reminders of the residents’ past. “There’s no doubt that it’s difficult, when you’re surrounded by images of Christmas everywhere, so we try to create a positive atmosphere,” says Cino. Covenant House, which opened its doors at Gerrard and Yonge streets in 1982, provides support services to youth between the ages of 16 to 24 years old. Last year’s statistics showed that 60% of its residents are young men.

Covenant House entrance on Gerrard St. East. PHOTOS: Beatrice Paez

The House reflects Toronto’s diversity, with kids coming from different social, economic and cultural background. Studies have consistently revealed that most are fleeing from domestic violence, abuse or neglect, which can often take reunification off the table. The Covenant House derives a bulk of its funding from individual donors, businesses and community partners, along with the Catholic Charities of Archdiocese of Toronto and a portion from the City of Toronto.

Creating new traditions and following old traditions helps to make Christmas as much like home for the residents. On Christmas Eve, the house traditionally gathers together for a Christmas meal that includes a turkey with all the trimmings. The next morning, the kids can look forward to a special breakfast and opening presents.
Skating trips, special movie nights, karaoke sessions and a youth-organized talent show are also on the holiday agenda. These activities help honour the diversity of the house and help keep the atmosphere festive throughout, Cino explains.

Other charity organizations, like The Scott Mission, located at College and Spadina, provides support for the poor and homeless of all ages, are also gearing up for the holidays. The Scott Mission has been organizing Christmas initiatives since its doors opened in 1941. It sources its funding as flowing from three main sources — individuals, businesses and foundations, bequest and investment incomes. They also receive additional funding from the municipal government.

The decorations are up in their dining room and chapel and they have a whole army of volunteers ready to dish out meals on Christmas day, says Holly Thompson, communications coordinator.

Scott Mission is expecting a crowd of over 300, many of whom are low-income families receiving support throughout the year. Though Thompson says they are fully staffed with volunteers for the big day, they continue to seek donations for their holiday initiatives.

With 94 beds in the crisis shelter and 28 residential spots at Covenant House, Cino anticipates it will be a full house this holiday season, even with the warmer weather. However, Cino and Neilson both note that the blistering heat in the summer also brings in more traffic. Many who seek help bear their own unique story about what brought them to the house. They often hear about the services through friends, neighbours, teachers or ads on the subway.

Familiarizing the community with their services and addressing misconceptions about homeless youth ranks as a priority for Covenant House. Their ad, which reads, “Why Can’t Street Kids Just Get a Life?” works at breaking the myth that most are on the street by choice.

Ria, who arrived three months ago says she cannot imagine being anywhere else and explains the staff is what makes Covenant House special. Asked what she was looking forward to this Christmas, she says, with wistful smile, “Just spending time with everyone at the House, getting together and remembering Christmas like it used to be.” Ria doesn’t get into what brought her to the House; she is too busy looking forward into her future – which involves baking mouthwatering goodies.

The cookie recipes made by the youth through Cooking for Life can be found at: www.covenanthouse.ca/cookies For more information, call (416) 598 4898.
For more information about The Scott Mission, call (416) 923 8872, or visit http://www.scottmission.com/