Theresa Davey has been volunteering at Grace Place in Thunder Bay, Ont., for the last decade. She says it gives her a sense of purpose.
Theresa Davey knows what it's like to be out on the streets in Thunder Bay, which is why volunteering at one of the northwestern Ontario city's emergency shelters is more than just a way to give back.
In 2009, she got married at Grace Place, and a few years later, she put her cleaning skills to use and became a full-time volunteer. Davey said the organization has also helped her son, who died in 2014, as well as her daughter in her efforts to "start over." Now that the weather is getting colder, Thunder Bay, Ont.'s, Out of the Cold Program has started up again at Grace Place. The CBC's Sarah Law checked in with the organization's volunteers about how they're meeting people's basic needs to help them survive the winter."We started with 10 loaves of bread and we served a hot soup," said Melody Macsemchuk, co-founder and operations manager of Grace Place, about starting the organization 16 years ago.
Last year, Grace Place had 15 to 18 compassion mats, which are used as beds, but bumped that up to 25 due to demand. Volunteers are trained in trauma-based approaches and non-violent crisis intervention. They play calming music, and offer clients a meal, a shower, clean pyjamas and a place to safely store their belongings for the night. They can wash the clothes they came in with and have a hot breakfast before heading out for the day.
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