Pay it forward

Dallas Witko had promised herself long ago that she would one day repay Shelter House for they help they had given her.

Diagnosed with manic-depressive disorder, Witko once frequented Shelter House as a client, but Tuesday she was among the list of donors at the launch of the shelter’s annual Christmas campaign.

“They helped me tremendously over the years,” she said Tuesday morning. “I gained my confidence back … I achieved a lot with the shelter.”

“They helped me in the past very much so, emotionally and mentally, and it brought me back,” she said. “I said to myself I would help them some day for what they have done for me.”

Witko’s donation will go towards helping Shelter House Thunder Bay serve its average 515 meals per day and provide a warm bed for more than 60 people per night this winter.

The shelter needs to raise $400,000 annually to maintain its services and it’s asking the community to help them raise $150,000 for their Christmas Appeal.

“It is difficult if we don’t raise that goal. Services would have to be cut,” said executive director Cal Rankin.

The residential program would be the first to see cuts. Rankin said the residents would have to leave the shelter during the day because they wouldn’t be able to pay the staff to stay throughout the day.

“That has happened in years gone by,” he said. “Fortunately for the last 10 years, we’ve been successful at keeping our doors open, but that is the reality of it.”

In the last year, Shelter House has provide a bed to more than 2,000 individuals and provided 200,000 units of food service, including hot meals, bagged lunches and bagged groceries.

Donations can be made in person, by mail, phone or online at www.shelterhouse.on.ca; just follow the Canada Helps link.

Food donations are also accepted.