Beginning March 19, we’re going to be holding weekly Facebook Live sessions from 7:00-8:00 p.m., answering your questions about how to navigate life during this COVID-19 pandemic. It’s called COVID CONVO (yeah, it’s a cheesy name and that’s the way we like it!).
You’ll be able to ask questions during the broadcast, but you can help out by submitting a question in advance!
Make sure you have liked www.facebook.com/sunshinehousewpg so you'll be notified when the broadcast starts!
As part of our continuing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and our work to support the community in caring, ethical ways, we are putting out a call for donations of goods!
Here is our list of most-needed items:
Fresh food: meat, fruit, vegetables
Canned food: meat, fruit
Toilet paper
Bleach
Dish soap
All-purpose cleaner
Pasta
Canned foods: meat and fruit
Puzzle books (crossword, sudoku, word search)
VHS and DVDs
CDs
Socks and underwear
Click here to schedule a drop-off time!
We are also accepting monetary donations, which you can make at our Donate page.
Thank you so much for your support during this time!
Updated: Mar 31
UPDATE — TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020
Drop-in is reduced to one hour per day we are open.
Folks can pick up food and supplies and then depart.
There is a limit of ten guests in our space at any one time.
We are delivering groceries and household supplies to Sunshine House participants on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Brunch is still happening on Sunday, but it is take-out only.
The Sunshine House board and staff are working collaboratively with health care providers, medical professionals and community members to respond appropriately to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of now, we will continue to offer the following vital services to our participants:
Meal preparation
Provision of supplies
General social support
The following components of Sunshine House programming are cancelled for the forseeable future:
Special events, including Bingo and Chase the Ace
Street Feet
Recreational activities at Drop-In and Like That
Clothing and furniture donation drop-offs
During drop-in hours, there will be a limit on the number of people that can be in our space at one time. Staff are following very regimented and strict sanitization procedures.
All staff and community members are advised to stay home if they are feeling at all unwell. If participants require provisions and are unable to come to Sunshine House, they can contact us to make arrangements for a delivery.
We are providing information to the participants as it comes in and trying to develop plans and strategies for community members to deal with this crisis. We are also working with the people we have established relationships with to ensure their needs are met as best as possible during this time.
We have partnered with Eadha Sourdough Bakery to provide bread deliveries to those in need in the downtown area.
Shutting down our meal and snack services would mean that our participants would have no option but to rely on other organizations in the city that are already overburdened. Additionally, many of our participants do not have internet access, or other forms of media, in their homes (if they are housed). Self-isolating could have severe repercussions on their well-being. We are looking at a variety of alternatives to provide support for our communities.
Many members of the Sunshine House community have very real concerns about their day-to-day survival, and we want to make sure that we are using our capacity to care for them in this time of heightened stress.
As we all know, the situation is evolving quickly, and these current policies are subject to change. Want to help? We are accepting donations of:
Packaged food
Hygiene supplies
Monetary support (Donate online at https://www.sunshinehousewpg.org/donate)
To donate money, visit https://www.sunshinehousewpg.org/donate. For food and supplies donations, please call or email to make an appointment for drop off! (204-783-8565, executivedirector@sunshinehousewpg.org)
Further updates to our COVID-19 response will be posted here on our website, www.sunshinehousewpg.org.
Thank you to the Winnipeg Foundation for providing operational funding during this crisis.