After successfully battling challenging economic times, charities in Ottawa now face another barrier due to the public transit strike.
Carolyn Hunter, agency relations manager for the Ottawa Food Bank, says the strike has affected their volunteer base as most of them are students, who depend on public transportation to get around the city.
Shirley Roy, media relations officer for the Ottawa Mission, says since they are located in downtown and do not have a huge parking space, volunteers and staff who are willing to drive have to pay huge amounts to park elsewhere. She says the strike restricts the mobility of their staff to offer their services to people in need.
The Salvation Army's Christmas Kettle Campaign in December lost 60 per cent of its volunteers on Dec. 10, the first day of the strike. “They called us to say that they cannot get there [to the kettle] without buses and hence, we had fewer kettles this time,” says Maidment.
The strike is causing problems, not only to the volunteers, but also people seeking assistance. People living in the Ottawa Mission shelter cannot move around to keep appointments, says Roy. The problem is greater if the appointment is for medical reasons.
The Snowsuit Fund did not suffer similar problems. Its campaign to collect snowsuits began as early as October and people had already collected their suits by the time the strike began.
The Kettle Campaign of the Salvation Army managed to raise more than its target of $500,000. However, the Salvation Army has seen a 20 per cent increase in the number of people seeking its services, says Maidment. At the Ottawa Mission, Roy says she has not seen a significant change in demand, though they are watching the figures closely. Armour from the Snowsuit Fund says people collected their suits earlier this year, probably fearing they might run out.
Officials from these charities say the response from the local community has been phenomenal in these difficult times. “People were thinking about the recession and the community heard our appeal and came forward with donations,” says Hunter.
Maidment says more people gave more money because they knew the campaign was being affected.
Besides the support from the local community, some charities have taken up measures to cope with the problem themselves.
The Ottawa Food Bank has asked its agencies to recruit more volunteers. Some volunteers have even offered to deliver food to people if there is a need.
“We try and find solutions on an individual basis,” says Hunter.