Today we:

• met Patti! She’s from the Shuswap Family Resource Center and was FULL of information:
  • ALL THEIR SERVICES ARE FREE
  • They fundraise and apply for grants…and get stuff done (obviously)
  • There is a huge waitlist for youth counselling (they’re hired another counsellor to help deal with the volume)
  • They need a van to transport youth, the elderly, and anyone who needs it, really.
  • There is no youth shelter in Salmon Arm. If you’re young and homeless…there is literally no official place to take you in.
  • The demographic MAJORITY using their services are NOT low-income. 2/3 of our population accessing SFRC are middle class.
  • The opioid crisis is mostly hurting men between 20-40 (I’m generalizing a bit here) and they are dying at home, not on the street. These might be our brothers? Uncles? Dads? What it is is scary…

What now?

• We need to book a field trip to check out their center. That’s a Mrs. LaFleur job.
• We need to come up with ways to support the SFRC:
  • Food bags
  • Yard work
  • Youth mentorship ** (Patti is going to look into training)
  • Cooking
  • Breakfast program (At the center? At school?)
  • Christmas gifts (2 weeks of help required)