Ro Mullins, Administrator Inner City Home
May 2023
Happy May to you all! The weather is starting to clear up and we’re gearing up for a busy summer at Inner-City Home. Usually in the summer months, things tend to wind down as everyone heads out for their summer holidays – this year, I’m so pleased (and relieved!) to tell you that we’re seeing more community support than expected! Partnerships are so important to us because without them, we couldn’t do what we do.
In the last month alone, we’ve worked with Knights of Columbus, Shriners’, Lion’s Club, Delta Bingo and Gaming, United Way, Glad Tidings, Catholic Women’s League, Sudbury 5, Sudbury Wolves, Queen E Elementary, Aaron’s Taxi – there have been so many partners, I can’t even name them all! Whether it’s food, cash, hygiene products or volunteerism, we appreciate every single effort put forward by Greater Sudbury.
Our needs have increased significantly in the past year (close to 40%) due to the ever-increasing cost of food, rent, gas and utilities. We have had to purchase more food than ever before and so every donation that comes through our door goes to excellent use. We are so proud to have so many amazing friends in the community who support us both, year-round and with one-time donations.
It always seems that someone comes through in the exact moment we need something. There have been so many times where I’ve thought to myself in the morning, “Oh man, where are we going to get 50 jars of peanut butter today?” and the phone would ring a few minutes later… a community member would respond with “We just did a food drive and have 50 loaves of bread and 50 jars of peanut butter for you. Can we drop it off?” Let me tell you, there have been many moments like this where I’ve stood shocked that people seem to know exactly what we need even before we need it!
Inner-City Home would like to thank all of our partners and donors (whether mentioned above or not). Every time you donate or offer help, it boosts our resolve to continue offering a helping hand to those who are struggling in our community.
If you’d like to partner with us or make a donation, please contact me directly at [email protected] or 705-675-7550. Thank you, everyone! Ro
April 2023
Hi again! Today, I’d like to tell you about the Life-Skills Programming that we offer at Inner-City Home. Nope, we’re not just a food bank! We offer courses to anyone over the age of 18, completely free of charge. People can self-refer to our programming but we are also recognized by community agencies such as the court system, Children’s Aid Society, Canadian Mental Health and many other partners.
Our programming started many years ago with Anger Management and Budgeting courses. Over the years, we’ve grown and changed our focus to include a wide variety of Life-Skills opportunities. We even modified the names of our programming to reflect the idea of focus. For example, instead of “Anger” Management we like to “Manage” the anger. We run Managing Anger, Managing Stress, Managing Money, Building Self-Esteem, Conflict-free Communication and this month, we’re very excited to roll out Managing Grief.
All of our courses (except Managing Money) run for three hours, once a week for six weeks. Participants must attend all six courses to receive their certificates. Managing Money is a one-day course offered periodically.
The staff and volunteers who facilitate the programs work diligently to make sure that the learning environment is safe and inclusive for all participants.
From April 2022 to March 2023, we saw 225 graduates of our programs. To me, this is an incredible number because if the course material serves its purpose, it not only affects the participant but their family, friends, co-workers and community that are in contact with them. Graduates of these programs often stay out of jail longer, regain access to their children and heal wounded relationships. I’m very proud of our programming and the participants are dear to my heart.
We’re fully funded by community donors and United Way. If you are interested in supporting the programming, please contact me (Ro Mullen) at 705-675-7550.
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from our programming, please don’t hesitate to contact Émilie at 249-360-7551 or [email protected].
May 2023
Happy May to you all! The weather is starting to clear up and we’re gearing up for a busy summer at Inner-City Home. Usually in the summer months, things tend to wind down as everyone heads out for their summer holidays – this year, I’m so pleased (and relieved!) to tell you that we’re seeing more community support than expected! Partnerships are so important to us because without them, we couldn’t do what we do.
In the last month alone, we’ve worked with Knights of Columbus, Shriners’, Lion’s Club, Delta Bingo and Gaming, United Way, Glad Tidings, Catholic Women’s League, Sudbury 5, Sudbury Wolves, Queen E Elementary, Aaron’s Taxi – there have been so many partners, I can’t even name them all! Whether it’s food, cash, hygiene products or volunteerism, we appreciate every single effort put forward by Greater Sudbury.
Our needs have increased significantly in the past year (close to 40%) due to the ever-increasing cost of food, rent, gas and utilities. We have had to purchase more food than ever before and so every donation that comes through our door goes to excellent use. We are so proud to have so many amazing friends in the community who support us both, year-round and with one-time donations.
It always seems that someone comes through in the exact moment we need something. There have been so many times where I’ve thought to myself in the morning, “Oh man, where are we going to get 50 jars of peanut butter today?” and the phone would ring a few minutes later… a community member would respond with “We just did a food drive and have 50 loaves of bread and 50 jars of peanut butter for you. Can we drop it off?” Let me tell you, there have been many moments like this where I’ve stood shocked that people seem to know exactly what we need even before we need it!
Inner-City Home would like to thank all of our partners and donors (whether mentioned above or not). Every time you donate or offer help, it boosts our resolve to continue offering a helping hand to those who are struggling in our community.
If you’d like to partner with us or make a donation, please contact me directly at [email protected] or 705-675-7550. Thank you, everyone! Ro
April 2023
Hi again! Today, I’d like to tell you about the Life-Skills Programming that we offer at Inner-City Home. Nope, we’re not just a food bank! We offer courses to anyone over the age of 18, completely free of charge. People can self-refer to our programming but we are also recognized by community agencies such as the court system, Children’s Aid Society, Canadian Mental Health and many other partners.
Our programming started many years ago with Anger Management and Budgeting courses. Over the years, we’ve grown and changed our focus to include a wide variety of Life-Skills opportunities. We even modified the names of our programming to reflect the idea of focus. For example, instead of “Anger” Management we like to “Manage” the anger. We run Managing Anger, Managing Stress, Managing Money, Building Self-Esteem, Conflict-free Communication and this month, we’re very excited to roll out Managing Grief.
All of our courses (except Managing Money) run for three hours, once a week for six weeks. Participants must attend all six courses to receive their certificates. Managing Money is a one-day course offered periodically.
The staff and volunteers who facilitate the programs work diligently to make sure that the learning environment is safe and inclusive for all participants.
From April 2022 to March 2023, we saw 225 graduates of our programs. To me, this is an incredible number because if the course material serves its purpose, it not only affects the participant but their family, friends, co-workers and community that are in contact with them. Graduates of these programs often stay out of jail longer, regain access to their children and heal wounded relationships. I’m very proud of our programming and the participants are dear to my heart.
We’re fully funded by community donors and United Way. If you are interested in supporting the programming, please contact me (Ro Mullen) at 705-675-7550.
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from our programming, please don’t hesitate to contact Émilie at 249-360-7551 or [email protected].
Ro Mullins
March, 2023
Foyer Inner-City Home de/of Sudbury is a bustling place! Over the years, our food bank has become the largest food bank in Greater Sudbury. In 2021, we served 7574 households (11,906 individuals) and increased in 2022 to 7813 households (13,677 individuals). So far in 2023, we’ve already served 1885 households (3374 individuals).
Clients are welcome to come if they live in our catchment area once every thirty days. We provide approximately five days worth of food. We supply non-perishable items as well as meat, eggs, milk, bread, fruit, vegetables. Sometimes our clients are monthly recipients of food bank orders due to their circumstances, but we also have people who only utilize our services once or twice in a lifetime during a personal emergency.
A heart-warming story to leave you with for this month: One of our clients came to us in a desperate situation a little over a year ago. She only accessed the food bank twice but it helped her and her family through that very tough period. Several months later, I got called to my office and that woman was sitting crying. My heart sunk as I thought something terrible had happened. To my surprise, she pulled out $1000 cash and handed it to me! Through her tears, she explained that her situation had changed drastically and that because we had helped her during her most difficult time, she wanted to help us. She went on to say that we hadn’t judged her and offered help with kindness and love. She said she felt that we helped her to feel special in a time when she didn’t feel special. The dignity and integrity that we served with inspired her to make sure that she kept going. Our volunteers and staff serve everyone knowing that we are often seeing them in the lowest point in their lives. We never expect repayment of any kind. However, from time to time someone will call us after the fact and thank us for how we’ve helped them – or in this case, bless us with a generous monetary donation.
It’s because of groups and community partners (like yours!) that we can continue to serve clients in the throws of difficulty. Thank you for all that you do and I look forward to telling you more about our Programming next month.
Yours in Service,
Ro Mulle
Foyer Inner-City Home de/of Sudbury is a bustling place! Over the years, our food bank has become the largest food bank in Greater Sudbury. In 2021, we served 7574 households (11,906 individuals) and increased in 2022 to 7813 households (13,677 individuals). So far in 2023, we’ve already served 1885 households (3374 individuals).
Clients are welcome to come if they live in our catchment area once every thirty days. We provide approximately five days worth of food. We supply non-perishable items as well as meat, eggs, milk, bread, fruit, vegetables. Sometimes our clients are monthly recipients of food bank orders due to their circumstances, but we also have people who only utilize our services once or twice in a lifetime during a personal emergency.
A heart-warming story to leave you with for this month: One of our clients came to us in a desperate situation a little over a year ago. She only accessed the food bank twice but it helped her and her family through that very tough period. Several months later, I got called to my office and that woman was sitting crying. My heart sunk as I thought something terrible had happened. To my surprise, she pulled out $1000 cash and handed it to me! Through her tears, she explained that her situation had changed drastically and that because we had helped her during her most difficult time, she wanted to help us. She went on to say that we hadn’t judged her and offered help with kindness and love. She said she felt that we helped her to feel special in a time when she didn’t feel special. The dignity and integrity that we served with inspired her to make sure that she kept going. Our volunteers and staff serve everyone knowing that we are often seeing them in the lowest point in their lives. We never expect repayment of any kind. However, from time to time someone will call us after the fact and thank us for how we’ve helped them – or in this case, bless us with a generous monetary donation.
It’s because of groups and community partners (like yours!) that we can continue to serve clients in the throws of difficulty. Thank you for all that you do and I look forward to telling you more about our Programming next month.
Yours in Service,
Ro Mulle
Foyer Inner-City Home de/of Sudbury
My name is Ro Mullen and I’m the Administrator at Inner-City Home. We’ve been in service to the community since 1986 and are currently the largest food bank in Sudbury. Inner-City serves approximately 700 households a month. There are two locations – one at 251 Elm St. and one at 1169 Dollard Ave. We also run Life-Skills Programs completely free of charge to anyone over the age of 18. Programs available are Managing Anger, Managing Stress, Managing Money, Building Self-Esteem and Conflict-Free Communication. We’ve also got Managing Grief in the works and are hoping to launch that in April.
Over the next few months, I’d like to share some stories with you about some of the challenges we face and heart-warming stories of success. I’ll also describe how you, as the community, can help us with our mission of “Proving helping hands to the isolated and vulnerable.”
This month I’d like to highlight our amazing volunteers. We have 85 active volunteers between the two locations who are loyal and dedicated to service. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and from all stages of life. Without them, we would never be able to serve the numbers of clients that we see come through our doors. They are compassionate, empathetic and love what they do. I, personally, would like to thank them for all that they do!
Stay tuned for upcoming news and adventures from Foyer Inner-City Home de/of Sudbury.
My name is Ro Mullen and I’m the Administrator at Inner-City Home. We’ve been in service to the community since 1986 and are currently the largest food bank in Sudbury. Inner-City serves approximately 700 households a month. There are two locations – one at 251 Elm St. and one at 1169 Dollard Ave. We also run Life-Skills Programs completely free of charge to anyone over the age of 18. Programs available are Managing Anger, Managing Stress, Managing Money, Building Self-Esteem and Conflict-Free Communication. We’ve also got Managing Grief in the works and are hoping to launch that in April.
Over the next few months, I’d like to share some stories with you about some of the challenges we face and heart-warming stories of success. I’ll also describe how you, as the community, can help us with our mission of “Proving helping hands to the isolated and vulnerable.”
This month I’d like to highlight our amazing volunteers. We have 85 active volunteers between the two locations who are loyal and dedicated to service. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and from all stages of life. Without them, we would never be able to serve the numbers of clients that we see come through our doors. They are compassionate, empathetic and love what they do. I, personally, would like to thank them for all that they do!
Stay tuned for upcoming news and adventures from Foyer Inner-City Home de/of Sudbury.
Aaron Murphy
So recently my wife and I have been attending mass at St Alexander’s. We moved up to Hanmer. We tried the churches one after another to find one in which the kids won’t disrupt the mass. We have been to most of the English speaking churches in the Sudbury area at one time or another. It's an amazing little church that basically occupies an old school. The church proper is converted from the gymnasium and is carpeted and very nice and plenty roomy for post COVID level attendance. Meanwhile it has all the hallways and classrooms of a school. Some of them are rented out.
The knights have their own room with keypad lock. The council room remains decorated and ready for a meeting, with all the inspiring pictures and ambiance of a proper council room. Often lacking in these days where the knights feel like, and sometimes are unwelcome guests in their own churches. If you are eligible and you’d like to experience it, the meetings are every first wednesday. There is a food bank and also classrooms for children’s liturgy, Sunday school and a dedicated and functional kitchen and dining/hospitality room which is open after mass with tea/coffee, water, juice and little cakes and such every single Sunday after mass.
There are vacant rooms which Father Ken would love to rent to Faith groups and charities and the like but he seems open to whatever will work. You can find him in one of the rooms which is his office, you can register at the office, and enjoy a garden, all without going out the front door. I’m really looking forward to attending in the winter.
The Facebook page is lively and seems to be updated several times a day.
The best thing about any church is the people, and St Alexander’s has some great people, my friends in the knights and their families of course but also the nice lady who took the time to try and calm down my oldest when he was feeling particularly anxious for nearly 10 minutes during mass.
We have three special needs boys who have no intention of sitting still or being quiet. Of late this means that taking them all to mass has been beyond challenging. Certainly impossible for a parent to attempt single handedly. They make us bleed, in church, more often than not. Sorry, I know you were thinking aww shucks they can’t be that bad. Well they are. I expect they will get better with practice once we get them into the routine habit. They might even like it.
Definitely it seems like this is my particular best shot at easing my kids into a proper church life. We’ve made many attempts and haven't come this close before. If you’d like to witness the three ring circus that is trying to wrangle three special needs kids at church, feel free to meet us there, or maybe not, if I have to work that day. There are plenty of normal kids there by the way, for reference.
There is no need to worry about stairs, there aren’t any. The parking is ample, too. I wonder why all churches don’t have a similar set up, honestly.
The knights have their own room with keypad lock. The council room remains decorated and ready for a meeting, with all the inspiring pictures and ambiance of a proper council room. Often lacking in these days where the knights feel like, and sometimes are unwelcome guests in their own churches. If you are eligible and you’d like to experience it, the meetings are every first wednesday. There is a food bank and also classrooms for children’s liturgy, Sunday school and a dedicated and functional kitchen and dining/hospitality room which is open after mass with tea/coffee, water, juice and little cakes and such every single Sunday after mass.
There are vacant rooms which Father Ken would love to rent to Faith groups and charities and the like but he seems open to whatever will work. You can find him in one of the rooms which is his office, you can register at the office, and enjoy a garden, all without going out the front door. I’m really looking forward to attending in the winter.
The Facebook page is lively and seems to be updated several times a day.
The best thing about any church is the people, and St Alexander’s has some great people, my friends in the knights and their families of course but also the nice lady who took the time to try and calm down my oldest when he was feeling particularly anxious for nearly 10 minutes during mass.
We have three special needs boys who have no intention of sitting still or being quiet. Of late this means that taking them all to mass has been beyond challenging. Certainly impossible for a parent to attempt single handedly. They make us bleed, in church, more often than not. Sorry, I know you were thinking aww shucks they can’t be that bad. Well they are. I expect they will get better with practice once we get them into the routine habit. They might even like it.
Definitely it seems like this is my particular best shot at easing my kids into a proper church life. We’ve made many attempts and haven't come this close before. If you’d like to witness the three ring circus that is trying to wrangle three special needs kids at church, feel free to meet us there, or maybe not, if I have to work that day. There are plenty of normal kids there by the way, for reference.
There is no need to worry about stairs, there aren’t any. The parking is ample, too. I wonder why all churches don’t have a similar set up, honestly.