The auditorium at the Church of Our Lady was filled with mouth-watering scents on Sept. 25-26, wafting from each plate served at the Harvest Banquet to the room full of generous attendees.
For the third year in a row, Riverside Mission invited community members to enjoy a four-course meal orchestrated by Riverside Mission services manager Rachel Mullins and put together by volunteers, served by students from Vanier Collegiate.
Following the filling meal, the organization then presented a short program to show what they do in the community, featuring voices of both volunteers and clients of the mission.
Each person who took the stage offered a different perspective of how being involved in Riverside Mission has affected their lives, either through the daily meal program or one of the other support programs offered.
The executive director of Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in Regina, Joe Miller, also took the stage to say a few words about the future of the organization, now that a merging of the two missions is underway.
Miller noted there are big plans to relocate Riverside Mission and it's services to a new facility, one yet to be built. The idea is to replace the two buildings currently operated by Riverside Mission, both of which are 100 years old and offer maintenance challenges.
“We're hoping to start construction for that in the spring of 2021,” said Miller.
The new building will house all of the amenities currently offered by Riverside Mission, including 22 affordable living suites, a restaurant, a retail store to provide work experience, and space for on-site services such as counseling or health consulting.
All of the lodging in the new facility will be available to men, women, and children, which will be a change from the Mission’s current state as a men’s shelter.
“Our vision is really for a community centre,” said Miller. “It's really much more than a new Riverside Mission. It's a community centre where other people can come together.”
A new facility could open the organization up to potentially expanding services in the future.
“[The new centre means] we can bring these resources together and be the hub for the community and the people who need those services,” said Miller. “Five years down the road, things can change as the need change as well.”
Riverside Mission’s annual operating budget is about $350,000, and the Harvest Banquet as a fundraiser can provide about 10 per cent of that budget. Those funds are put towards programming, building maintenance, paying staff — keeping the organization’s doors open.
Any outside projects will need continued support from the community to make them possible, including the facility expansion. Miller is optimistic that the community will continue to give their help.
“[Moose Jaw] has always rallied around the Mission and been able to help us raise the funds we need for the day-to-day operations,” said Miller. “I like to use the words, 'love your neighbour like you love yourself,' and I think the community does that very well.”
