From now until the end of December, Mission Services of London is running their Scan Away Hunger campaign at participating stores in London. Through participating stores in London, including Metro, Remark, Food Basics, Valu-Mart, and their Mission Store, it’s a virtual way to support those within the community.
“When you get to the grocery checkout with your items, you can add $3.11 to your bill,” syas Nicole Case from Mission Services of London. “That is the average cost for us to provide a meal to a person in need.”
Mission Services of London has been working for 70 years within the city, providing five different branches of services:
Mission Store – Clothing, housewares, electronics, toys and games, footwear, linens, jewelry, sports, seasonal, and more (All items tax-free).
Men’s Mission – a 146-bed facility that functions as an emergency hostel for men experiencing homeless age 16 and over. As well as a residence for men who require longer term care and support.
Community Mental Health Programs (CHMP) – offers various support services to assist the needs of people experiencing homelessness, those “at risk” of becoming homeless, as well as those experiencing mental health and addiction issues.
Rotholme Women’s & Family Shelter – Holding accommodation for up to twenty families, the shelter offers twenty-four hour emergency admission for families who are homeless or in personal crisis and in need of temporary emergency accommodation.
Quintin Warner House – A 10 bed addiction treatment centre providing a four-month live-in program for males 18 years of age and older.
“The Scan Away Hunger Campaign goes to support the meal programs at Men’s Mission, Rotholme, and Quintin Warner House as well,” says Case.
The campaign goal for 2021 is $100, 000, equalling out to 32,154 meals. In 2020, that same goal was surpassed by over $14,000. Case says they were blown away by the support.
“It was a difficult year with everything happening with the pandemic, and providing our services throughout all the various lock downs. So we were very touched by how much support we received last year through the campaign.”
Adding the it’s always hard to predict how campaigns, like Scan Away Hunger, are going to go. But they are optimistic again this year, saying London is a community that cares.
“I don’t ever want to discourage anybody from getting involved. With Scan Away Hunger, $3 can feed somebody a meal. It’s sometimes the little things that add up. So we’re extremely grateful for all of our community support, regardless of the donation amount. It’s more than just the figure, it’s that feeling of support and you can’t put a price tag on that.”
For more information on the Scan Away Hunger campaign presented by Mission Services of London, visit the contest page.
To donate online, click here.
Image Credits: Mission Services of London/Twitter
