Open to all members of society, Our Daily Bread (or ODB, as it’s infamously called) has been Nelson’s only community lunch program for the past 17 years. Inspired by our non-profit charity, this involves “taking responsibility for the well-being of our community, both locally and from surrounding communities, in an environment of love and integrity.” No one should go hungry.

 

ODB, located directly above SHARE Nelson, offers an all-inclusive hot lunch service, Monday through Friday of each week from 11:30pm - 12:50pm; serving an average of 45 lunches per day. Significant portions of affordable, nutritional meals are prepared on site for a nominal donation, or in exchange for volunteerism in some cases. One meal is a $5.00 donation or a meal card of 22 meals is $20.00. For Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving holidays, evening dinners have been offered free of charge, which seat around 100 people of all ages. Due to Covid and safety regulations they have been put on hold. We are transitioning slowly and we hope to offer these dinners again when safe to do so.

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Beneath the surface, the facility of Our Daily Bread also provides space for other support systems. These services include nursing students who regularly offer basic medical care services; art therapy practitioners occasionally offer therapeutic sessions; street outreach workers offer social work support and volunteer/ student practicum positions help others to build skills that can help to secure future work and/or provide opportunities to nourish their own lives by serving others. Spiritual counselling, inspiration and practical efforts are also offered by pastors to help build stronger foundations in the lives of those seeking guidance.

 

S.H.A.R.E. Nelson acquires household and clothing donations from our community to re-sell at affordable prices. Profits from SHARE's sales, provide a portion of revenue to support the achievement of Our Daily Bread. Dinner and auction events, sponsorships, grants, and donations also provide a portion of revenue. The operation of Our Daily Bread is consistently contingent on fundraising initiatives beyond these sources, largely due to the time commitments required for, and expenses related to our general operations. This ongoing uncertainty prevents us from fulfilling our mission to the depth of our intention and awareness of need that the stability of your generous support would help us to achieve.

 

Prior to Covid we also offered a continental breakfast service to an average of 35 people each morning. This ceased due to the increased requirements to comply with health orders and maintain public safety. We would like to resume this service, but it is contingent on our ability to stabilize our operations, including funding an additional support worker. This organizational position would broaden our capacity to engage more effectively with clients and other local social service providers. Doing so will help us to clearly identify and meet the needs of those in our community who most need our support, while easing the ongoing demands of our general operations.

 

We would be thankful for any financial reinforcement to help us to secure our foundation while continuing to offer affordable nutrition, services, and referrals to our community members while expanding and stabilizing our capacity to meet their needs.