News & Updates - Ray of Hope

April 16, 2023

Ray of Hope celebrated National Volunteer Week the week of April 16-22nd. We are grateful for the 1350 volunteers who served over 17,500 hours over this past year. Thank you to our volunteers! We could not do what we do without you.

August 8, 2022

In March 2022, Ray of Hope’s Board of Directors and Senior Management Teams developed the 2022-2025 strategic plan. The plan identifies five goals to help Ray of Hope meet its Mission, Vision and Action statements. We are excited to share this plan with you. You can read a PDF copy of it here: Strategic Planning 2022-25

September 7, 2021

News Release >> The Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario, Dr. Kieran Moore, has mandated vaccinations for specific sectors. The Government of Ontario also announced last week that proof of vaccination will the required of those eligible to access certain non-essential services.

As a community organization serving vulnerable populations, Ray of Hope welcomes this directive. From the beginning of this pandemic, we have maintained that the health and safety of staff and the persons we support be our paramount concern. While we cannot mandate vaccines for the people we support, the best way to put a “ring of protection” around the vulnerable individuals we serve is for Ray of Hope staff, volunteers, contractors, and students to be fully vaccinated.

Given the current best practice for those working with vulnerable populations, and in light of these government announcements, Ray of Hope is implementing a mandatory vaccination policy for all staff, volunteers, contractors, and students.

At Ray of Hope, we believe the health and safety of our employees, our volunteers and our community is a responsibility we all share. Requiring proof of vaccination puts community safety first and contributes to stopping the spread of COVID-19 and it’s variants. As the Province continues to open up and Ontario enters the 4^th wave of COVID-19, particularly with the highly transmissible Delta variant spreading, it is the view of our public health officials that vaccination is an important step in protecting vulnerable communities. Ray of Hope encourages everyone to get vaccinated.

March 5, 2021

RELEASE >> On Monday, March 1, Ray of Hope was informed by the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services (MCCSS) that our Open Detention & Custody program was to be closed effective immediately. This program, formally known as Hope Harbour, provided eight (8) beds for male youth who were in conflict with the law and were either placed in Detention or sentenced to Open Custody. The youths who were in our program at the time were transferred to another Open Custody facility by the end of the day. 10 full-time and 12 part-time Ray of Hope staff are directly impacted by this closure.
This decision by MCCSS is part of a larger province-wide cost savings initiative, which will see the eventual closure of 26 youth justice facilities.
All other Ray of Hope programs, the Community Centre, Secure Custody, Youth Addiction Services, and Youth Employment Services remain open and continue to provide daily services as per usual.
~ Tonya Verburg, CEO

January 14, 2021

Ray of Hope services continue to operate during the provincial stay-at-home order – this includes but is not limited to: our daily meal program & the Marketplace hamper program. For further inquiries about programs, email info@rayofhope.net or call 519-578-8018.

November 18, 2020

This past Monday (Nov. 16), the Ray of Hope Community Centre changed the hours they are open from 9 AM – 9 PM.

This increase allows for daytime drop-in and new program opportunities for our guests.

Dinner will still be served at 7 PM and the Marketplace will continue to be open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings.

October 19, 2020

The Ray of Hope Community Centre has expanded community drop-in hours – beginning October 19th, the Community Centre will be open from 2PM to 9PM.

September 1, 2020

We are excited to announce that the Ray of Hope Community Centre has resumed serving sit-down meals. In order to maintain the appropriate social distancing with a post-meal cleaning, we are limiting the number of guests in the dinning room to 30, with three different sittings at 7:00, 7:30, and 8:00 PM. Take-out meals continue to be offered to those who want them.

July 10, 2020

We are thrilled to announce that our Marketplace food hamper program is open again!

The Marketplace will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from 9:30am – 12:00pm serving prepacked hampers on a first come, first serve basis. Please note that we will ONLY be serving people from the downtown core & Kitchener East, and individuals who have no fixed address.

If you’re unsure of where to pick up your hamper, visit the Network Map or call the Food Bank of Waterloo Region at 519-743-5576.

July 3, 2020

Ray of Hope and House of Friendship are excited to be working together to provide a temporary emergency shelter to men experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region at the new ‘House of Hope.’ Read more about this initiative here: Media Release – House of Hope

June 24, 2020

Our Youth Addiction Services (YAS) have transformed their regular Parent Support group into the Summer Virtual Series, a collection of four ZOOM based workshops that support all parents, regardless of whether they have youth in treatment or not. Topics include Serenity Prayer (July 7), The Expectations (July 21), Stress Management (Aug 11), and Grieving (Aug 25). Each sessions will run from 6:30 – 8:30 PM and is facilitated by three of our amazing YAS staff. Email yasinquiries@rayofhope.net today for more information and registration.

May 19, 2020

– Our latest UPDATE on Ray of Hope’s response to COVID-19

> Morning Glory Café at Heffner Toyota will reopen on May 20th for Take-Out Meals only. They will be open from 7 AM – 3 PM and have a new streamlined menu.
> Morning Glory Catering is beginning to ramp up operations this week.
> Our Youth Employment Program is now preparing for a proposed June 1st launch, with two weeks of recruitment and participant selection

May 5, 2020

– Our latest UPDATE on Ray of Hope’s response to COVID-19
> In collaboration with the Region of Waterloo, The Working Centre, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region and other Community Support Control Group partners, Ray of Hope is now providing daily lunches for a new drop-in for vulnerable adults at St. John’s Kitchen. This daytime space will be open daily from 10 AM – 4 PM and offers food, washrooms, showers, laundry, harm reduction supplies, and connections to emergency shelter and housing.
> St John Ambulance KW, in partnership with the Inner City Health Alliance, have stationed their Medical First Response trailer in the Ray of Hope Community Centre parking lot. They are now providing direct support to our guests in the form of first aid, wellness checks, COVID-19 education & screening.
> Morning Glory Café & Catering is now available to create Front-Line Box Lunches.

April 28, 2020

– Our latest UPDATE on Ray of Hope’s response to COVID-19
> The Ray of Hope Community Centre has made laundry facilities available to guests who sign up with staff.
> Morning Glory Café & Catering is now available to create Front-Line Box Lunches.
> Our Residential Treatment staff are working within a new normal, which is conducting addiction treatment/therapy while wearing a mask or even perhaps a face shield. With the close proximity of a house setting, these measures, although uncomfortable & exhausting, are necessary to keep everyone healthy and safe.

April 20, 2020

– Our latest UPDATE on Ray of Hope’s response to COVID-19

> Laundry services are now available – guests should notify staff at the time of picking up meals to sign up for a laundry time-slot.
> The Community Centre continues to serve TAKE-OUT MEALS only (Mon-Fri 7:00-8:30 / Sat 12:00-1:30 / Sun 4:30-6:00).
> We have limited the number of ROHCC staff & volunteers helping prepare/serve the daily take-out meal.
> The Marketplace is no longer distributing food hampers. Those looking for food support in this way will need to connect with one of the Vital Services hamper programs – https://www.thefoodbank.ca/vitalservice/

April 15, 2020

In consultation with Public Health and other service providers, we are re-examining what prioritized services the Ray of Hope Community Centre can provide our community without putting guests, staff, and volunteers at greater risk.

April 6, 2020

March 30, 2020

– Our latest UPDATE on Ray of Hope’s response to COVID-19
> The Community Centre continues to serve TAKE-OUT MEALS only (Mon-Fri 7:00-8:30 / Sat 12:00-1:30 / Sun 4:30-6:00).
> We have limited the number of ROHCC staff & volunteers helping prepare/serve the daily take-out meal.
> The Marketplace is no longer distributing food hampers. Those looking for food support in this way will need to connect with one of the Vital Services hamper programs – https://www.thefoodbank.ca/vitalservice/
> Our agency started using a self-screening tool last week for all staff before they start their shift. This will help ensure the health of all staff and clients.
> Our Youth Addiction program will accept new admissions, where the admission and treatment is conducted by Community Based & Day Treatment staff over the phone or through video conferencing. They can be reached at 519-743-2311 or yasinquiries@rayofhope.net.
> Youth Employment staff are now checking in with participants to see if they need help accessing government aid in the event they have been laid off.

March 23, 2020

– Here is an UPDATE on Ray of Hope’s response to COVID-19:
> The Marketplace is no longer distributing food hampers. Those looking for food support in this way will need to connect with one of the Vital Services hamper programs – https://www.thefoodbank.ca/vitalservice/
> The Community Centre is now serving TAKE-OUT MEALS ONLY (Mon-Fri 7:00-8:30 / Sat 12:00-1:30 / Sun 4:30-6:00), with no other programming or services available at this time.
> We have also made the decision to close the Morning Glory Café & Catering at Heffner Toyota for the time being. Thank you to the Heffner staff & customers for their faithful support of the cafe.
> Young people struggling can contact our Youth Addiction staff by calling 519-743-2311 or emailing yasinquiries@rayofhope.net.