Ephesians 2:10 ...join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." (The Message)

 Mission Update:  Project417 - Andy Coats

Your Donations at Work:

 Project417 Sandwich Runs

At Ekklesia Inner City Ministries - Project417 we've been running this outreach to the homeless in Toronto for more than a decade and can assure you a rewarding experience in volunteering amongst the homeless street population of the inner city. A "sandwich run" is simply a group of volunteers delivering nutritious bag lunches to street people by walking well travelled routes in the downtown area where the homeless live (we don't always run ; ) . The primary purpose, beyond delivering the meal, is to have our team leaders regularily checking up on the homeless - making sure they are healthy and safe. It is a relational outreach, that is, in addition to delivering a meal to a hungry person, hopefully dialogue will occur and bridges of trust strengthened.

This year alone, Project417 has hosted over two thousand volunteers, both local and even groups from across Canada, the U.S. and overseas. High school classes, university students, corporate volunteers, local church groups and short term mission teams. Since the sandwich runs began, that means that close to one hundred thousand meals have been delivered to the homeless right out on the streets. Also, we deliver more than just bag lunches - with the help of your donations we can provide the street people with clothing, socks, gloves, hats and toques, sleeping bags and blankets and hygeine kits with toothpaste, soap, shampoo, first-aid supplies and sanitary items. Most of all we deliver a smile and kind words.

Many other Toronto charitable organizations have modelled our sandwich run outreach and this means that the homeless in many areas of the city live a much safer life than ten years ago when many died outside of neglect. Associates in Vancouver also carry out sandwich run programs there and have recently planted a program in urban Tacoma, WA. The Project417 outreach remains unique in that we don't charge volunteer groups a fee to come out with us and we all involve our volunteers in the entire process from making the sandwiches to assembling the bag lunches. The bag lunch contents might seem plain to some, but have developed in consultation with public health nurses and nutritionists. Well meaning volunteers who do their own sandwich runs without coordinating with Project417 or other trained professionals, often deliver bag lunches with food items that spoil quickly and can even cause the homeless to become sick. Check here for the Project417 guideleines.

Project417 provides trained staff and experienced volunteer team leaders to go out with your group and take you to where the need is greatest. Our routes are constantly being revised to serve the transient circumstances of the homeless - often updated daily during the staff outreach workers feeback. This also offers you as volunteers a safer and more educational experience. Toronto has taken a hard-line approach to the delivering of meals to the homeless by volunteer groups in the downtown core and parks, saying it inhibits tourism. Various departments and bylaw officers have asked some, especially unsupervised groups from outside the city, not to return unless coordinated with a recognized inner city organization.

By far the greatest number of volunteer groups visiting Project417 are the great teams with CSM - the Center for Student Missions, more than 20 teams this year. Here are some comments sent to their Toronto City Director, Jenn Reimer: "I've been wanting to write to just again say THANK YOU for directing such a wonderful, powerful, and positively impacting time for our Quincy, Illinois group in July! The kids are STILL talking about it... and they will be probably for the rest of their lives when they remember youth group days... And [the leaders] and myself also think very highly of our time there... The parents of these kids could tell right away how much this trip meant to everyone and now during the next school year, we'll be doing more service-oriented projects..." Visit CSM here to find out more about short term missions with CSM and see an awesome video on Toronto outreach (watch for cameos by your truly : )

Matthew 9:38 Awards - Volunteers: "Love in Action". Richmond Hill Chinese Community Church - 200 - their "40 Days of Community Service", Purpose Driven Life Open Door Korean Church, North York , ON - 20 - Student Fellowship - monthly volunteers Earl Haig Secondary School, Scarborough, ON - 8 - Social Studies class field trip Salvation Army Corps 614 -12 - Liverpool, UK; Toronto, ON and Birmingham, AL Christian Worship band: High Valley, La Crête, Alberta - 6 - 2003 Vibe ,2002 CCMA Award nominees Ambassadors for Christ (AFC), Toronto, ON - 24 - four outreach teams, Coordinator - Mrs. Paula Tom Urban Promise Toronto , ON - 30 - summer Short -term Youth Mission teams Sheridan College, Brampton, ON - 18 - Social Service Worker program placement students 2003-05 Immanuel Christian Reformed Church, Brampton, ON - 30 - Youth fellowship annual outreach Fellowship Baptist Church, Burford, ON - 50 - Youth fellowship First Presbyterian, Quincy, IL - 35 - Youth group short-term summer mission with CSM Inwood United Church, Inwood, ON - 30 - Youth summer short-term mission Mississauga Chinese Baptist Church - 20 - W.A.Y. (Witnessing as Youth)Teen Fellowship Centennial College, Toronto, ON - 5 - School of Journalism, Interview course assignment Chapel Place Presbyterian Church, Markham, ON - 30 - adult fellowship team North York Chinese Community Church, ON - 25 - fellowship group Y.W.A.M. Orlando, FL - 12 - Youth With A Mission, Short-term summer mission team And all the CSM Short-term teams from: Grand Rapids, Michigan; Little Rock, Arkansas; Madison, Wisconsin; Kansas City, Missouri; Nebraska; Boulder, Colorado; Manitoba; Alberta; Elmira, Ontario; Dayton, Ohio; Saskatchewan; North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Indiana; London, ON, Sarnia, ON.

Matthew 9:38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. NIV

  For more info email andyc @ project417.com