Jesus has a special place in His heart, for the widow, the orphan, and the poor. Since being involved in our city is part of the values of The Gathering, we wanted to partner with charitable organizations that reach out to those in need in the best way possible. The organization we felt that was doing the most effective job, is Ottawa Innercity Mission (OIM), which has a rich history of making a difference in the lives of the poor in the city of Ottawa. The Gathering partners with OIM on various initiatives as listed below (and others that may not be listed):

Sock Drive:
One of the biggest needs during winter months for the OIM is socks for the people who are living on the street. A couple pairs of clean dry socks can mean the difference between warm feet and frostbite. As a church we have decided to run a sock drive in the fall around Thanksgving each year, we call 'sock mountain' to collect socks to bring down to the OIM offices. Their volunteers take these socks, wash and massage the feet of the poor, and put our socks on them.

Christmas/Thanksgiving Dinners:
During these holidays, when we celebrate in the warmth of our homes, we often forget the loneliness, cold, and empty stomach of others. We encourage you to participate in preparing foods for these dinners, which are hosted by OIM, and both staffed and supplied by churches and individuals city-wide.

OIM Silent Auction:
Every year, the Ottawa Innercity Mission puts on a fundraiser for the coming year in the form of a silent auction and dessert cafe. We can use your help, both in preparing food and also staffing this event.

Prayer Support:
A number of people in our congreation are monthly prayer partners for OIM and the needs that they have. You may want to consider going down to OIM for a prayer walk or getting on their monthly prayer list to be able to daily pray for the needs of the street people in Ottawa.

Homeless Sponsorship:
A number of people in our congregation sponsor homeless people and families in the city of Ottawa through OIM. The sponsorship ranges from monthly financial support to driving people to interviews, legal, and doctor appointments.

Get Involved:
For more information and to find out how you can get involved in these initiatives, send us an email via the "Contact Us" form below.