I was reading in the paper last night that the Salvation Army is asking for the city to help again with the backpacks for kids going back to school in the fall. I am all for charity but I have to make a suggestion to the Captains. Anyone with a family, who is on assistance, is receiving on their next cheque the following amounts-$84. for each child between 5-11 years old and $116. for each child aged 12-18. I assume that the backpacks will be given away before the next cheque which means that those getting a welfare cheque will be able to also get the S.A.giveaways. It would be nice if the criteria for receiving these was set down that allowed for those on minimum wage and such to have first chances at these. I was part of the first backpack program, sorting and filling them up and I noticed this problem. It is a wonderful gift the community offers but please I hope this is not abused also. Many disadvantaged are not on the welfare rolls and should be given more of a chance at these offers as they are at least trying to get by for their families.
Give me a break- if you are fortunate enough to not have to live on the crumbs of Social Assistance, then you should not have first dibs on what our local charities offer.
$84.00 might cover the basic school supply list, a pair of cheap runners and a backpack. With the help of the Salvation Army, those kids might be able to start the school year off with a new pair of jeans and a warm fall jacket as well.
I would hardly consider it an unfair advantage to those who are working at minimum wage. You obviously have never had to rely on the government and walk the poverty line.
Well I have been raising my two kids as a single mom now for a number of years and if it was not for my girlfriends I do not believe it could be done without social assist. I have to agree with Jazella on a few things and I will also voice my own opinion on hand outs. I find that there are some people who the captains keep real close, either in the soup kitchen or the whole arena " circus ", my girlfriends and I call them clingons. There are families who just keep taking and taking but there are many who never get a chance to get in line. If they are giving my family this extra money then why does the captain want to keep bleedin the community for more cash. It is like a compition who can get more and more. I will be happy with my 84.00 and my 116.00, Jazella is right and the captains should check them out more closer. Mermaid Sapphire should meet the ones who work at canery or long shore and still come to the line up.
working at minimum wage doesn’t give you much more than welfare.
I have been reading thisstuff on School opening and the Sally Ann, I read about LongShoring and Cannery, now someone says minimum wage. Does no one out there question the going ons here.
Don’t make hasty assumptions there. I have lived on both sides of the fence and had to survive on welfare after a breakup. It was not easy and I only have a minimum wage job now so I am below the poverty line but I will tell you that my kids come first. I don’t drink, smoke, I live for my kids and to see the pride they have in me is all that I need at the end of a hard day. They have asked me why their freinds parents are at the soup kitchen when they have good jobs, cars and are able to buy good food. I can only say they do what they have to do. Welfare was actually easier in some ways. I have to pay medical now and can’t go running to them when my hydro bill needs to be paid but I am darn proud to be in this space. Also, don’t forget, Family Allowance is also out before welfare so there is lots of money to buy your kids what they need and I don’t get that either but that is OK too. I will get by, by myself. I am not looking for a pat on the back. This is life and it’s fine.
I wish to tap into this post only because of beliefs, it raises certain interesting issues within me when I read about this Captain and his wanting this community to give him back packs or money for his handouts. I have never considered the S&A a viable church in my days. I have read much of Mr. Booth who put it together many years ago and his purpose was care for the less fortunate, he never planned a church in those times either. I would bet that he would be rolling in his grave knowing that it has become such a business in this day. I am knew here but have lived in Canada all my life and would be interested in how much land and other assets this operation owns. The helping out part of their work has always intrigued me but as for a church I would not trust any of these individules with my soul. I like the post because it centers around people who may need help for supplies and it mentions there will be extra money in the upcoming cheques. So why is the community being dragged into this at all? Do they not as in other Canadian communities give enough during the Xmas season? Where do these preachers come from , where do they become preachers or did they just come up the lines? I just wanted to add my feelings to this post before everyone gets too carried away.
I commend the Salvation Army for wanting to help people, they should be the ones to decide who gets their donations-not you or I.
We get to decide whether or not we wish to support them in their cause.
If you think it is being abused or is unfair then don’t support them.
I just hope that your opinion doesn’t influence people who otherwise would have been inclined to help.
I have been on both sides of the fence myself and I’d take min wage over welfare any day. If you work for min wage and have kids to support you are eliglible for significant child tax benefits and premuim assistance for medical insurance as well as day care subsidy. I now earn 2 bucks an hour more than min wage so I don’t qualify and have to pay for all of these things out of what is left after taxes.
I wonder who has the greater disadvantage at the end of the month?
Regardless, I still plan to do whatever I can to support those in need and I trust our local charities to dispense my donations as they see fit.
Well once again people will choose who they will support not asking the proper questions or looking into the facts and then they think everything smells like roses. Rev. Moon did it for a long time did he not and so many other off the wall so called churches. No as I said earlier if they stuck to the Mr. Booth agenda they would continue to have my support for the needie or countries in real need, not wind mills in Bermuda shit. I can always make the proper donations for real stuff in a real world.
Mermaid Sapphire mentioned back there that she will continue to support those in need and will trust the local charities to dispense her donations accordingly, my question here is do you inquire with them where it will go, do you have proof of where it went? I would be very surprised to see how much stays here for our people in need. I think the initial post was about the captain seeking people to donate Backpacks for the school opening, but in the cheque stubs they mention supplements for each child between 5 and 11 years…$84.00 each child and between 12 and 18 yrs. $116.00, now that is alot of money per family especially when they have many children. I have noticed certain people that hang onto the captains and are always first in line for any handouts but they all have cell phones and eat in local diners on regular bases.
Where are you shopping that $116.00 is a lot of money for school supplies and some
back to school clothes for a 12 to 18 year old?
The amounts are a pittance.
If one adds the $116.00 per child and $84.00 for the younger ones maybe there are four or five kids in the house plus the family allowance and the welfare cheques there is a big pay day in that house for that week. So lets not be that slow here where one can not figure the dollars thing out. X amount per pecker cheque
X amount per child 5 to 11
x amount per child 12 to 18
fairwell cheques for all in family
then comes the freebe packsack
so how many families is this going to affect? I guess this is going to upset someone out there but reality what a concept. Someone has to give this a thought and figure it out or is everyone under the S&A spell.
Wow, someone really does have a beef with the SA! I have seen post after post of how much you don’t like the way the Capt is doing things.
One thing I do wonder about though…alot of the grade schools are buying the school supplies in bulk and parents are charged about 35.00 per child. I know for certain that at times my daughters pencils etc have been handed out to children who did not pay. I have no problem with that at all. Does this come into consideration though when the backpacks are being filled? Seems a bit of a waste to me.
I am just trying to point out as others may have tried, to look at this plea for donations for backpacks and the other money which comes into play. It must be monitored if it goes through. Yes I see some faults with what is going on, it is like a struggle and sometimes just business. I also feel it is my right to have these thoughts either with this scene or an others organization which I feel is not acknowledging what is happening or will happen. Always seems very strange to me that when we are all facing questions regarding spending and this goes on.
IF ALL of you guys do not like what the S.A is doing the do not give to them at all threw out the year and also stay out of the thrift store, soup kithcen and food bank which all suport all the people in the community if they need it, Nobody is turned away in the soup kithcen if they come for a free bowl of soup and sandwhich, i know of people who have jjobs come over for lunch and actualyl say here is $5.00 , becasue i can get a faster lunch here then downtown and the S.A does not discriminate.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and to their own choice of charity. No one will be content with the same choices as everyone else no matter how much you defend it. Everyone is aware that every service is abused to some extent and they have the right to question that at any level before they part with any of their hard earned dollars. You would be blind and foolish not to these days.
“the S.A does not discriminate.” How does the SA feel about homosexuals? Did they write a letter to the school board asking that a course not be taught because it might contain material the church didn’t like?
If this is true, I will never donate to the SA ever again.
This is a different avenue and another very serious issue, my girlfriends and I heard of this letter being sent to the school board. We are mostly single moms with partners of the same sex and raising children of different ages, yet we are a normal family setting. Prince Rupert youth formed a group or gay organization two or three years ago, this was also a positive outlet for questions and support. Knowing this is not regarding the main post but yes we remember this letter very well. Thanks for bringing it to some people’s attention.
Are you kidding me? If that is NOT discrimination, then what is it? I am disgusted thinking that a group of people have the right, or so THEY have the arrogancy to assume, to tell others what they can and cannot be in their lives or who they can or cannot be with. If they can sit up and tell me there are no gay or lesbian members in that church, then so be it but I highly doubt that. I haven’t lived in Rupert long so I don’t know of this letter but I would like to check that out. Does anyone remember when that may have been written? Please advise if you can.
As a side note it is the SA in conjuction with the local Rotary groups who are running this campaign. If you want to donate to this worthy program then do if you don’t want to there is not a gun to your head don’t donate! The SA does a lot of good work in our local communities. Yes min wage sucks and I think you do get more money on welfare ( or you hav emore money left when your medical etc gets paid) our family is middle class which is actually middle poor, not complaining however we both work extra to help for the extra things we like. I donate to the programs/charities that I want too, and for those that have tried to get their kids school supplies, two pairs of half decent runners ( the $10 last only 6-8 weeks where the more expensive last all year) some new socks a new nback pack ( they don’t last more than one shcool year) $118 does not go very far let me tell you no matter how well you try and look for bargains!