It takes courage to ask for help.

Especially when you’re so cold that you can’t think straight. Or when you’ve asked before and been ignored. Or when you have to own up to the mistakes you’ve made.

Then, I think about the courage it takes to walk through our doors for the first time. To sit down at a table with strangers and start up a conversation. To learn how to trust people again. And to work towards recovery, one day at a time.

The people we work with are so incredibly brave.

But so are you.

It takes courage to keep showing up for people you’ve never met. To believe in people that many of your neighbours look down on or resent. To share what you have with others, in an economy that keeps asking more of everyone.

Thank you for being courageous with your generosity.

You’ve made such a difference for Marc and his dog, Joey. For Awoua and the rest of the students in our commercial kitchen’s training program. For Patrick and his kids. You’ll read about all of them in the following pages.

When they gathered their courage to walk through our doors, your courage met them there. Now, all of them have a second chance at life that they never thought possible.

You have my gratitude for your generosity and your bravery. Happy reading!

Wherever Marc goes, his dog, Joey, follows. That includes Welcome Hall Mission.

For many people experiencing homelessness, a pet isn’t just a pet. It’s family. A source of deep comfort. Warmth. Maybe the last tie to who they were before everything fell apart.

So when a shelter has a ‘no pet’ policy, it can be a big problem. Many people would rather stay on the street than part ways with their dog.

That’s why we’ve intentionally kept some of our transitional housing units pet-friendly. So that in a life already full of hard choices, people don’t have to make another one.

Marc and Joey were welcomed in with open arms. Joey quickly won over our staff with his calm and well-trained presence. And 24 hours later, thanks to your generosity and our fast-moving team, the pair were set up in an apartment filled with furniture and other basic essentials.

Today, Marc is working with a therapist to overcome his trauma. He’s reconnecting with old friends and making new relationships.

He (and Joey!) are “thriving, healing, and reintegrating into life as we once knew it.”

Thanks to the generosity of caring neighbours like you, they get to do it together.

Thanks to caring neighbours like you, someone arriving at our Macaulay Emergency Shelter tonight will be met with a warm meal, a hot shower, a safe bed, and a friendly face.

That face often belongs to Alex, our Supervisor of Client Referral Services.

“We do this work one person at a time,” he says. “And every person’s story is significant.”

Once our participants are showered and fed, they’re invited to have a chat with Alex — or someone like him. If they’re willing, they talk about what kind of support they need to move forward, like transitional housing, help applying for a job, or a doctor’s appointment.

Some people are ready for that conversation right away. Others need a few months to open up. Because of you, Alex and his team can stay ready and waiting.

One guest is especially close to Alex’s heart: Jeff. Born and raised in Montreal, Jeff had a successful business and a home of his own. Then, the pandemic hit, and he lost everything.

Alex remembers two days very clearly: the day Jeff arrived at our emergency shelter and, six months later, the day he moved into a home of his own. The two men still keep in touch today.

Because of caring neighbours like you, Jeff received a warm meal and a safe place to sleep. But he also found his path to lasting stability. Your compassion and kindness played an important role in both.

And you’ll do so again this winter, as Alex and his team prepare to welcome hundreds of new guests out of the cold and into the warmth of our emergency shelter. Thank you for welcoming them in with dignity, respect, and care.

By now, you’ve probably heard about our brand-new commercial kitchen.

Well, it’s not so brand-new anymore. Now, it’s tried and true. And it’s making some amazing things possible — with your help!

Not only has it increased our daily meal capacity from 1,500 up to 10,000, but it's also giving vulnerable Montrealers a chance at a better life.

You see, the people working in this kitchen are Montrealers who have fallen on hard times. People with no recent job experience who are struggling to get hired. People who just need someone to take a chance on them.

Enter Chef Gabriel: For years, he worked at a fine dining restaurant right here in Montreal, until he realized that his skills could nourish others in a whole new way.

Every quarter, he welcomes 12 Montrealers who are rebuilding their lives into our Micro-Enterprise training program, where they learn how to prepare and cook nutritious food. But more than that, they learn how to show up, how to lead, and how to work within a team.

After three months, they graduate with something you can’t put a price on: a new line on their resume and a reference from a professional chef.

With this, plus the skills they’ve learned, these Montrealers are able to apply for a job in the restaurant industry. Because they have a job, a landlord can take their rental application seriously. They’re able to pay the rent and build a home. All because someone decided to take a chance on them.

The generosity of our community, full of caring people like you, helped bring this training program to life! Not only is Chef Gabriel taking a chance on these Montrealers, you are too. Thank you for believing in them when no one else would.

Meet one of our chefs-in-training, Awoua

Awoua moved to Montreal from Burkina Faso in 2024. Even though she spoke French, her transition was tough, and she struggled to find stable housing.

Eventually, she moved into our transitional housing on Ontario Street. While there, she spoke openly about her dream of opening her own restaurant one day.

When a staff member told her about our culinary training program, she leaped at the chance:

Below is one of the first recipes that Chef Gabriel teaches his students. It covers many basics: caramelization, emulsification (the same principle behind many sauces!), roasting fruit, and pureeing for texture.

The best part? The food that these students make is what’s served in dining rooms in our emergency shelter and transitional housing!

Patrick is a born-and-bred Montrealer. He grew up in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve without steady parents. As a child with ADHD, the school system never quite figured out what to do with him. He dropped out after grade five.

By his teens, he was using drugs and alcohol to cope. By his twenties, he was a father. By his thirties, he showed up at our door — ready to accept help.

“I’ve never known a life without addiction,” he says. “But I want to figure that out for myself and my kids.”

Caring neighbours like you gave Patrick exactly what he needed: a spot in our addiction recovery program and the kind of hope that turns a last chance into a new beginning.

This holiday season, will you do the same for the next Patrick? Someone who’s thinking of all the Christmases they missed… and who wants to get better for all the Christmases to come?

Your gift of $52.70 can provide 10 comforting holiday meals and the kind of support that turns a life around.

While any gift is greatly appreciated, I’m wondering if you’ll consider starting a monthly gift today. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time at Welcome Hall Mission, it’s that people like Patrick don’t wait for donations to come in to ask for help. They come to us when they’re ready.

We get the majority of our holiday donations at the end of December. And that can leave us stretched thin right when it starts to get really cold. Right when vulnerable Montrealers are looking to us for a warm meal… that leads to a conversation… that leads to a second chance.

By starting a monthly gift today, you can help us fill this gap and open the door wide for anyone who needs it — who needs you — right now and in all the months to come.

- Sam