Ottawa West–Nepean Good Neighbour Award
On April 28th, Matthew House Ottawa’s Allan Reesor-McDowell was awarded the Ottawa West—Nepean Good Neighbour Award at the first annual ceremony hosted by MPP Chandra Pasma. Nominated by the team at Matthew House, this award was presented to Allan to celebrate his leadership in improving and expanding MHO’s Refugee Services program and the impact it is making in the community.
When Allan joined the organization in 2018, MHO was struggling to meet the demands of the community and now, almost five years later, the number of available beds has increased tenfold.
“Pre-pandemic, we had one reception house with eight beds, and now our capacity has expanded to welcome and serve up to 80 individuals at a time,” said Allan. “I am grateful to our donors, volunteers, employees and supporters who make this possible.”
Matthew House Ottawa’s expanding capacity means that fewer refugees are living on the streets or in emergency shelters, bringing MHO one step closer to their longer-term goal of ensuring that every refugee claimant is welcomed and supported when they first arrive in Ottawa.
“So many people work hard every day to strengthen our community and support our residents, in ways big and small. As the MPP for Ottawa West—Nepean, I want to celebrate these neighbours who make our community such a great place to live." said Pasma.
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Here’s how you can get involved in this important work:
Donate Furniture: If you have gently-used furniture to share, you can schedule a pick-up or give us a call at 613-591-6681. And please spread the word among your networks as well.
Donate: You can make a donation online or cheques can be mailed to 380 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa ON K2G 6A1.
Volunteer: We currently need volunteers to support our furniture bank and refugee services programs. Click here for more info and to apply.
For media inquiries, please contact communications@matthewhouseottawa.org