There含羞草研究社檚 a question that含羞草研究社檚 been weighing on Crystal Hedlund含羞草研究社檚 mind: 含羞草研究社淲ho comes to help the people that help everybody else?含羞草研究社�
The former Vernon woman owns Crystal含羞草研究社檚 Baked Blessings, a bakery business that she uses to help others, whether it含羞草研究社檚 feeding the homeless or giving a lift to a struggling family, especially around Christmas time when she bundles up dinners and gifts for families in need.
Hedlund lived in Vernon for about eight years until the rental market drove her out. Finding a house big enough for her six kids was going to cost $4,000 a month, so she moved to Canoe and has been operating there ever since.
At least once a month, she donates a custom cake to a low income family that can含羞草研究社檛 afford it.
Between her large family, her baking business and the charitable causes she pursues, Hedlund says burnout is 含羞草研究社渄efinitely there,含羞草研究社� but she doesn含羞草研究社檛 have time to practice self-care to alleviate that burnout.
She says the public expects her to help others, but when she needs help herself, support is limited.
含羞草研究社淲henever the owners of these companies need something for themselves to keep running the company or need something even just for themselves, nobody含羞草研究社檚 willing to donate, nobody is interested in donating to help me,含羞草研究社� she said.
含羞草研究社淲e literally bend over backwards answering phones all day and night, answering emails and messages all day, talking people off ledges, putting our own family aside to help other families 含羞草研究社� and for us not to be able to get the help that we need when we need it, it含羞草研究社檚 a little disheartening.含羞草研究社�
Hedlund says she wishes the public would see her for what she is: a human being, capable of a lot but prone to fatigue like anyone else when taking on the task of helping others with their own time and money.
含羞草研究社淚 am a person, I含羞草研究社檓 human, you know. I need to rest.含羞草研究社�
Hedlund says it would be nice if there were government grants available to her, 含羞草研究社渂ecause otherwise we do feel alone. I don含羞草研究社檛 have a team of people, it含羞草研究社檚 just me.含羞草研究社�
Carrie Lynn (the last name is a pseudonym) has been operating Food-It-Forward Okanagan, a food rescue organization, for the past two and a half years. She is applying to have the organization become a federally recognized charity.
Based in Kelowna, Lynn含羞草研究社檚 organization takes food that would otherwise go to the trash and uses it to feed nearly 10,000 people a week between Salmon Arm and Osoyoos.
含羞草研究社淚n British Columbia alone there含羞草研究社檚 five million dollars of food waste every single month. That equates to six billion dollars a year, and we have starving children in our school systems,含羞草研究社� Lynn said.
Lynn explains that after food donors contact her, she or one of her drivers picks the food up and takes it to the places that need it. The result can be bread for school breakfast programs, ingredients for cooks at treatment centres, or prepared food for families that are struggling to maintain self-sufficiency.
含羞草研究社淚f I could get all of the food waste in the Okanagan, nobody would go hungry.含羞草研究社�
Lynn says people can be aggressive or demanding when it comes to getting food. She含羞草研究社檚 had to deal with death threats, and violent altercations where the police have had to come defuse a situation.
As a result, she含羞草研究社檚 had to set boundaries for herself.
含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 still willing to help feed my community, but I含羞草研究社檓 only going to do it with what I含羞草研究社檓 comfortable with and what will protect me and my volunteers,含羞草研究社� she said.
Lynn says one of the biggest problems leading to burnout is crossed boundaries, and even though she含羞草研究社檚 made setting boundaries an integral part of her charity work, she puts 40 to 60 hours a week into the food rescue organization, on top of working full-time to pay her bills.
There are also misconceptions about small organizations that do non-profit work.
含羞草研究社淢ost people have the understanding that we are all given money, we all have an operating budget, we should absolutely be obligated to feed these people. What they don含羞草研究社檛 understand is that it takes the kindness of a community to continue to run these organizations,含羞草研究社� she said.
Again, the question of who helps those who help others looms large.
含羞草研究社淲hen the community has the mindset that they don含羞草研究社檛 have to worry and look after any of the smaller organizations, then we含羞草研究社檙e all by ourselves. Who含羞草研究社檚 looking out for us?含羞草研究社� asks Lynn.
Lynn says a lot of the smaller organizations band together when they need help, 含羞草研究社渂ecause they understand that that含羞草研究社檚 what community is, it takes all of us joining arms together to feed our community and to look after it.含羞草研究社�
Echoing Hedlund, she says 含羞草研究社減eople are seen as things, instead of humans.含羞草研究社�
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Clary Lausnes and her husband have operated the All Are Family Outreach Society since 2014, serving individuals and families in need of help from Armstrong to Kelowna.
One of the major challenges the society has faced of late is securing a building to house donated goods. Money aside, it含羞草研究社檚 a challenge that stems from the stigma attached to the people they help.
含羞草研究社淲e go to try and find a building and what we hear is, 含羞草研究社榳ell we don含羞草研究社檛 want those kind of people next to us,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 Lausnes said. 含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 this idea that anybody that uses a food bank is an addicted, dirty, homeless thief, and while we don含羞草研究社檛 turn away street people, our main group of people that we help is seniors and families. But we just can含羞草研究社檛 get over this stigmatism that is out in the general public that people that come into food banks are lower than the lowest.含羞草研究社�
Lausnes has seen it all while operating the outreach. She含羞草研究社檚 had people try to blackmail them into giving them what they want, and has dealt with people becoming physically violent and throwing things at them.
含羞草研究社淎nd yet we含羞草研究社檙e expected just to sit and smile because we含羞草研究社檙e a charity and we have to be nice.含羞草研究社�
She doesn含羞草研究社檛 do it for financial gain or recognition, as there含羞草研究社檚 none to be had. She does it because she cares about people.
Lausnes says Canadian pension rates need to go up, as she sees too many seniors living destitute.
含羞草研究社淚 have seniors that go to the grocery store and just stand in the produce aisle and cry,含羞草研究社� she said.
Lynn and Hedlund both identify with feelings of isolation in their roles as providers for their communities. For Lausnes, it含羞草研究社檚 more of an emotional fatigue from working with people in tragic life circumstances.
含羞草研究社淲e deal with things like suicide and child abuse and marital abuse and mental health issues and hungry seniors,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚f you含羞草研究社檙e lucky you can leave it behind at work, but who can leave three hungry children and just go home and forget about it? That doesn含羞草研究社檛 happen.
含羞草研究社淭he isolation I experience is more of a lack of understanding from the public that we are just humans,含羞草研究社� she added, again reflecting the sentiments of Hedlund and Lynn.
Financial struggles are common among all of the small non-profit operators. Lausnes says donations have dropped 含羞草研究社渕ajorly,含羞草研究社� and All Are Family Outreach gave out $300 more in donations than it took in, a deficit that came out of their own pockets and one that含羞草研究社檚 not sustainable. Hedlund has contacted real estate companies and car dealerships to see if they含羞草研究社檙e willing to sponsor her Christmas hampers, to no avail. Lynn is in need of a refrigerated vehicle, or even just access to one, but has had no luck to date.
The non-profits rely on donations from the community to keep going. To donate to Hedlund, email crystalsbakedblessings@gmail.com. To support Lynn, email fooditforwardokanagan@gmail.com. To donate to Lausnes, email aafoutreach@hotmail.com.
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