Lunch is served today at #EmptyBowls2016

Head to the Milton Centre for the Arts to show your support for those at risk of homelessness. You will be supporting the great work of Milton Transitional Housing with your purchase of a designer bowl and gourmet soups.

We welcome you for soup and lunch from 11.30 today.

In the years since the first Empty Bowls event in 2011, Milton Transitional Housing (MTH) has been able to help 9 adults and 7 children through its innovative solution in the Milton community.

The best news we have to give you is that in 2015 we graduated two more successful participants, for a total of five participants or participant families since we started in early 2012. All of our graduates have moved into independent housing they can afford! Currently, MTH has five supported housing units (all full) with immediate plans to increase to seven units by the end of 2016 and to 10 by the end of 2018.

We need your support today to continue this great work.Come down and tell your friends and family. Remember to use #EmptyBowls2016 across all social media. You will find us on Twitter @MiltonTH1

People struggle to provide food for their families and keep a roof over their heads at the same time. MTH helps families and individuals in this terrible predicament by providing bridge accommodation and supportive counselling to people in Milton who are experiencing a housing crisis.

We really appreciate all the work of our amazing volunteers and the restaurants who have again given so generously.

"Should we collaborate?"

Ahead of Sunday's Empty Bowls event a provocative post on whether we have too many homeless charities? 

We reportedly have 3,450 communities in Canada, so should we each support those at risk of homelessness? Is there a risk that we compete with each other for donations and share of voice?

There are examples of big charities merging together. How should we collaborate?

Read the Too many Empty Bowls post here

Empty Bowls - April 24

Join us for our important 6th annual EMPTY BOWLS on Sunday, April 24. 

This soup kitchen event is an annual favourite in the community. The funds raised from the event allows MiltonTransitional Housing to support people in our community who are facing homelessness. 

BUY YOUR EMPTY BOWL TICKET HERE

The Empty Bowls lunch will run from 11:30–2:00 at MinMaxx Hall, Milton Centre for the Arts, 1010 Main St E, Milton. 

Enjoy soup from local caterers and restaurants in a ceramic bowl that you choose and then take home afterwards. Tickets are $50/each and include all of the soup you can eat, your bowl, and a charitable tax receipt. Children 12 and under are free with a ticketed adult. 

BUY YOUR EMPTY BOWL TICKET HERE

You can help us promote this event through your own social media accounts. Please. Include @MiltonTH1 and #EmptyBowls2016

Medium article - Do we have too many homeless charities?

Can we have too many organisations in Canada supporting those at risk of homelessness?

Here is a link to my reflections form the last 7 years. Contentious. Maybe.

I talk about Milton Transitional Housing, Coldest Night, Empty Bowls and Homeless Hub.

"In these last 7 years my perspective is shifting. Have we ended up with so many homelessness groups because of a lack of ownership at a Federal, Provincial or Regional governmental level? I am coming round to the perspective that rather than replicate new charities across multiple communities, that we actually need to push towards a singular voice and collaborate in new ways."

Empty Bowls media coverage

It is great to see Milton Transitional Housing's 5th annual Empty Bowls covered in both SNAP Milton and the Milton Canadian Champion. Thanks to both and other media for your coverage.

SNAP Milton reports that 150 Milton residents and their families attended this Empty Bowls. MTH reported they had raised in the region of $7,500. The Milton Canadian Champion have long been strong supporters for what became Milton Transitional Housing since our early beginnings in 2008. You may also recall that it was their own homelessness front page headline that stimulated a small band of us to act in the first place.

Another inspiring Empty Bowls event

Today we witnessed a true community coming together for others; those at risk of homelessness in Milton. The soup was wonderful, the creativity of the bowls stunning and the sense of community inspiring.

Watch this terrific interview with Donna Danielli, Executive Director, Milton Transitional Housing. Danielli talks about the great work of Milton Transitional Housing, this 2015 Empty Bowls event and the exciting news about a new Ontario Trillium Foundation grant to enable growth from 3-10 units.

Photographed one of the volunteer servers, Sarah Quart.

Watch for the next blog post formerly thanking all the sponsors by name as well as news of the funds raised from this excellent annual Empty Bowls event.

Don't miss your Empty Bowl on Sunday April 19th

Be sure not to miss the Empty Bowl event at Milton Centre for the Arts on Sunday April 19th 11.30am - 2.00pm. Tickets available on the door for $50 which allows you to try the fabulous gourmet soups in your own special hand-painted bowl. But this event is not really about bowls or hot soup although we can enjoy both.

This fifth Empty Bowls in the MinMaxx Hall, Milton Centre for the Arts helps us raise awareness, understanding and actively do something to support those at risk of homelessness in our Milton community.

I look forward to seeing you there. I will be taking video. Please tell me where you are there and why you consider it important to help our residents at risk of homelessness. I will post the videos to this blog.

Thank you to all the restaurants and sponsors.

Annual Empty Bowls event coming up April 19th

It is amazing to think back that the first Empty Bowls event back in 2011 was the first major awareness and fundraising event for what has become Milton Transitional Housing. It is tremendous too that what started as a real vision has become a reality which has demonstrated that it has helped residents in the Milton community.


It is incredible to encourage you to support this 5th Empty Bowls event and show your support for those at risk of homelessness in our community. You can buy tickets to this Empty Bowls and donate here

Sunday, April 19, 2015 from 11:30am until 2:00pm. MinMaxx Hall at the Milton Centre for the Arts, 1010 Main Street East.

Exciting things have been happening at Milton Transitional Housing and we want to tell you about them. The best news we have to give you is that in 2014 we graduated three successful participants who have moved into independent housing!

And one of those participants who has been able to reconstruct her life with MTH’s support expressed her gratitude by saying:

“On behalf of Joey and I, we would like to thank Milton Transitional Housing for the tremendous support and ongoing assistance, in our journey forward. Without your organization, our struggles would have been unbearable.”

Sunday lunch in Milton - March 30th

As a strong supporter of Milton Transitional Housing the annual EMPTY BOWLS Soup Lunch is on Sunday, March 30. The lunch will be held in MinMaxx Hall in the Milton Centre for the Arts (1010 Main St.) from 11:30am until 2:00pm, so it's a perfect solution for where to go for Sunday lunch.

We hope that you will be interested in coming out to sample the gourmet soups prepared and donated by local restaurants and caterers. Tickets are $50 each (children 12-and-under are free with an ticketed adult) and include all the soup you can eat and you also get to keep the hand-painted ceramic bowl that you choose for your lunch. A charitable receipt for $25 will be mailed to you next February if you fill out the back of your ticket.

If you would like to buy tickets go to our MTH website and buy your ticket online using your debit or credit card. Click here

I'm looking forward to seeing you at EMPTY BOWLS on March 30. It's always a good time and we get a nice chance to see everyone and chat about what's going on in and around Milton as we enjoy our lunch.

Fabulous 1st Coldest Night of the Year walk

This wonderful video below speaks to the tremendous turn-out, awareness and support for those at risk of homelessness in Milton and similar communities across Canada.

Click here for the YouTube link to Milton Villager Milton's "Coldest Night of the Year".

This first Coldest Night of The Year walk event for Milton transitional Housing has raised in the region of $40,000. My understanding is that Milton Transitional Housing retain 70% of the first $25,000 raised and more for funds raised beyond $25,000.

You can access the great photo album on the Milton Transitional Housing Facebook page by clicking here

Don't forget MTH next fundraising event which is the 4th annual Annual Empty Bowls on Sunday March 30th. More details can be found on the MTH website, where you can make donations. We encourage the residents of Milton to turn out and support.

Milton Canadian Champion article - February 13th

Milton Transitional Housing is again in the Milton Canadian Champion, whose support we really appreciate. The article starts "Two struggling families will have a little more stability thanks to Milton Transitional Housing (MTH). The not-for-profit group, which provides accommodations, support and counseling for people who are in a housing crisis until they can secure long-term affordable housing, recently secured two townhouses." Click this link to the full Inside Halton - Milton Canadian Champion article "Transitional Housing group finds home for two families". There is a great quote from both Ruth Parkinson and Wendy Schau about the success and progression of the transitional hosuing project. The article also highlights the forthcoming events which further help build awareness and raise funds for helping those at risk of homelessness in Milton Casa Americo on Main Street will host a wine-tasting benefit for MTH on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. A $5 cover charge includes wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres. MTH will hold its annual Empty Bowls Soup Lunch on Sunday, Mar. 17 from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the MinMaxx Hall at the Milton Centre for the Arts. Tickets cost $50 and include a taste-as-many-as-you-like gourmet soup lunch prepared by Milton restaurants and caterers. For more information visit www.miltontransitionalhousing.ca.