Charity of the Month

HAAM supports a charitable cause or group at each of our monthly meetings. Usually this involves collecting donations of money or needed goods, but occasionally it may consist of, or include, volunteer work.

We select a variety of organizations in order to support different needs, including food, housing/shelter, animal welfare, children’s programs, and social/peer support.

Criteria for inclusion:

• Preference is given to charities active in our local community, i.e. providing services to Manitobans. However, occasionally we broaden our scope to include a national or international cause.
• Preference is given to grassroots organizations run by small groups or individuals.
• We try to promote fledgling or struggling groups that may not be widely known to the public.
• The charity or service must be secular, or if associated with a religious denomination, its services must be provided without proselytization of clients.

The “Charity of the Month” is always featured in our current newsletter and on our Home page. Donations can be made to HAAM and will be forwarded to the charity. Tax receipts will be issued for donations of $10 or more. Contact us for further information or if you have questions.

Below is a list of organizations that HAAM has assisted in the past. If you are looking for a worthy charity to support either financially or through volunteering, perhaps this list will provide some ideas.

Animal Welfare:

Canadian Animal Blood Bank	Provides blood products for animals who require transfusions.
CARE Cat Rescue	Cat Advocacy, Rescue, and Education, focusing on stray and feral cats.
Darcy’s ARC	Dedicated to rescuing cats and dogs from situations of abandonment, homelessness, neglect and abuse.
Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre	Rehabilitates injured, sick and orphaned wildlife for their return to the wild.
Winnipeg Humane Society	The oldest animal shelter and welfare organization in Manitoba.

Children:

Camp Wannakumbac	A non-profit residential coed camp located at Clear Lake, for campers aged 8 – 15. It has no religious affiliation.
Kidsport Manitoba	Provides support to children in order to remove financial barriers that prevent them from playing organized sport.
Sistema	An inclusive after-school program of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra that uses the power of music to dramatically change the trajectory of children’s lives.
YMCA camps	Donations to the Send a Kid to Camp program provide financial assistance to families who cannot afford to pay the full camping fee.

Disadvantaged/Homeless:

Christmas Cheer Board	Provides food hampers and holiday gifts to families receiving Employment Income Assistance as well as many of the working poor.
Island Lake Relief Fund	Assistance for evacuees from wildfires in northern Manitoba, who are temporarily being housed in emergency shelters.
North Point Douglas Women’s Centre	Promotes a safe, healthy, vibrant community for women and families providing support, training, resources, and opportunities to women in the area.
Resource Assistance for Youth	A non-profit street-level agency working with street-entrenched and homeless youth up to the age of 29.
Sage House	As a branch of Mount Carmel Clinic, Sage House provides health, outreach, and resource centre services to street-involved women, including transgender women.
Shoebox Project	Collects and distributes gifts, in the form of shoeboxes, to women in shelters.
Spence Neighbourhood Association	Creating a West End 24/7 Safe Space for youth.
Willow Place	Formerly Osborne House, this is a short term emergency shelter for women and their children who have been involved in a physically, mentally, or emotionally abusive relationship.

Environment:

Lake Winnipeg Foundation	An environmental non-governmental organization seeking solutions to ensure a clean, healthy Lake Winnipeg and watershed now and for future generations.
Nocturnal Owl Survey	Information on distribution, abundance, and population trends of Manitoba owls is required to monitor their conservation status.

Food Assistance:

Agape Table	Offers a variety of emergency and low-cost meal and grocery programs to assist low-income residents of Winnipeg.
Food Matters	Partners with northerners, newcomers, farmers and families to harvest, prepare and share good food.
Got Bannock?	A grassroots cause to feed the hungry, the homeless, the less fortunate on the cold streets of Winnipeg.
Lunches With Love	Supports Winnipeg’s homeless shelters by providing nutritious paper bag lunches for those in need. (Unfortunately this charity ceased operation in 2015.)
Winnipeg Harvest	A non-profit, community based organization that is a food distribution & training centre.

Health:

Klinic	Offers primary health care, mental health care and community health services.
Partners for Life	HAAM is a member of the Canadian Blood Services‘ Partners for Life program. For information on how to participate, please click here.
Women’s Health Clinic	Health care, counselling, and support services for women.

National/International:

Kasese Humanist Primary School	A secular, science-based primary school for children ages 3-11, located in Uganda.
Recovering From Religion	Connecting people with support, resources, community, and most of all, hope.
Syrian Refugee Resettlement	Assistance to the BC Humanist Association to sponsor a Syrian refugee family.

Science/Education:

Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre	This museum in Morden features the largest collection of marine reptile fossils in Canada and is involved in education and research.
University of Winnipeg Opportunity Fund	Provides financial assistance to disadvantaged students.

Social Support:

The Laurel Centre	Individual and group counselling for women who have experienced childhood and/or adolescent sexual abuse.
Pride Winnipeg	Annual festival celebrating the diverse community that supports or identifies with gay, lesbian, transsexual, transgender, intersex, two-spirit, and queer people.
Rainbow Resource Centre	Offers support to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Two-Spirit, Intersex, Queer, Questioning and Ally (LGBTT*) population of Manitoba and North Western Ontario.
Secular Organizations for Sobriety	Helping to achieve sobriety or abstinence amongst those suffering from addictions.
Welcome Place	A program of the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council. Provides temporary housing for newly arrived refugees, and assists them with settling and integrating into Canadian society.