Ontario Regional Chief delivers the gift of warmth to Thunder Bay shelter
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare recently continued his deliveries of donated clothing to communities with a U-Haul truck load of warm fall and winter clothing to Shelter House Thunder Bay.
“I know the fall and winter clothing that we delivered there will go a long ways,” Regional Chief Hare says. “It’s not only just for First Nations, it’s for everybody. We need to work together considering the hard issues that are facing them every day.”
Regional Chief Hare says he had plenty of help with the unloading of the 26-foot U-Haul truck.
“It’s the first time I didn’t have to lift one box out of the truck,” he says. “I didn’t give them much notice but the doors were wide open and they toured me through the whole place, what they do, and who does what in that whole building and beyond.”
Regional Chief Hare says he picked up the load of clothing and other supplies from the Fenelon Falls for First Peoples group on Oct. 6 and delivered it the next day.
“The Mennonites did a whole bunch of quilted blankets that was included in that load,” Hare says. “I picked it up on Thursday at noon and I got as far as Sault Ste. Marie and I was tired [but] there was no place to stay so I just kept on booting it to Wawa thinking I’ll have no problem there. There was no place to stay there so I just went between some trucks there and I went to [sleep] in the truck.”
Elva Potter, leader of the Fenelon Falls for First Peoples group, says that was the last load they will be preparing as they are getting older.
“It’s something we really enjoyed doing but we are not able to do it anymore,” Potter says. “I’m going to really miss it because it’s been something I’ve done for seven years. We had no problem collecting stuff because all we’ve got to do is put out the word that we’re doing it. A bunch of Mennonites made some wonderful blankets, and we just had a bit of everything. There was a lot of stuff for children in that load too, toys and stuff we thought would be given out at Christmas.”
Ontario Regional Chief Hare says his next goal is to help Shelter House with their food bank.
“I’d like to fill their kitchen up,” he says.
Cal Rankin, executive director at Shelter House Thunder Bay, says their budget is “really short of food” over the next couple of months.
“With inflation, the money doesn’t go as far as it used to,” Rankin says. “Donations of food would be greatly appreciated.”
Rankin says he was surprised to see how much clothing and other supplies Ontario Regional Chief Hare had in the U-Haul truck.
“We were very appreciative of him driving from southern Ontario to bring us that gift — it was great,” Rankin says. “We’re still distributing stuff — people are truly grateful for all that we are giving them, and people are asking for more so I’m continuing with deliveries around the community. People really are appreciative of the warm clothing and the bedding that we received, and the children’s clothing.”
Regional Chief Hare says he also helped with the delivery of a plane load of COVID-19 medical supplies and food that were sent to Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug in Treaty #9 territory in northwestern Ontario.
“That’s our third or fourth plane this past summer that we’ve sent up to the far north,” he says, noting that they have connections from Winnipeg and other areas for food and medical supplies. “They are trucked to Pickle Lake … and that’s where it’s loaded onto an aircraft. We have friends that help us financially on this. It’s just been tremendous, it’s been an awesome year.”