Stories to Share

We asked for your help – and you delivered!  This summer, we asked for support to send children back to school with all the tools they need to learn. By donating to Backpacks for Kids, you provided backpacks and other vital school supplies to children living on low income throughout Waterloo Region.  What’s more, you […]

We are so excited to share with you our vision to build a Supportive Housing and Community Hub on our current Charles Street property in downtown Kitchener, replacing our aging shelter that will move to its new location at 190 Weber St. N. in Waterloo early next year.  This new facility will add a third […]

We know you, as our closest supporters, are eagerly anticipating the opening of our new ShelterCare location in Waterloo (190 Weber St. N.).  Given the urgent need for shelter spaces in Waterloo Region, we continue to do all we can to see the completion of these renovations as quickly as possible. While the extent of […]

This summer, youth at Courtland Shelley Community Centre were able to come together over their love of music – and emerge with new skills that showcase their talents and creativity!  These young musicians learned how to record their music, thanks to a partnership between the City of Kitchener and House of Friendship called the Creative […]

With the holiday season well underway, so is the Christmas Food Program. Hundreds of volunteers participated in the delivery blitz last week, ensuring gift cards, turkeys, hams, and halal chickens were delivered to low-income families in Kitchener and Waterloo. The dedication of more than 600 volunteers ensures that over 4,000 families will have a holiday […]

For Juanita Metzger and Trent Bauman, House of Friendship is a significant part of their life story. That’s because they met each other years ago at House of Friendship’s Annual General Meeting – during the strawberry social!  “We just happened to sit down beside each other, and then just started chatting, and the rest is […]

Adam’s life changed in just one moment, when he fell from a roof on a construction site.  In some ways, he was lucky – his injuries (broken ribs, a twisted back and an injured spleen) weren’t life-threatening.  But in other ways, he wasn’t so lucky. That’s because his doctor prescribed opiates for his pain and […]

Following Thanksgiving this year, Lexington Public School’s Grade One and Two classes came up with an idea – to help those without holiday meals at Christmas.   This one idea resulted in a massive fundraiser operated by the students in partnership with Kernels Popcorn at Conestoga Mall. For five weeks, these classes collected popcorn orders […]

We are thrilled to share that the House of Friendship team is growing! Big things are coming to our shelter program, and we are now hiring for several new, critical positions. At House of Friendship, we genuinely believe in what we are doing every day. We aim to make a difference for the members of our […]

It all started with a single thought. “Wouldn’t it be nice if children in need could also have a turkey dinner for Christmas?” Barry Abelson had this revelation while visiting House of Friendship’s Emergency Food Hamper program in December 2003 and realized that families only received cans of food. Barry thought they deserved better at […]