Table at heart of women’s centre and community

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This article was published 11/07/2022 (1212 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a place to gather, connect and take refuge in the shade from the summer heat or block wind from a winter chill.

The yard of the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre is a meeting spot for people in the community and, until recently, so was the rickety old wooden picnic table at its heart. The table is now gone, succumbed to time, use and Winnipeg’s extreme seasons, replaced (for the meantime) by a couple of stumps someone donated when they cut a tree down.

“There are so many ways that people use this spot — it’s a super popular spot for people in the community,” said Khalida Benedictson, office administrator of NPDWC, adding many would connect there with neighbours for coffee and conversation.

What’s more, Benedictson explained, the table outside was an accessible place for the centre to cater to clients in wheelchairs and with mobility issues, as the building located at 221 Austin St. N. (a former corner store) doesn’t suitably meet those needs of some.

Of course, this is something it is looking to remedy, but with most of the non-profit’s resources are funnelled into services — including counselling, various programming, a drop-in centre and the Mama Bear Clan — it is doing the best with what it has. It takes an approach of supporting community members where they are at, in a process that is community led, compassionate and culturally safe.

The centre has been around for more than two decades. It began as a project in 2000, sponsored by the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, as an empowerment project in recognition of women’s generally unequal position in society, their unique needs and the important role they have in planning at the community level to enhance social, economic and environmental conditions for themselves and their families.

The centre moved into its current location in 2002.

Benediction isn’t sure how long that rickety old table has been at the site; it was there when she started in 2019. Once it was removed, she said staff wasted no time getting to work looking for a new one.

After much research and comparison shopping, they’ve found the perfect replacement that meets their needs: a Westin wheelchair accessible plastic table by Barco Products. The eco-friendly structure is constructed of recycled plastic made from milk jugs. It looks like a standard picnic table, only it has an extended top accessible to a person using a wheelchair. It also boasts a 50-year durability guarantee against breakage.

The cost (including shipping) has been quoted at nearly $3,000, which is significant. The centre has set up an online fundraiser in hopes of raising enough money to buy the table and restore a proper seating area for the community it serves.

“We have folks who come by to specifically use the Wi-Fi,” Benedictson said, noting the small area is a low-barrier space for people who don’t have access to cellular data on their mobile devices and may not want to use the free computers inside, or for those who need access to the web during the centre’s closed hours.

“They can just come and sit down and access the centre’s free Wi-Fi, which is another way of connecting and having access, which is something that many of us who have more privilege take for granted.”

After speaking to Benedictson, it became evident it was more than a table the group is raising funds for: they’re fundraising to revitalize and reinstate a community hub that has a far-reaching ripple effect for not only the centre, but for all the people living in the neighbourhood.

“A picnic table is probably not seen as a super big priority for a lot of people,” said Benedictson. “But the way it functions and plays a role in maintaining the social fabric of the community is so important for us and for the North Point Douglas community.”

If you’d like to help the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre reach its goal, you can donate through the centre’s website (npdwc.org).

shelley.cook@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @ShelleyACook