Community members receive PPE packages

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This article was published 29/06/2021 (1789 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A North End organization is stepping up to equip community members with essential health and safety items.

Oyate Tipi Cumini Yape, a furniture bank located on Selkirk Avenue, prepared 900 baskets of cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment, which the organization distributed to area residents via its community partners North End Women’s Centre, Wahbung Abinoonjiiag, Shawenim Abinoojii, Mount Carmel Clinic, and Nine Circles Community Health Centre.

Oyate Tipi received $100,000 from the federal government through the Emergency Community Support Fund for the project, which was organized by social work intern Nadine Sanchez.

The buckets include essential COVID-19 health and safety information, disinfectants and sanitizers, reusable face masks, and cleaning tools, among other things.

North End Women’s Centre hosted a pop-up vaccine clinic on June 23 and used the packages to incentivize people to get immunized.

“The need is absolutely huge,” Cynthia Drebot, executive director of NEWC, told The Times on June 22.

“We’ve had people coming to the door and getting the packs already, and they have been so grateful and so happy.”

Drebot said the donation reduces some of the barriers to accessing cleaning supplies and PPE, like transportation, affordability, and availability.

“Most of us have seen over the last 15 months, that certain things are hard to find on shelves,” Drebot said.

“By being able to come and get that directly from a resource centre in the community, it’s a huge help in so many different ways.”

Oyate Tipi executive director Alexandra Béasse said this is a project she wanted to work on even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization gives furniture and household items to families in need, often women and children fleeing violent situations and starting over in a new home. Often, they don’t have household cleaning products.

“I would really love to see us continue this even once most people are vaccinated,” Béasse said.

“If you’re starting over — those buckets are valued at about $75 each — that’s a lot of money. That’s a week’s groceries for (a) family. They’re always going to choose groceries over cleaning supplies.”