We provide a wide range of confidential services for friends of the House Of Blessing. Our goal is to encourage, strengthen, and love every client we meet. Here are some of the ways we care for our clients.

The House of Blessing is thankful to the many volunteers, staff members, and donors for providing the much-needed resources to support the following services. Without the abundant and tireless effort of all these supporters, we couldn’t help the number of people we do today. These services have been designed with care to provide the basic needs of food, clothing, and furniture for the needy and working poor of our community.

The Stratford House of Blessing exists to help feed the hungry. We are blessed with a supportive community who donate food and finances generously to keep our shelves stocked. This allows us to be able to give food to those who come to us for assistance. Our goal is to be able to give out enough food to last each individual or family three to four days. Those in need are able to visit our food bank once each month in order to help make ends meet.

We are also very fortunate to have a walk-in fridge and freezer, and thus are able to accept, store and distribute donations of bread, meat and fresh produce. The Egg Farmers of Ontario generously provide eggs on a weekly basis, and we are rcipients of a Pork for Life program, where we receive a shipment of fresh pork each month. We also receive a small amount of milk from the Milk Farmers of Ontario through the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB). It's a blessing to be able to bless those who come to us for assistance with nutritious options for a more balanced diet!

Toiletries and personal care items such as toothbrushes, shampoo, pads & tampons and toilet paper are also items that are often requested by those who access the food bank.

Food donations are accepted our during office hours of 8:30 - 4:30, Monday through Friday.

Stratford House of Blessing gladly accepts donations of gently used clothing items. We have a clothing drop off chute to the left of our building, where donations can be dropped off from 8:30am - 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Clothes are sorted by volunteers and brought upstairs to our children and adult clothing rooms where those who come to us for assistance can 'shop' (all items are given away) for items they need.

In these clothing rooms we also have a small space set aside for essential household items such as pots and pans, sheets and other linens.

The clothing rooms are open for 'shopping' by those in need on:

We also accept some furniture donations, which we are able to deliver to those who need it. Most requested items include table and chairs, dressers and book shelves. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept upholstered furniture (i.e. couches & chairs and mattresses).

To donate furniture, please call 519-273-3433 x 501.

For more information on any of these three areas, please contact the Operations Coordinator at 519-273-3433 x 205.

Home with a Heart

The art of homemaking is the ability to make the home a special place for the family. This unique program offers a hands-on approach to learning, assisted by a step-by-step 12-week plan that is easy to understand and fun to apply. It's truly life changing. For registration or information please call (519)273-3433

The House of Blessing is proud to be part of the thINK FOOD program. We collect empty ink cartridges from printers and send them to a facility to be reused. The money received from the cartridges then goes to buying food for our food bank. Last year, we made over $1000 from this important program. If you would like to donate your used ink cartridges, we have a drop-off box located in our reception area. For more information on this program click on the thINK FOOD logo to visit their web site!

As part of the Phones for FOOD program, we have a drop-off box in our reception area where we'll gladly accept your old cell phones. The cell phones collected will be recycled and the money earned will all go towards purchasing food for our food bank. For more information on this program click on the Phones for FOOD logo to visit their web site!

We believe that going back to school each year is an important event. New clothes and shoes for the first day back at school help to build a child’s self-esteem and makes learning a more positive experience. The House of Blessing is proud to help in this important program that provides needy children with a new outfit, shoes, and school supplies for their first day of the school year. If you’d like to sponsor a child or get more information on this rewarding program call or email us.

The holidays are an important and joyous time. Providing Christmas Hampers to those in need helps others have a happy and plentiful holiday. The House of Blessing is glad to collaborate with Kiwanis/CJCS to help provide hampers so those in need can celebrate this special time in our community. If you are in need of a Christmas hamper, call us so we can submit your name.

Cooking on a Budget

A fun nutrition program with a different theme or focus each class.

On top of providing for our clients' basic needs through our food bank, clothing cupboard, and our furniture bank, we also have a long list of other agencies and individuals a client may need. This list includes community services agencies, health organizations, and many more.

On some occasions, our clients have experienced difficulty in making the right choices with their financial decisions. A client can sit down with our volunteers, one-to-one, and go through their past, present, and future financial choices to learn how to be the most effective with their money.

If a client ever needs a shoulder, we are always there to provide one. We care about every one of our clients and understand that each individual’s needs, emotions, and situations are unique to them. We are always here to listen and comfort.

If a client seeks guidance and spiritual support, we are willing to meet with them one-on-one at their request.

Family Care Centre

Family Care Centre provides:

• Free pregnancy tests (as used in hospitals and physician's offices)
• Emotional support and encouragement
• Knowledgeable referrals to other community services
• Maternity clothes, baby clothes and furnishings
• A layette consisting of a basket filled with new baby items is given to all new mothers
• Diapers and Formula available for families once a month
• On-site Health Nurse for Family Connections (a free drop-in service for expectant parents and families with children) available Tuesday afternoon from 1:30 p.m. to 3: p.m.

***This information is intended for general education purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional and/or medical advice.***