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December 14, 2021
Good afternoon,

We are connecting with your church today as the Indigenous Outreach Workers (IOW) Network, otherwise known as ey stelnexw, which translates from Lekwungen to English as good medicine. We are a group of Indigenous outreach and support workers in the Greater Victoria area.  We come from different organizations such as: Pacifica Housing, Portland Housing Society, Our Place, Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness, Umbrella Society, and Peers Victoria.

We formed this network about one year ago to find ways to best support the Indigenous folks that we work with, many of whom are unhoused, precariously housed and using substances. While we do come from several different non-profits, we are not receiving funding to keep the IOW functioning. We do this work off the side of our desk, meeting bi-weekly and organizing cultural events to support Indigenous peoples who have been disconnected from their communities, families and nations while living on the streets of Victoria. 

We are hoping to also begin offering monthly dinners to the folks that we support. Cool-Aid has kindly offered for us to use their community hall on Pandora and we are reaching out to  local churches to see about offering support in the way of cooking and delivering food to these monthly events.

The first event will be held next Thursday, December 23rd, 2021 at 2.30 pm.

We have had offers from few people to purchase and cook turkeys and are now calling out to  others to see if anyone from your church family would like to offer sides or desserts for this event.  Dishes such as: mashed potatoes and gravy, brussel sprouts, carrots and broccoli, dinner rolls and butter, or any type of easy grab and go desserts would be truly appreciated!

This time of year can  feel incredibly tough for folks who are living outside or disconnected from their families. The IOW tries to re-connect with folks, building up relationships and bringing in cultural supports.  We thought, what better way than to host a turkey dinner and spend an afternoon together with cultural drumming and warm food.

If you have folks from your church that would like to offer to prepare a dish and deliver it to this event please have them contact me no later than Sunday, December 19th by 4pm. 

Thank you for taking the time to review this letter and let your congregation know.
Hey’ewulh,
Lacey Jones

Contact: Lacey Jones via Peers Victoria Resources Society

Download a PDF of this letter below.

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