By Sheldon Spackman

Family Fun For A Great Cause

The Mustard Seed launches inaugural Camp At Home for Hope

Sep 11, 2020 | 4:24 PM

Central Albertans are being invited to take part in a unique initiative aimed at creating some adventure at home while offering hope for those without one.

On the weekend of Sept. 19-20, The Mustard Seed in Red Deer will be hosting its first-ever Camp At Home for Hope.

Whether you place a tent in your backyard or if you camp the great indoors, officials with The Mustard Seed say there are many fun activities for the whole family.

When you register to camp-at-home, campers will receive camping recipes, games and activities. Some activities will be singing campfire songs, go fishing in the bathtub, make stove-top (or campfire) s’mores, and much more.

The initiative is hoped to be everything you need to make your camp-at-home experience unforgettable.

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Scott Tilbury, Fund Development Officer for The Mustard Seed, says they’re hoping to make Camp At Home for Hope an annual event.

“We wanted to bring families together and put together a kit for families to learn about poverty and homelessness in a safe environment during COVID-19,” he explains. “We’re very confident that families are going to have a lot of fun as they raise money for The Mustard Seed in support of children for example, that are enrolled in our School Lunch program and have needs for advocacy and support.”

Registration packages are available for individuals, couples, and families. All funds raised will go towards feeding local families – whether it be through food hampers or school lunch programs in Red Deer, Sylvan Lake or Innisfail.

“We’ll be working closely with the food bank to ensure that these families receive the support and a word of encouragement through this difficult time,” adds Tilbury.

Tilbury notes there is a misconception among many people that individuals struggling with poverty and homelessness are primarily struggling with addiction.

“There’s over 15 factors that potentially can cause homelessness and poverty, including trauma, domestic violence, mental health issues, or they may be new Canadians,” he suggests. “There’s so many other reasons and we wanted to take the time through Camp At Home for Hope for families to think about their neighbours in our community who are struggling and to learn how to connect with them and how to be kind to one another.”

To register for Camp At Home for Hope, visit www.theseed.ca.

“It is our goal that individuals that participate in this event will learn more about how they can help encourage those who are struggling as they go through poverty and perhaps homelessness, and how to communicate with them and what their highest needs are,” concludes Tilbury.