Year: 2015
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Since its founding in 1982, the Working Centre has won broad recognition and respect in Waterloo Region, Ontario, a city of half a million two hours west of Toronto.Yet few people there or anywhere appreciate what an extraordinary, seminal institution it is.This eye-opening book by its founders corrects superficial impressions.It will awaken fresh, hopeful, practical thinking in anybody worried about today's economic trends and the people left behind.Probably most residents of Kitchener-Waterloo imagine that the Working Centre is an ordinary charity, the same kind of non-profit organization as exists in most cities, for providing food, clothing, and shelter to the poor.At St. John's Kitchen on Victoria Avenue, the Working Centre invites all comers to share a noontime meal at no charge.In the same building, Worth a Second Look is a thrift store selling low-cost used furniture, books, and housewares.The Green Door on Market Lane sells used clothing.In renovated houses and storefronts throughout the downtown, the Working Centre rents apartments at below-market rates.Its original and oldest project is the unemployment help centre on Queen Street in the Kitchener core.The Working Centre is indeed a charity, legally chartered and frugally run.That it is known as such is a good thing.Close to a thousand people show up every spring for the centre's main fundraising event, the Mayors' Dinner.Thousands more make tax-deductible donations throughout the year, especially at Christmas, and drop off surplus bikes, home furnishings, and clothes.Hundreds volunteer their time.This generous community support, along with grants from foundations and all levels of government, keeps the centre financially afloat.Whoever visits the Working Centre in person or pages through its quarterly newsletter, Good Work News, gets hints that the Working Centre is not
Author: Kenneth Westhues
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4391195202
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: