Give Guide

“We want to help everyone out there who feels like they have no one—we want to put a stop to all bullying,” says Toni Nicholas, a 14-year-old student from Dartmouth. Nicholas was inspired by the tragic suicide of Amanda Todd to start Generation Change, an anti-bullying initiative for people in HRM. It started as a […]

It hasn’t always been easy for Cathy Finley. After years of battling mental illness, she wound up in the hospital in 2009. After that, it was a struggle trying to re-establish herself in the working world. “My occupational therapist thought LakeCity would be an excellent place,” Finley says. “I had never known of them.” That […]

Suffering for years from depression and psychosis, Michael Smith was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2006. After six months in the Nova Scotia Hospital in 2008, he heard about Laing House. He says dropping by was one of the best decisions he’s ever made. “Initially, it seemed like the only place I could go. […]

Much of the direct help for people suffering from mental illness comes through government-funded programs. We’ve directed your attention to several of the charities that work in social and community support roles around that work, in hopes that you would contribute your time and money to help those groups. Yet one of the biggest obstacles […]

Last April, Andre Denny received a one-hour unescorted pass from the East Coast Forensic Hospital. The next day, he was charged with the second-degree murder of gay activist Raymond Taavel. Denny has paranoid schizophrenia. He was committed to the forensic hospital after being found not criminally responsible on a charge of assault causing bodily harm […]

Barry House 422-8324 | website How to give: Look to Metro Turning Point. Barry House provides shelter to women, children and pets. Barry House provides three meals a day and has space for 20 people a night. The belief is that once housing needs are met, other needs can be addressed. Bill Pratt, executive director […]

[iamge-1] When The Coast started planning this year’s Give Guide, we got a bit of feedback about its deliberately local focus. “What about international charities?” more than a few people asked, pointing out that a little change goes a long way in the developing world and that poverty in Canada, while bad, doesn’t have the […]

2165 Gottingen Street, 420-0303 nechc.com How to give: Through the CanadaHelps link on its website or by contacting the Gottingen Street office. When people visit the North End Community Health Centre, “they don’t get somebody pointing a finger and wagging it at them,” and “telling them what they should be doing,” says executive director Jane […]

6175 Lady Hammond Road, 455-2900 tawaakhousing.org. How to give: Contact Ida Vincent, the director of tenant relations at 455-2900, or via the website. Brian Dezagiacomo takes care of over 140 Aboriginal individuals and families, every day, every week, every year. Dezagiacomo is the executive director of the Tawaak Housing Association, a non-profit charitable organization that […]

492-2577, arkoutreach.com How to give: Money donations are welcome via pre-authorized payment plans, cheques or through canadahelps.org. Supplies needed on a regular basis are listed on the website. The Ark outreach has two main parts to its mission. The first is Sunday Supper: Every Sunday at St. Andrew’s Church on Robie Street, some 200-250 homeless […]

2352 Gottingen Street, 454-5041 efrynovascotia.com How to give: Contact the Gottingen Street office or through the CanadaHelps donation form on the website. When women get out of prison in Nova Scotia, life doesn’t always improve that much: They’re often stuck looking for a job with a criminal record and no social support network, savings or […]

Mark Butler policy director, Ecology Action Centre The Ecology Action Centre is, of course, the grandaddy of local environmental groups, the single resource that all other groups rely on. So it was naturally the place for us to go to ask about lesser-known groups that have escaped our attention. “Eastern Shore Forest Watch,” says Butler […]