The Scott Mission
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The Scott Mission is a Christian non-denominational organization responding to the needs of the poor, homeless, abandoned and vulnerable of all ages. The Mission is based in downtown Toronto, Canada and offers practical, emotional, and spiritual support for thousands of people each year.
Morris and Annie Zeidman founded The Scott Mission in 1941. It was their belief that the hunger of the soul needed to be addressed as well as the hunger of the physical body.
The goal of the Mission is to serve Jesus Christ as Lord and Master in faith and through effective stewardship, putting the spirit of Christ into concrete, positive action through well-rounded, spiritual and social services to men, women and children where there is a defined need and as means are provided.
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[edit] History
Morris Zeidman left his home in Poland at 17 to start a new life in Toronto, just prior to World War I. One day as he walked near Elm and Elizabeth Street, he noticed the Christian Synagogue - a ministry established in 1908 by the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Through the vision of the Rev. J. MacPherson Scott, the Synagogue’s purpose was to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Jewish immigrants.
Morris began searching for the truth by asking a lot of questions and having long discussions with the leaders of the Christian Synagogue. It was a long struggle, but eventually Morris embraced Christianity, and decided to study at Knox College, University of Toronto to become a Presbyterian minister.
During this time, the Synagogue issued an appeal asking for volunteers to teach English to immigrants at the Synagogue. Annie Martin responded to the call and she and Morris gradually became aware of each other.
In 1920, the Rev. Scott died and the Synagogue was renamed the Scott Institute to honour him and indicate the broadening of the work from Jewish immigrants to poor people of any background. Meanwhile, Morris had graduated and been ordained. He promptly became the new superintendent of the Scott Institute. He and Annie were married in 1926 and tirelessly devoted themselves to a variety of ministries.
Morris wanted to start a soup kitchen to serve the many poor people who were showing up at the door. He called the editor of the Toronto Telegram to see if they could help. While they were talking, Zellers department store phoned the paper to say that they had 130 gallons of turkey giblets left over from their Thanksgiving dinner. The editor mentioned the Scott Institute’s project and the soup kitchen ministry began. More than 200 people were fed at that first meal and, gradually through the Great Depression, 1,000 men a day came to be fed.
In October 1941, Morris resigned from the Home Mission Board of the Presbyterian Church due to a difference in vision. Morris wanted to continue the focus of providing for the needy while the Church wanted to channel its energies into evangelism. Thus, Morris and Annie took a leap of faith and found The Scott Mission as an independent, non-denominational faith work. A steady stream of people from poor neighbourhoods came to the Mission every day for assistance.
Morris faithfully fulfilled his ministry until his death in 1964. His son, Alex, took over the supervision of the Mission until his own death in 1986. David Zeidman, the younger son, was able to step into the breach, followed by others who have maintained the ministries implemented by the founder.
Annie continued to be involved in the literary aspects of the Mission until her death in 1992. Some members of the Zeidman family are still actively involved at the Mission.
[edit] Services
The Scott Mission reaches out to men, women and children of all ages, ethnicities and spiritual backgrounds. While religious belief and practise are never conditions for receiving help and assistance, the Mission itself is committed to Christianity.
Among other services, the Mission offers: daily hot meals; a low-cost daycare; groceries; a summer camp for children and youth; free good-quality clothing; free bag lunches; shower and laundry facilities for the homeless; an overnight program; foot clinic and primary health care; shelter; an after-school program for at-risk children and youth; and friendly visitation and retreats for shut-ins.
[edit] Funding
The Mission spends about $8,000,000 per year, including capital projects. This covers the cost for 160 full-time and part-time staff plus all of the costs associated with providing services for tens of thousands of needy people every year.
The Mission is funded through three main sources: donations from private individuals, businesses and foundations; bequest income; and investment income. Less than 10 per cent of the Mission’s revenues come from government.
[edit] Location
The Scott Mission is located at 502 Spadina Avenue (the northwest corner of Spadina and College).
The Mission also has a lodge in Collingwood, Ontario that is used as a retreat centre for guests to experience a time of rest away from the city. The Lodge is located on 113 beautiful acres on the Blue Mountain overlooking Georgian Bay and was a gift to the Mission in honour of founder Rev. Morris Zeidman.
The Mission owns a beautiful 100-acre campground in Caledon, Ontario, about a 45-minute drive north of Toronto. In the summer, around 600 children and youth from low-income neighbourhoods attend The Scott Mission's camp.
[edit] Statistics
In 2007, The Scott Mission:
- served 86,358 hot meals to homeless and needy people and 47,880 bag lunches
- scheduled 29,696 clothing bank appointments for men, women and children
- gave free groceries to 41,861 individuals and families
- served 14,643 hot meals for the 57 children in our Childcare Centre
- gave 5,869 baby items to needy parents
- gave new toys to 2,304 children this Christmas
- provided 16,545 bed-nights to homeless men
- hosted 588 children and youth at the Caledon summer camp
- gave 2,630 free Christmas hampers to low-income families
- provided an after-school program for 219 children and youth in Lawrence Heights
