A culture of giving: Steinbach, Man., recognized for leading the country in generosity

Devin Edmistonwasin thepenalty box of the outdoorrinkfor too long. He had been sleeping there forthe past several nightsand knewif huddling for warmth in a sin binwas the best shelter he could find, he could no longer handle life on his own.

"There wassomething inside me,told me, 'You need to try and find someone to help you,'" Edmiston said, while taking a break from playing piano in a Steinbach, Man., drop-in centre that's become his safe haven.

He had spent a few years without steady housing.

"It's harda lot of the time when you try to get help, your hand ispushed away and nobody gives you that chance. And [Steinbach Community]Outreach actually gave me that chance."

He found helpin what data suggests might bethe most generous city in all of Canada.

In less than two months, Edmistonwent from sleeping in a penalty box at the city's outdoor rink this winterto living in an apartment and volunteering for Steinbach Community Outreach, the same organization thathelpedturnhis life around.

"It felt like God gave me the purpose and brought me through these doors to help," he said.

His story embodieswhat people in Steinbach, a city of roughly 18,000 people,say is a culture of giving.

Generosityis impossible to quantify. No organization keeps track of how often somebody volunteers or offers their friend a ride,but atelling signof charitableness is the donations claimed on residents' taxes.

People in Steinbach donate4.31 per cent of their income to charity, which far exceeds the national average of 0.62 per cent, according to an analysisoftax filing data by Charitable Impact. The only city that ranks anywhere close is Winkler, also in southeastern Manitoba,where an average of 3.3 per cent of people's incomes is donated toregistered charities.

Steinbachis also thecountry's standout for the highest median donation $2,270 in 2021 among metropolitan areas with at least 10,000 citizens, Statistics Canada said.

Statistics boasting ofSteinbach's generositydon't surpriseEdmiston. Every day, he sees people makingdonations of food,clothingand toiletries toSteinbach Community Outreach, whichhelps those living without shelter, or at risk of becominghomeless, meet their basic needs.

Community service starts early

Madeleine Thiessen, a client advocate atthe non-profit that's also a daytime drop-in centre, said residentsstepup in numerous ways.

She remembers needing a second vehicle just to haul the produce theygot at afarmer's market.

They got awasher and dryer because a Grade 1class wrote a convincing letter that persuaded a furniture retailer to donate the set. They got$1,000 from two girls who made and sold homemade bracelets for $3 apiece.

"I think the people in Steinbach really see the need," Thiessen said.

"There's a lot of people in this town that have a lot and there's a lot of people in this town that don't have anything," she said. "The people that have are really willing to give, and it's such an amazing thing for us to keep running."

The number of peoplein Steinbach who don'thave enough is rising. The centre, which is located on the second floor of SteinbachMennoniteChurch,supports around 525 families annually100 more families than those whoneeded help prior to the pandemic.

"We do find that there is more people coming in here, struggling to make ends meet and maybe on the verge of losing their place,"she said.

It's one reasonthe organization, which issupported almost entirely by donations, has decided to build a 24-unit complex for low-income individuals. The $1.3 million provided through a government grant has already been eclipsed by funding fromprivate donors.

Pulling on purse strings,heartstrings

Thedesire in the Steinbach area to help othershas also bonded 75 women toward a common goal.

TheChrysalis Fund is awomen's giving circle in which philanthropists donate their own money into a pooled fundand then decide how to divvy up the money each year. The capital is invested so the fund and how much is given keeps growing. More than $11,700 will be distributedthis year.

Simone Pennerwas trying to convince her friend, Debbie Krahn, to join a similar groupin Winnipeg when they decided to start one in Steinbach instead.

Since 2009, they've supportedcharities that assist families, youth and children, Penner said.

"What better way than for us women to pull our purse strings and heartstrings together and give back to the community."

Members rangein age from their early 30s to 100. One highlight for Penner was meeting a family who helpedtheir mom finda charity to support every year.They decided, in her 100th year, to make her a member of the Chrysalis Fund.

She died in the last year, Penner said, but "now thisis a legacy that is in perpetuity for her."

Lindsey Banmanis the youngest member of the group.

"The fact that [the donations]lives on forever, it just means sustainability in a community that we love," Banman said.

The group said some members have becomevolunteers at thesecharities after hearing about the work they do.

Altruism rooted in faith

Member Moni Loewen,the executive director at ROC Eastman, a charity that gives youthaccess to recreational opportunities,attributes part of the city'sgiving spirittoitsMennonite roots. There's a practice among someChristians to give a portion of their income to church, and churches tend todonate to other causes as well.

"I have a sense through my work [with ROC Eastman]that whether people are still faith-based or not, tithing stuck,giving stuck," she said.

Surrounding communities in southeastern Manitoba benefitfrom the same altruism.

In the late 1990s, Niverville, Man., was facing a big obstacle: the province wouldn't help them build apersonal care home because the community didn't have enough seniorsbut the community didn't have enough seniors because if they needed supports like a personal care home, they moved away.

So Nivervilledid it themselves, and openeda$13.8-million-dollarpersonal care homein 2013without using any government funding.

Gordon Daman, who helped lead theproject, saidmany people donated andmany local contractors offered discounts to build the facility.

Through his work supporting other communities in developing senior housing and long-term care projects, Daman knows first-hand that lots of communities are generous. Within Niverville and Steinbach, he recognizes"there is a sense of connectivity around those investments, building and sustaining community, not just for self but for others,"he said.

Niverville has since built a life-lease project that required every unit to be purchasedbefore building could start.Some peoplecommitted to buying aunit just to make sure the project could be built, Daman said, and years latersome of those people are renting out their units at below market rates.

It speaks to a belief, he said, that people in the region think beyond themselves.

"I will always be thankful and also very, very proud of this community. They punch above their weight."

Steinbach, Man., recognized for leading the country in generosity

2 years ago

Duration 3:34

People in Steinbach donate 4.31 per cent of their income to charity, which far exceeds the national average of 0.62 per cent, according to an analysis of tax filing data by Charitable Impact. The only city that ranks anywhere close is Winkler, also in southeastern Manitoba, where an average of 3.3 per cent of people's incomes is donated to registered charities.