Church in the Hood warm-up bus seeks support amid cold Saskatoon winter

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A Saskatoon non-profit that operates a warm-up bus to help vulnerable people survive cold winter nights is struggling to carry on amid declining donations.

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Church in the Hood Ministries has been active in Saskatoon and doing outreach since 2014. Founder Ralph “Biz Nico” Nicotine said the bus has been running for three years.

“Every year more people are coming,” he said, adding that volunteers distribute about 100 bowls of soup from the bus every night.

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Ralph Nicotine inside Church in the Hood’s warm-up bus in Saskatoon on Dec. 6, 2024. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Nicotine, a hip-hop artist from Red Pheasant First Nation, said he works to support the community where he can.

During the summer months, Church in the Hood Ministries holds neighbourhood events like concerts and barbecues in the core area. The main focus during winter is the warm-up bus, which runs from 10 p.m. to around 3 a.m. — “Sometimes 5 a.m.; depends on how cold it is,” he said.

The bus also carries items like jackets and boots for those who need them.

“Last season we had a few break-ins into the bus,” Nicotine said. “It costs money for the fuel to get heated up, the soup, and all the donations that people support us with.”

Funding is low this year, he said.

“We’re trying to make ends meet right now. We’re going out twice a night, so far. Usually we’re out five to six times a night.”

The group has received some donations from the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), but hasn’t actively sought support from entities like the City of Saskatoon, he said.

They want to to fill the bus with warm clothes and items like hand warmers, winter jackets, soup, coffee, utensils and diesel cards.

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Ralph Nicotine

Nicotine said he’s had to move back to Red Pheasant First Nation because of the rising cost of rental housing in Saskatoon.

“I had to move out of town. Me, my wife and my family had to pack up and move back to my homeland.”

He works two full-time jobs on top of his volunteer work with the warm-up bus to keep things afloat.

The group is respected by all of the people it serves, and volunteers have not run into the kind of aggression that has been seen in some shelter spaces, Nicotine said.

Donors who want to help can contact Church in the Hood Ministries at 639-384-0924 or email [email protected].

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