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They’ll come to the aid of anyone in their community who needs it.
That, from Saskatoon’s Central Urban Metis Federation Inc. (CUMFI) President Shirley Isbister.
The head of the charitable organization says it’s been a critical lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for those who have suddenly found themselves needing to isolate after exposure to the virus.
“We’ve worked with a lot with people in isolation because once you’re in isolation you’re not able to go get groceries, you’re not able to pick up medications, do all of these things,” she said.
Most recently, Isbister says they helped out more than a dozen people who had to go into isolation after Metis Nation of Saskatchewan President Glen McCallum tested positive for coronavirus in late September.
“We wanted to help out. So, every night we made suppers every night for the people who were in isolation- for the days they were in there. And, we also you know, got junk food if they wanted junk food to pass the time when you’re watching Netflix or something,” she half-joked.
Those weren’t the only people that CUMFI has helped over the last seven months. Isbister explained that they did that for many others who had to stay home. Conservative estimates put it at around 50 people so far. She said they were especially concerned about the elders.
“We have a large elders list. So, what we did was we started calling all the elders and we were meeting the needs of any of the elders that needed anything. Be that dropping off groceries, be that picking up medications. We would drop on the doorstep so that there was no contact.”
They’ve also delivered hampers, given out lunches, let people into their facility to do their laundry (one person at a time), had emergency receiving services for children, and have helped out parents as well.
Her staff want to help, but they also take precautions as well. That includes constant hand washing, mandatory masks at work, and sanitizing their building every hour.
“Every staff member will pitch in if you need them, that’s the bottom line. We had one of our staff, Lynn, who was cooking all the time, Kelly and Jim were constantly out shopping and we had you know other staff out doing all the deliveries. There are just so many jobs that everyone just pitched in and helped with the community. To this day, they’re still helping.”
There are days she adds, that 150 people come to their door. Everyone that goes there gets food and other crucial services they may need.
“Metis people, we’re a large community,” says Isbister.”In times of need, we all step in to help out as much as we can.”
Editors note – If you know of an essential services worker with an uplifting story to tell, or if you know someone who has gone above and beyond during the pandemic, send us an email. We’d love to tell their story.
