Thunder Bay

Shelter House's SOS program gets a boost thanks to Mayor's Mulligan

The Mayor's Mulligan, an annual golf tournament that raises funds for local charities, will support the SOS program, which provides services to the city's homeless.

Outreach service currently funded for winter, looking to extend into summer

Thunder Bay mayor Keith Hobbs, right, with Shelter House executive director Gary Mack, left. Shelter House hopes to raise $200,000 to keep the SOS program on the streets year-round. (Jeff Walters CBC)

Shelter House's Street Outreach Service will get a funding boost from a golf tournament this summer.

Thunder Bay, Ont. mayor Keith Hobbs announced Monday that this year's Mayor's Mulligan will support the program — which serves the city's homeless by providing them with food and clothing and transporting them to services such as shelters and detox.

"The mayor gets to choose the charity [for the Mulligan]," Hobbs said. "I think, this year,  no other program needs it more than this."

The tournament is aiming to raise $25,000 for the service by August, Shelter House said in a news release.

The SOS program is funded in part by the City of Thunder Bay and the District Social Services Administration Board, but Shelter House has been dipping into reserve funds in order to keep the program going year-round.  

The shelter is trying to raise about $200,000 to maintain the operation year-round.

So far, it's raised, $59,000, executive director Gary Mack told CBC.

Hobbs said he's long been a supporter of the program and currently sits on Shelter House's board.

The tournament runs Friday, Aug. 25 at the Chapples Golf Course.

Anyone interested in supporting the cause through sponsorships or donations can email Tom Forsythe, supervisor of golf operations for the city, at tforsythe@thunderbay.ca.