At the heart of the Shambhala community is the Shambhala Buddhist path. Unique in the world of Western Buddhism, this path combines the teachings of the Kagyü and Nyingma lineages of Tibet with Shambhala teachings on how to live an uplifted life, fully engaged with the world.

Our offerings include:

• Meditation: Mindfulness-awareness meditation is the basis of all Shambhala Centre activities. Originating from Shakyamuni Buddha over 2,500 years ago, this practice is the art of resting the mind, opening the heart and appreciating what it is to be fully human. We offer free public meditation sessions on Sundays from 9 am to noon, Mondays from 7 to 8 pm, and Thursdays from 5:15 to 6:15 pm.
• Open House: We offer a weekly open house on Mondays. There is initial meditation instruction at 7 pm, and sitting from 7 to 8 pm. Follow-up meditation interviews are available at 7:30 pm. Talks on introductory subjects may be offered at 8 pm; otherwise, there will be refreshments and a chance to meet members.
• Buddhist Study: Meditation and study go hand in hand at the Shambhala Centre. Study enables one to recognize common sources of obstacles and discouragement in meditation and brings to awareness the unconscious views that distort our everyday experience. When meditation has quieted the mind, the wisdom of the lineage suggests how one can use the trained mind to explore one’s world. We offer a structured series of courses based on the accumulated wisdom of 2,500 years of Buddhist experience. Some courses are offered online for people who live out of town.
• Shambhala Training: Shambhala Training is a series of contemplative weekend workshops. These workshops provide training in meditation that enables one to experience a world free of projection, a world pure and basically good in the present moment. Having this kind of experience in meditation opens up the possibility of experiencing human society as a path. Shambhala Training uses the imagery of “warriorship” to describe the process of stepping fearlessly into the world to create social conditions that promote sanity and the uplifted energy of wakefulness. The workshops include thorough instruction in meditation, the practice of sitting and walking meditation, one-on-one interviews to clarify questions, group discussions and talks by senior teachers.
• Contemplative Arts: Contemplative arts such as Japanese flower arranging, calligraphy and dance have historically accompanied the Asian meditative traditions. These arts are based on the fact that the senses can be sources of wakefulness, and the expression of this in art can bring culture to a new level. Classes and workshops on these arts are offered from time to time.
• Generosity Policy: Public meditation, meditation instruction and many other activities are provided free of charge by member volunteers. We offer our classes, courses and workshops on a suggested-donation basis, accommodating everyone’s ability to pay. Persons who connect with the view and practice of Shambhala Buddhism may wish to become members and support the community by paying monthly dues.
• Rural Retreat Facility: Situated an hour’s drive from Nelson, Senge Ling offers an opportunity for week-long group meditation retreats, and solitary retreats for experienced meditators.
• Dorje Kasung: Human societies traditionally have some sort of protector principle - usually police or armies, or just strong men skilled in the arts of aggression. In contrast, the Dorje Kasung, whose motto is “Victory over War,” provides protection based on awareness.

For further information, please visit:

• Kootenay Shambhala Meditation Centre website: www.nelsonbuddha.com
• Shambhala International website: www.shambhala.org

At the Nelson Food Cupboard, we believe having access to healthy food is a human right. Many people in our community do not have sufficient resources to provide food for themselves and their families so we are here to bridge that gap.

The Nelson Food Cupboard is a barrier-free food bank open to the public three days per week. Being barrier-free means that people can come to our food bank as often as they need and we don’t ask them to justify why they need to come. We respect their rights to privacy and dignity and aim to create a welcoming and safe atmosphere for people of all backgrounds.

We feed 600 – 1000 customers per month and aim to meet their diverse family and dietary needs with healthy foods. Our shelves are regularly stocked with fresh produce, diverse breads, bulk grains, peanut butter, and canned goods; and on certain days other nutritious foods such as tofu, farm fresh eggs and sandwich meats are offered to our customers.

Food Cupboard customers come from Nelson and the surrounding towns and rural areas. One third are children. Many of our customers struggle to make ends meet on social assistance, some work for low wages and support families, and others are in transitional periods of their lives. Food Cupboard customers’ stories are as diverse as those of other socio-economic groups.

In addition to the food bank, we operate Harvest Rescue, a fresh produce gleaning program, and offer food skills workshops that focus on cooking on a limited budget and making the most of seasonal produce harvesting.

Harvest Rescue connects fruit tree owners, backyard gardeners and farmers in the Nelson area who have more produce than they need, with community members who can use that food. Rather than becoming compost, bear-bait, or landfill, the food goes to food banks, shelters, community groups and the pickers themselves.

The Nelson Food Cupboard Society is a community-minded organization and we value supporting the local economy. We partner with diverse social service agencies, businesses and individuals to deliver programs and fund raise. We aim to purchase as much of our food locally as possible and work directly with local farmers and locally-owned businesses.

In 2008, we have received funding from Mazon Canada and Hydrecs BC to purchase farm shares from 2 local farms: Glade Valley Gardens and Soil Matters Organic Farm. These farm shares will amount to weekly deliveries of fresh produce from each farm throughout the growing season. Soil Matters has 2 large greenhouses and we are looking forward to regular deliveries from them throughout the season.
It takes significant resources to run our programs & we acknowledge immense support from local businesses & individuals.

For more information on the Nelson Food Cupboard Society, please visit www.foodcupboard.org or contact Marya at 354-1633.

Increased community fundraising

The community minded management team at Chahko Mika Mall in Nelson recently pitched in to help the BCSPCA Nelson Branch. The mall is undergoing a major renovation and offered to donate excess goods and space to hold a huge clearance sale to help the animals. Items include display racks, shelving, jewelry cases, lighting, banners, tables and chairs and any other items that accumulated over the years. The 3-day event raised over $3000 for the animals.
Deb Dwyer and Emma Cox, owners of the newly created business, Pupperware, (home retail parties for pet care products) had a business launch on March 29th with proceeds going to the Nelson Branch. Pupperware is also committed to ongoing support of the Nelson branch through packaging Adoption Starter Kits, for dogs and cats, for sale. The kits which will retail between $30-$40 dollars will have everything the new pet owner needs to take their new pet home. The kits will be sold in cloth bags, which will have the BCSPCAC logo on one-side and sponsors’ names on the other. The entrepreneurial spirit of giving runs deep at Pupperware.

Afternoon Kids Club- every Thursday!

The Kid’s Club has just received a $1500 grant from the Nelson and District Credit Union to help offset the annual costs of this program. The Kids Club is a free drop in program that typically attracts 10-15 kids each Thursday from 3:30 – 4:30. There are planned activities with a humane education focus – and special guests. The kids are provided a light snack and craft materials for creative projects. It’s a great program for the kids and their parents and a boost to the energy at the adoption center.

More volunteer heroes!

There are so many volunteers that are crucial to the day-to-day operations. A special Thank You is in order for our local hero, Jack Fangrad, a tireless volunteer who lives for the animals. Jack can be seen daily at the Nelson Branch; whether it is walking, feeding, or transporting the animals, Jack is up for the task. Volunteers like Jack make the Nelson Adoption Center such a warm, comfortable place to visit, for both the animals and the public.

For More Information Contact:
BCSPCA – Nelson Branch Adoption Centre
520-C Falls Street, Nelson, B.C. V1L 6B5
Phone: (250) 352-7178
Or visit www.spca.bc.ca/nelson

The Family Place

The goal of the Family Place is to provide support to all parents, parents to be, children and childcare providers. It offers a change of setting – a place away from the routines at home where you and your child can play and have fun together. The Family Place offers support, information and a chance to meet other parents and children.

Life After Birth Postpartum

Assisting parents to make the transition to parenthood during the first year, offering one-to-one phone contact, one-to-one help and breastfeeding support, weekly mothers’ drop-in group, home support right after birth and a post-partum adjustment support group.

Community Action Program for Children (CAPC)

CAPC provides long term funding to community coalitions to deliver programs that address the health and development of children (0 – 6 years) who are living in conditions of risk. It recognizes that communities have the ability to identify and respond to the needs of children and places a strong emphasis on partnerships and community capacity building.

Pregnancy Outreach Program

This program is designed to assist pregnant women to have healthier babies. The program includes support during the postpartum period up to six months, offers food vouchers and vitamins, individual support and weekly meetings with free lunch. Additional Pregnancy Outreach is provided in Kaslo.

Care to Learn Children’s Centre

Care to Learn Children’s Centre offers daycare for infants, toddlers and preschool age children. The centre has two licensed daycare programs: a twelve space infant and toddler program and a twenty space 3 – 5 years program, making it a family friendly facility.

Pediatric Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy

This program assesses and treats children where there are concerns regarding physical, sensory, behavioural and cognitive development. Treatment is provided in a community setting such as a home, daycare or clinic and is funded by the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

This program provides developmental assessments, ongoing therapy for children and professional advice for parents. Referrals to our services can come from a doctor, public health official, teacher, or parents can contact us directly if they have concerns about their child.

Aboriginal Early Intervention Program

Little Robes is a program for families and children ages 0 – 6 whose heritage is First Nations, Métis or Inuit with an aim to promote healthy babies and preschoolers. It is an initiative of Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Child and Family Services and Kootenay Kids.

West Kootenay Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR)

The CCRR provides training opportunities for care providers and parents, childcare referrals, tips on choosing quality childcare, resource library and networking opportunities. Recruitment of License Not Required care providers as well as support and training for Licensed Family Daycare and other licensed and informal child care programs. Services are available outside of Nelson by Outreach Resource van.

Interior Regional Child Care Resource and Referral

The Regional CCRR program provides coordination, direction and guidance to 13 CCRR programs in the Interior Region from Williams Lake through the Okanagan and Kootenays.

Contact Information

Phone: 352-6678

Website: www.kootenaykids.ca

If you are looking for a new pet or even thinking about it sometime in the near future then we encourage you to come in and talk to us about your wants and needs. We will then attempt to match you with the best animal possible to meet your requirements.

We want to be a part of the local community and as such we encourage you to come and visit us. We need volunteers to groom, socialize and exercise the animals. If you have the time and space at home we are also looking for temporary foster homes for the animals. Additionally, we ask that you look around your home to see if you have anything you could donate to the animals at our shelter, such as food dishes, litter pans, brushes, toys, collars, leashes, towels or blankets. Our shelter is run entirely on donations therefore our staff and the animals will gratefully receive anything you could bring in.

Since our grand opening in 2003 we have successfully rescued over 800 cats and 300 dogs. We are a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter. Sadly there are so many animals that are lost, abandoned and surrendered; therefore we feel there is a need for such a facility. We are located at 2124 Ymir Road next door to the Nelson Animal Hospital, a few minutes drive from downtown Nelson. We are open Monday to Saturday from 11-4 for adoptions, relinquishments (by appointment) and viewings. The U-Wash is available by $20 donation on Saturdays from 11-3 and includes towels, shampoo and conditioner. You wash the dog and we clean up the mess!

The shelter director can be contacted at 250-352-2228 or secondchanceadoption@shaw.ca. Our animals can also be viewed at www.secondchanceadoption.com.

Ways to contribute to Second Chance Animal Shelter Society:

1. Through www.secondchanceadoption.com we have added a PayPal account so you may donate one time only, or monthly, through your PayPal account.

2. Through www.canadahelps.org you can make a secure and bilingual e-giving donation.

3. Through donation by mail in the form of a cheque.

4. Through donation by cheque, debit, credit or cash at the shelter.

5. Through the local Community Cares program. By purchasing items at participating local businesses a portion of the proceeds will be donated directly to the shelter. Income generated by the Community Cares program will fund the animals currently available for adoption. For information about how to sign your business up please contact the shelter director.

A formal tax receipt will be issued upon donation for the item’s retail value.

Outreach workers come and go, counsellors counsel, and the centre ticks along like a nicely-tuned clock.

It’s all part of a day at the Nelson Community Services Centre, in its new bright comfortable offices on Lake St., in the Community First Health Co-op Building (though a lot of people still know it as the old Forestry building.)

Community Services does just that – offers services: counselling at no cost, as well as running the Aimee Beaulieu Transition House for women and children who have experienced violence, and Cicada Place, transitional housing and programs for youth, and programs for parents. Nelson Community Services works hard to provide solid transitional services of all kinds – be that for children, young adults, women in crisis, or couples and individuals.

While it is now a professional, accredited organization with 22 staff, its beginnings were more humble – volunteers working to fill in gaps caused by major cutbacks to government social programs in the 1970s. Now more than 35 years old, with a solid and long-term staff, the centre looks to its volunteer board for a broad community perspective, fundraising, and oversight.

Lena Horswill has served as Executive Director for 20 years. “People use our services during trying times in their lives,” she says. “Whether they come into our Lake St. offices, the Transition House, or Cicada Place, they are welcomed into a warm, kind environment and then get down to business with our thoroughly professional staff.

“Why did we start? Why did we focus on these services? Let’s go one by one.
The Transition House: for more than 20 years, women’s organizations had lobbied government for a transition house in Nelson. This community dream became a reality in 1995. We named it the Aimee Beaulieu Transition House, in honour of a young mum and her twin babies who were murdered here. We built this home so women and their children can escape from violence, rest and regroup, and with support and counselling, prepare to re-enter regular life.

“Cicada Place? A beautiful name for youth housing. The cicada is a butterfly that emerges in its seventeenth year of maturation. This transitional housing and support system – unbelievable now to look back at the beginning 10 years ago – caused some people worry. But they quickly saw that again, this is a solid, professionally run program to help young people with much-needed, safe housing during a stage of their own maturing. They live at Cicada, stick with its programs, and emerge six months or a year or so later in far better shape to direct their own lives. It’s making a tremendous difference, and people know it. There used to be a wait list of five or six, and now there are 30-40.

“Counselling? Parenting programs? Outreach? It’s part of our integrated work with families and individuals. Sometimes a person needs short-term help, and sometimes for much longer. The fact that our counselling services are provided at no cost to the individual makes a huge difference for people who are already under stress.

“And we’re not alone in our work: we work co-operatively and link with other services agencies and government support in Nelson, so people who come here have access to the full array of services Nelson has to offer.

“It does take a village, and we’re proud to have been part of it for all these years.”

It takes a village and it takes funding: our programs are supported by the provincial and federal governments and by donations from the community. One-time grant funding has been provided by the Osprey Community Foundation, Vancouver Foundation and the Columbia Basin Trust. For more information visit our website.