Five decades of support
Retired Rangiora farmer Ross McQueen has backed the City Mission for five decades and he would love to go to our closing down party.
Trust Board member and Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Ross McQueen
He quickly adds it would be a celebration because we were no longer needed. It would mean thousands of people would be well-fed, all the homeless would be housed, and all those with addiction problems would be clean.
“But that’s never going to happen,” he admits sadly.
Ross is one of our highly valued regular donors and has also put in decades of volunteer work, firstly as a driving force behind a youth centre project we ran in North Canterbury, and then also as one of our governance team. Nearing 80 years, he’s still a member of the Trust Board which oversees the City Mission.
In this year’s New Year Honours, Ross was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his community work including his service to us.
“The thing that has always appealed to me about the Mission is if you come in for help, the Mission will give it to you. There are no restrictions on your religion or anything else. I’ve always felt that was one of the strong points of the Mission.”
He was brought up to care about other people and remembers his mum coming home one day from the Women’s Institute with a cabbage. “I said we don’t want that, and she told me ‘you never turn food down. Always take it, because there’s always someone you know who could use it’.”
Ross says the Mission has changed immensely over his decades of involvement, increasing in size and expanding its services.
“The thing that has always appealed to me about the Mission is if you come in for help, the Mission will give it to you. There are no restrictions on your religion or anything else.”
“We are involved in more things today than we ever were back when I started. As society has changed, the Mission’s had to evolve. You can’t stay the same. We’ve been lucky we’ve had Missioners who each one of them has taken it to another stage.”
Ross says what hasn’t changed is that winter is the hardest season for City Mission clients when the costs and the struggle they face to keep warm and dry can make an already hard life even tougher.
“I think the need is increasing. At one time the people coming to the Mission were just about all unemployed, but not now. I know people on just the pension and on the minimum wage and it is not enough for them, especially if they have got family.
“It’s scary if things keep carrying on the way they are and demand for our help keeps increasing.”
Christchurch City Missioner Corinne Haines says the Mission really values the long association with Ross and his guidance and wisdom over many years. She thanks Ross for his commitment to improving the lives of others.
Join our Careforce
CareForce is a group of generous like-minded people who support us through regular giving. Donations from CareForce donors make it possible for us to offer emergency care for people needing food, shelter, medical care, support with addiction and counselling. To join our CareForce programme please contact us on enquiries@citymission.org.nz