St. Matthew's House

Operation Backpack is in full swing this year.
Hamilton Steelworkers Area Council & Excel In Style have partnered together again this year to offer new free backpacks and haircuts to start the school year off on the right foot.

Friday September 4th from 10am to 2pm
1031 Barton Street East
Parking lot entrance is off of Rosslyn Ave

Backpacks: JK to Grade 8
ID for each child required
Must live in Ward 1-5 (Lower City Hamilton)
Limited quantities available

FOR THE HAIRCUTS - you must pre-register through the link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSciFaThya4Vol7PxNJsc55XpCz9ZQ4GWr7skln8Hp-6cx5Eug/viewform

Every day, our work takes shape in different ways, but is always rooted in the same purpose: helping people live fully, safely, and with dignity.

In 2025, St. Matt's provided stability to the community:
• 95 seniors benefited from a core eviction prevention service
• More than 1,000 seniors referred to community supports
• 15 new units of deeply affordable housing for seniors

Stability isn’t just about housing — it’s about peace of mind.

Find out more about our programs and how you can help at https://stmatthewshouse.ca/

📣 This year we are asking for some help.
For over 10 years, St.Matt's has partnered with Hamilton Steelworkers Area Council for Operation Backpack and this year is better than ever! This years goal is 2000 backpacks filled with new school supplies and we only can do this with your help. Please share!! 🎒

To donate, email:
[email protected]

📣 This year we are asking for some help.
For over 10 years, St.Matt's has partnered with Hamilton Steelworkers Area Council for Operation Backpack and this year is better than ever! This years goal is 2000 backpacks filled with new school supplies and we only can do this with your help. Please share!! 🎒

To Donate:
[email protected]

At St. Matt’s, we often talk about creating spaces where people feel safe, supported, and valued. This year, we found ourselves returning
to a deeper question: what does it truly mean to belong?

Our answer is both simple and profound: belonging begins when people are free to show up as themselves. Fully. Honestly. Without fear of judgment or exclusion. This year’s theme, True Colours, reflects that commitment. It speaks to who we are as an organization — grounded in faith, guided by compassion, and unwavering in our belief that every person has inherent worth. It also reflects the community we are proud to be part of - diverse, resilient, and beautifully complex.

Across our programs, we see every day what happens when people are met with dignity. A senior avoids eviction and stays rooted in their community. A child is nurtured in a space where their identity is celebrated. A person experiencing homelessness finds not just a meal, but connection, recognition, and care. A refugee is able to live into their identity as a member of the LGBTQI+ community.

This work is not abstract. It is deeply human. And it is made possible by a community of Board and Committee members, staff, volunteers, partners, funders and supporters who continue to show up — bringing their own true colours with them.

To all of you, thank you. You are part of something that is changing lives in real and lasting ways. And together, we are building a community where everyone has the opportunity not just to be supported—but to thrive.

Belonging is not a program. It’s a practice.

-Renée Wetselaar, Executive Director
Melanee McAulay, Chair of the Board

At St. Matt’s child care centres, meals and snacks are part of the daily rhythm, planned, nutritious, and consistent. For families navigating tight budgets, that reliability matters. Food here is not emergency support. It is part of a stable environment where children can grow, learn, and thrive.

Read more about how St. Matt's is dealing with hunger and poverty in Hamilton, shifting to an integrated system that supports dignity at every stage of life, in Hamilton City Magazine:
https://hamiltoncitymagazine.ca/st-matthews-house-from-charity-to-justice/

Nourishment: Meeting essential needs with care.

• 29,450 lunches in full-day child care centres
• 187,980 lunches and snacks served in child care and before & after school programs
• 4,072 grocery boxes delivered to seniors
• Cathedral Café served 63,960 meals in a year, with 205 meals and 518 cups of coffee daily
• 544 seniors had a visit from Mobile Markets, an accessible pop-up grocery store

“A meal can be the first step back to feeling human again.”

https://stmatthewshouse.ca/2025-annual-report/