Food for Thought Blog
Agency Spotlight: Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region
March 27th, 2024Agencies, In the Community
Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region provides safe shelter, education, and outreach support to women, gender-diverse individuals, and children experiencing domestic violence in Waterloo region, empowering them to build a life free from violence. As part of this work, Women’s Crisis Services operates two emergency shelters, Anselma House in Kitchener and Haven House in Cambridge. Each shelter has 45 beds.
“Both shelters are equipped to accommodate large families and individuals while providing essential resources and support services,” says Ami Bishop-England, the communications and event coordinator at Women’s Crisis Services. “We are often at capacity, and at any given time, half of our residents are children eight and under. Our emergency shelter service is the largest in Ontario for housing women and children experiencing domestic violence.”
Women’s Crisis Services is one of 120 agencies and community programs with the Community Food Assistance Network that receives food support from The Food Bank of Waterloo Region.
“We are so grateful for The Food Bank and the donations provided,” says Shannon Daniel, the food and nutrition coordinator at Women’s Crisis Services, Anselma House. “Our service could not exist without them.”

Shannon Daniel, food and nutrition coordinator at Women’s Crisis Services, Anselma House in Kitchener.
As the food and nutrition coordinator, Shannon ensures that the communal kitchen at Anselma House is stocked with items that residents can use for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.
“We supply a snack program for kids going to school,” Shannon explains. “Items are available to mothers and children in the morning for packing lunches. The communal kitchen is always stocked with a supply of staples that you would expect to find in your home fridge/freezer and pantry. This makes meal preparation easy for the women throughout the days.”

Snacks for kids’ lunches.
On weeknights, Shannon cooks supper for residents. In a typical week, Shannon might serve stuffed bell peppers with salad and potatoes on Monday, pasta with bruschetta and salad on Tuesday, breakfast for dinner on Wednesday, butter chicken with rice and vegetables on Thursday, and a themed Greek night with spanakopita on Friday.
“A hot dinner is served daily Monday to Friday and on weekends, the fridges and freezers are stocked with heat and eat options,” Shannon says. “A menu is posted with heating instructions to ensure safe food handling.”
Shannon also provides skills training and programming around food and nutrition to residents.
“We try and host some sort of class or interactive workshop every other week,” she explains. “We have simple classes on how to cook with eggs, meals on a budget, how to make three meals from one chicken, bread making, international specialties… Sometimes, it’s as simple as how to make grilled cheese.”
Shannon finds the work incredibly rewarding and is happy that residents have a safe place to enjoy a meal.
“It gives the women one less thing to worry about,” she notes. “They are going through so much as it is. Taking out the worry and expense of where their food is coming from is priceless.”
If you’d like to help The Food Bank support Network partners like Women’s Crisis Services, visit our Get Involved section on our website to learn more about donating food, funds, or time. To learn more about Women’s Crisis Services, visit wcswr.org.