Welcome Wagon, which has been a fixture in Canadian communities since 1930, is folding after suffering a severe blow as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The organization suspended its operation in March because it was unsafe to continue the home visits that were the core of what they did, and late last week Pat Neuman, president and CEO, announced Welcome Wagon Canada’s permanent closure, calling it “heartbreaking.”
“This decision did not come easily, and was a very difficult choice to make,” she said in a statement. “We tried every possible solution to try and keep Welcome Wagon functioning through the pandemic, but our efforts were not enough.”
Welcome Wagon has been active on the Sunshine Coast for around 30 years and local representative Laurie Faulkner told Coast Reporter they typically made around 200 “Community Welcome” and “New Baby Welcome” visits in a year.
“I passionately believe we contributed to many people’s lives in a significant way,” Faulkner said. “I know for sure we made a difference in people’s lives. It’s a significant loss for the community.”
Welcome Wagon visits included a basket full of information, resources, free gifts and gift cards from sponsoring Coast businesses.
But without being able to do the visits and with the majority of the businesses Welcome Wagon relied on as partners and sponsors closed, there was no choice but to declare bankruptcy and close permanently, according to Neuman.
Faulkner said she’s hoping to spread the word that the Sunshine Coast Resource Centre remains a valuable community resource for the sort of information Welcome Wagon helped bring to newcomers.
