REGINA – The line starts to grow outside Women of the Dawn Ministry in North Central Regina, and before long, hundreds of hot dogs are being handed out to children, families and anyone in the community who needs a meal.
For volunteer Dianne Hicton, it is a simple act of kindness that has become an increasingly important lifeline.
“Women of the Dawn is mostly for children and families that need it,” Hicton said to SaskToday. “And it doesn't matter what your race or background is. Anyone and everyone is welcome.”
Women of the Dawn Ministry has been serving Regina's urban Indigenous community since it was founded in December 1993 by a group of First Nations women.
Today, its work reaches far beyond the kitchen.
The organization provides counselling, cultural programming, healing and talking circles, career and employment support, food programs and assistance for people facing difficult circumstances.
But rising living costs are putting more pressure on families, while also making it harder for Women of the Dawn to keep up with the demand.
That is why the organization is asking the community for financial and physical donations right now.
Hicton says every contribution matters, regardless of its size.
“If anyone can kind of open up their hearts and try to think about giving more support to Women of the Dawn, we will really accept it,” she expressed. “It doesn't matter how much support you can give. We will take the donation.”
The organization already receives support from community partners, including K+S Potash and Two Unions, while local businesses have also stepped up.
Hicton says Safeway, Giant Tiger and Co-op have provided support, and even unexpected donations of food have made a difference.
Just recently, she says, people brought potatoes and carrots to the organization after finding themselves with food they could no longer use.
“They gave it to us and I handed it out to our people that needed it,” Hicton said.
That spirit of community support is exactly what Women of the Dawn is hoping to build on.
The organization operates at 3026 Dewdney Avenue, where its White Buffalo Calf Woman Arts & Collectibles store also helps support their broader work.
Hicton says people sometimes assume the organization has plenty of money because it operates a store, but she says there are significant costs involved in keeping it running and supporting people in need.
“You think that we have money, but we don't,” she says. “Most of it goes for taxes and goes for the stuff that's in the store.”
And what comes through the organization often goes right back into the community.
Hicton says Women of the Dawn can help people who need clothing, assistance with paperwork or financial help with a bill, particularly elders and people with disabilities.
“We'll fork over some money for helping someone, especially an elder person,” Hicton shared.
The organization also continues to confront one of the most difficult realities in North Central Regina: people living on the street and struggling to meet their most basic needs.
Hicton says feeding people is something the organization can do, but finding ways to help those who are experiencing homelessness remains one of its biggest challenges.
“We're trying our best for feeding them and everything,” Hicton said, “but you should see sometimes in her eyes when our founder sees somebody laying on the ground.”
That is why a community barbecue can mean so much.
It is not simply about a hot dog.
It is about giving someone a meal without judgment, giving families a place where they are welcome and reminding people that their community has not forgotten them.
Women of the Dawn is also preparing for its annual event in November, where community leaders and others who have made a difference are recognized, and volunteers are looking for door prizes and other donations.
Hicton says those contributions can come in many forms.
“Gift cards,” she says. “It just depends what you think is a door prize to you. So it came from your heart.”
For a grassroots organization that has spent more than three decades working to help Indigenous women and families achieve greater self-reliance and economic and social stability, that community support is essential.
And right now, Women of the Dawn needs more of it.
People who want to help can donate financially, provide food, contribute gift cards or door prizes, or simply find a way to support the organization and the people it serves.
Because in a city where the cost of living continues to put pressure on families, sometimes the difference between going hungry and having something to eat comes down to whether someone is willing to open their heart.
As Hicton puts it, “Please support Women of Dawn if you can. It could mean a world of difference to these people.”
