by Alex Myrick, MMNN Contributor

Since registering as a non-profit in 2011, Red Bear Healing Home Society provides assistance to people who are experiencing economic hardships and poverty in Nova Scotia.

Red Bear Healing Home is guided by their mission statement: building respect for all life.” and the Seven Sacred Teachings. Public education, resources, referrals, peer support, and free voice mail for people who are socially and economically disadvantaged are provided in person by appointment and by phone throughout the province.

The most important program the society provides is Red Bear Connects Voice Mail service. For those who cannot afford a cell phone, land line or the internet, it becomes incredibly difficult to participate in todays society. Without these amenities people experiencing economic disadvantages or poverty cannot be easily contacted by potential employers or landlords, they cannot easily seek legal aid, and they cannot schedule vital doctor’s appointments.

Red Bear Connects free voice mail service gives users a telephone number with an extension to a voice mail box. When activated, messages can be left for them regarding jobs, housing, health care, and can connect them with friends and family who they couldn’t get in touch with otherwise. Red Bear provides this service for free to anyone in Nova Scotia who is experiencing poverty, homelessness, or is at risk of becoming homeless.

This service may seem insignificant to some, but it has been indispensab ...