Formed under a year ago, the Nanaimo and District Men's Shed Society finally has a permanent location for their weekly meetings, at the site of the former Connective's Oasis Support program at 2227 McGarrigle Rd. Pictured (L-R) are members Jeff Krafta, Rich Kudelski, Mike Hample, John Boudreau, and Rich Hall. (Kenn Hample/submitted)

By Jordan Davidson

permanent home

‘We’re hugely grateful:’ Nanaimo Men’s Shed group finds a place to call home

Apr 26, 2024 | 5:30 AM

NANAIMO — Less than a year after being formed a local non-profit group which brings men together in a positive and uplifting way finally has a permanent home.

Organized by a local father and son last year, the Nanaimo and District Men’s Shed Society (NDMSS) is celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, April 27, from noon until 3 p.m. at the former site of Connective’s Oasis Support program, at 2227 McGarrigle Rd.

Organizer Kenn Hample said it was during a presentation to the Lantzville Rotary Club in late 2023 when the Connective Support Society of Nanaimo approached them.

“As part of our presentation, we were kind of moaning and groaning that we didn’t have a place where we could establish a shed and a physical space to call home. It turns out in the audience that day was the executive director of the Connective Society of Nanaimo, and he came up to us afterwards and says, ‘fellas, I might just have an answer for you’.”

Those talks resulted in a lease agreement for a portion of the vacant building owned by Connective.

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Becoming increasingly popular worldwide, men’s sheds are for adults 18 years of age or older who identify as male to get together, hang out, work on projects, and find camaraderie with their peers.

“We’ve been looking for a building since launching the shed in April,” said Hample. “Being a non-profit group, our financial resources are very limited and we’re hugely grateful to Connective for offering us this opportunity.”

The group is open to men of all walks of life, who may be retired, widowed, divorced, between jobs, or just interested in being in the company of like-minded men.

Hample said it can help members deal with feelings of isolation, loneliness, and even depression, filling in service gaps for adult men looking for somewhere to belong.

Currently, 12 people are registered in the group which meets weekly, ranging in age from 40-80.

Hample said they had a great response when they first started, including donations of tools and equipment from supportive locals, but a lack of permanent space had some guys shy away from officially joining.

He’s hoping having their own space will encourage more men to join, while they work to get more involved with the community and lend a hand wherever they can.

“One of the pillars of the men’s shed movement is to participate and give back to the community, and so we’re hoping to gain by virtue of this a bit of exposure, to reach out to other community organizations and non-profits to see if we might be able to assist them with some of their projects.”

Men’s Shed in Action
Recently, they put their skills to good use when they were contacted by the Oyster Harbour Seniors Community long-term care centre in Ladysmith, who wanted some raised planter boxes to create an outdoor gardening space for their residents.

The facility’s recreation director Hannah Clark read about their group in the news and reached out for help.

Hample and his team went to work, recently delivering the raised planter box designed to accommodate wheelchair-bound gardeners.

“This was critical for us as many of our residents rely on wheelchairs to get around,” said Clark. “We’re excited to get started and grateful to the Nanaimo & District Men’s Shed for making this happen.”

More information on NDMSS and other sheds across B.C. can be found here at bcmensshed.ca.

(L-R) NDMSS members John Boudreau, Kenn Hample, Cam Smith, and Hannah Clark with their planter shed designed for residents at the Oyster Harbour Seniors Community centre in Ladysmith. (Kenn Hample/submitted)

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow