One year ago, she struggled through the worst Christmas of her life, with one donated gift and a few hours away from rehab to offer her son.

“I had nothing. I was at my mom’s house when Evan woke up, but only for a couple hours,” said Stacey Gunter, 33, as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I think I let him down.” Gunter, an alcoholic who’s been sober for just over a year, said the last holiday season hit during one of the darkest times of her life.

Drinking had become a way of life. She “needed a few drinks” for each trip to the mall and was on the verge of losing her son.

She relied on social assistance and worked temporary, odd jobs to shoo away landlords and creditors.

But it took living at a Salvation Army residence to realize she had a problem.

“I had basically lost everything,” said Gunter.

Started new life

Today she is a sober, employed single mom giving back to the organization she believes helped her start a new life.

Gunter shared her story at the Salvation Army Booth Centre in December, as Mayor Sam Katz and Lt.-Gov. John Harvard joined other volunteers in doling out about 1,600 Christmas dinners.

Gunter served as a volunteer, handing out donated mitts, hats and scarves.

On Nov. 3, 2005 she started the 64-day Salvation Army Anchorage program, a rehabilitation plan that required her to live at Booth Centre. This followed a Child and Family Services order to attend long-term addiction counselling or risk losing her son permanently.

For the woman capable of drinking a 40-ounce (1.1-litre) bottle of vodka in one sitting, a life without alcohol seemed terrifying.

Gunter now does reception and administrative work at the Salvation Army College for Office Training and shares a home near Red River College with her four-year-old boy.

Capt. Wayne Williams, Booth Centre’s executive director, said addiction, poverty and homelessness bring people to the shelter every day.

“We’re seeing a lot of working poor, who can’t afford to live where they’re comfortable,” said Williams, noting there’s rarely a vacancy among 253 beds in the Henry Avenue building’s shelter.

Williams said there was no shortage of volunteers to dole out 45 turkeys, 90 kilograms (200 pounds) of potatoes, 80 kg (175 pounds) of vegetables and 200 litres of gravy for the December holiday feast.

But he reminds Winnipeggers donations are needed throughout the year.

“The need is increasing,” he said.

by Joyanne Pursaga , staff reporter
Reprinted with permission from The Winnipeg Sun