Pigs are flying in Owen Sound.

I have proof.

The first proof I have is a picture taken last August in Woodstock of the lead staff of six key organizations which strive to address poverty in this city. They are all sitting together. They are all smiling.

I know the photo wasn’t staged, because most of them told me that they liked the photo and were glad to see it.

The second proof I have the pigs are flying in Owen Sound is that for the last few months, people working in the sector which responds to the community needs of those who are poor, homeless or on disability have been meeting around a common table. OK, it’s a square table. But we are all meeting and talking and sharing information.

It is really neat to be sitting with staff from Victorious Living Centre, Hope Grey Bruce, the Family Y, the Salvation Army, The United Way of Bruce Grey, Grey County Housing, Social Services, Ontario Works, ODSP, the Community Legal Clinic, Public Health and several from Bruce County. I’m there on behalf of the Owen Sound ministerial and the Good Food Box Owen Sound, which is sponsored by Central Westside United Church.

We are getting to know each others names. We have found out new information. Barriers are being lowered and people are talking to people. We don’t discuss cases, only policies.

One thing I have discovered is that the people who work in this sector really do want to make a difference. They want to help. Often their hands are tied by decisions they did not make and policies they have to enforce, even though they see how it can hurt people.

People who have worked in this sector for many years in Grey and Bruce can’t remember a time when all these folks came together around a table to listen to each other and to share information.

The third proof I have that pigs are flying in Owen Sound is that six organizations in this city are coming together to raise funds for each other. Under the unbrella of the United Way of Bruce Grey, Safe ‘n Sound, Victorious Living Centre, OSHaRE, the Salvation Army Food Bank and Y Housing are organizing March Together on Friday, March 1 and Saturday March 2.

The idea is simple. Friday is an indoor walk at the Bayshore Community Centre between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Saturday is an outdoor walk from 3:00 to 6:00 PM, starting at the United Way office, Grey 380 9th Street East in Owen Sound. A chili supper will be offered at 5:00 PM at the OSHaRE Soup Kitchen, located in the Harmony Centre (former Knox United Church), 9th St and 4th Ave East in the city.

You are asked to solicit pledges from your friends, family and co-workers and walk on either or both days. You can register by contacting the United Way or any of the organizations participating. You can call the United Way at 519-376-1560. You can keep up with the event on Twitter by following @MarchTogether. You can e-mail fundraising@unitedwaybg.com or go to Facebook, www.facebook.com/marchtogether.

The money raised will be split equally between the six groups for their work. Charitable tax receipts will be issued by the United Way of Bruce Grey.

No matter what you may have heard on the street, no matter what your friends may have told you, no matter what you may have read on the pages of this newspaper, the six organizations participating in March Together are working co-operatively to do their best to relieve poverty and homelessness in Owen Sound. Not only that, but other organizations and agencies are talking to each other, finding common ground and doing their best to reach out and help people on the edges and margins of our society. It’s a difficult, often thankless task.

You can help pigs fly. Support the walkers in March Together. Walk yourself. Make a pledge through any of the participating organizations. Make a donation. Raise a team of walkers or walk yourself. But most important of all, help pigs fly right here in Owen Sound.

Rev. David Shearman is the minister of Central Westside United Church, Owen Sound and host of Faithworks on Rogers TV - Grey County