Janette Hume
Janette Hume started cooking for those in need when Blood Ties opened in Whitehorse. For more than a decade she and a friend prepared a Christmas meals of moose stew and bannock and then added 70 to 80 bagged lunches, all paid for from their own pockets. Around 2019, with support from the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter staff and volunteers, the program expanded into a full Christmas supper with turkey, ham, pies and cakes. The Shelter’s kitchen staff do all of the cooking and fed more than 100 people in 2024. The group hands out gift bags and stockings filled with donated goods. Independent Grocer and Superstore donated produce and gift cards and volunteers provided pies, cakes and candy bags. In 2025, the Aboriginal Women’s Council contributed $500 towards the purchase of food. Members at the Shelter have nicknamed Janette “Mama,” “Auntie,” and “Grandma” to voice their appreciation.1)