The Prince Rupert Port Authority marked the Third Annual International Day of the Seafarer by donating $5,000 to the Prince Rupert Seafarer's Mission Centre.
"We're very grateful because we're not underwritten by any group, we rely on the generosity of people who see the need and have a vision of what we're doing," Norm Craddock, president of Prince Rupert Lighthouse Ministries, said.
"This is a great help to us," Ethel Moorehouse, a Prince Rupert Lighthouse Ministries board member, said.
The money will support Prince Rupert volunteers in providing services and amenities to visiting crew members at the Seafarer's Mission Centre. Since opening 16 months ago, the centre has hosted more than 3,420 visitors.
"The lifestyle of a sailor at sea can be one marked by distance and isolation, and the men and women who visit our harbour will have sailed routes that take them as far from human habitation as is possible on the earth's surface. Fortunately, the other side of seafaring life is community – a tight-knit, global family whose members understand both the pleasures and perils of life at sea.
"Accordingly, we are proud to sustain our support of the centre and the generosity shown to the hard-working men and women who visit the Port of Prince Rupert," said Bernie Egan, captain of Prince Rupert Port Authority's Charles Hays patrol vessel.
The average centre visitor is under a 10-month contract to work on vessels, some longer. The centre provides these sailors with a place to visit when they're off-ship, offering wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), computers, air hockey, pool and more.
Craddock recalls a seafarer who recently visited the centre to Skype his family at home, including his three-month-old son who the man had never met face-to-face.
"It's rewarding to see those kind of things," Craddock said.
Prince Rupert Lighthouse Ministries has helped ship workers in more ways than keeping them connected with their families.
Moorehouse said the organization helped replenish a vessel with food when it arrived in Prince Rupert with none. The organization quickly contacted the Salvation Army, and within a few hours was loading "a whole stack of food" onto the ship.
Additionally, Moorehouse said the organization's volunteers have even visited individuals from ships in the hospital when they arrived to Prince Rupert ill, and given many volunteer-made tuques for visitors from hot climates.
There are approximately 15 active volunteers currently helping run the Prince Rupert Seafarer's Mission Centre and there is always a need for more, preferably individuals who are tech-savy.
For more information on volunteer requirements, call 250-624-6724 between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. or 250-624-8237.