A Christian non-profit organization with branches in Saskatoon is launching a three-year awareness and education campaign.

The Mustard Seed currently operates a 40-bed homeless shelter and a 65-unit affordable housing complex in the city. Chief Development Officer Phil Calvert says the new ‘More Than You Think’ campaign aims to dispel the misconceptions around homelessness.

He explains the title “More Than You Think” is an umbrella phrase that describes different aspects of The Seeds work. For example, when you volunteer or donate money, you accomplish more than you think, homelessness is more complex than you think, and offering someone a warm cup of coffee can build more trust than you think.

“It’s providing dignity, respect, and that starting point of the conversation. Quite often, this is what leads to someone exiting homelessness, because that person serving them that cup of coffee is the one that’s triaging what is needed in order to address homelessness in that person’s life.”

The campaign will be delivered via direct mail, digital messaging, and email channels, emphasizing that issues like trauma, health challenges and job loss often play a role in homelessness too, not just a lack of housing.

“For example, this next campaign going into Easter will be more about the basic services we provide, but beyond that there will be conversations about holistic care; conversations about job training and placements.”

Calvert further explains that the point of the campaign is to help people understand that the purpose of The Mustard Seed is not solely to provide a meal; it’s to help people to exit homelessness entirely, something the organization is slowly but surely helping to achieve.

In 2025, The Seed served just over 90,000 meals in Saskatoon, handed out about 700 essential clothing items and toiletries, and found housing for 45 people.

“So far this year across western Canada, we’ve seen 1289 people go from being in a shelter to being housed.”

The campaign is expected to wrap up at the end of 2028.