BARRHEAD – The Barrhead and District Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) Society is partnering with local bakeries to spread the word about men’s mental health.
The FCSS Society visited about 40 local businesses in February, delivering goodies sponsored by Pembina West Co-op, Tim Hortons, Freson Bros., Elieneke’s Bake Shop and the Barrhead Bakery. The deliveries were part of the annual Buddy Up Campaign, and used to open up conversations about men’s mental well-being.
“Our hopes are that they will talk openly," FCSS coordinator Leah Jackson said. "We've had some businesses that have said that they shared some of the information in their staff meetings. We get the smiles at the goodies and hopefully bring some awareness to manage mental health.”
The Buddy Up Campaign is a men’s suicide prevention campaign initiated by the 100 Men Who Give a Damn Calgary group, started in 2016. The goal of the campaign is to break down barriers that discourage men having conversations about things that may be stressful or challenging, and to promote trusting connections.
The campaign is a call to action for men to take their mental well-being seriously.
According to the Buddy Up website, three times as many men as women commit suicide.
Men may not recognize the symptoms of depression or feel able to talk to someone about sadness, hopelessness and fear they may be experiencing The website says society often defines men as strong, stoic and self-reliant, and showing emotions or asking for help are considered weakness.
The website walks through the steps to identify someone who might be struggling and how to support them.
The FCSS Society delivered information on men’s well-being —along with the baked goods — every weekday for the month of February to different area businesses. Each day photos of the visits were shared on Facebook, along with information on available men’s mental health and supports.
“We are so appreciative of the bakeries for helping us with this campaign,” said Jackson.
The FCSS Society has participated in the Buddy Up campaign for the last two years and received positive feedback from businesses.
The Centre for Suicide Prevention provided materials for the FCSS to share with businesses and their employees. Some businesses are using the information in their occupational health and safety meetings, posting the posters for employees to see.
For more information about preventing suicide, visit suicideinfo.ca.
