In Our Backyard

11/25/2024

As the leaves fall and cold weather is upon us, we're excited to announce our new seasonal services!

In Our Backyard, a project of Cambridge Shelter Corporation - The Bridges, is offering new ways to help keep your spaces and our community clean, safe, and festive throughout the colder months.

We are now offering:

1. Junk and Debris Removal - Clearing out clutter for the new year!

2. Litter Collection - Keep outdoor spaces looking clean and inviting

3. Winter Pruning - Protect your trees and shrubs with expert pruning

4. Snow Removal Partnership with Belleview Landscapes - Our team is working with our friends Belleview Landscapes.

5. Holiday Decorating and Planters - Bringing festive cheer to your property!

Visit our website at www.inourbackyard.ca or email us at [email protected] to book your services this season!

08/28/2024

03/22/2024

In our Backyard is officially open for the 2024 Season 🥳

In our first year together, we completed 52 projects and employed 18 individuals who had previously stayed at the shelter! From garden design, to mulching and edging, to installing a backyard wheelchair ramp, the crew members at In our Backyard truly did it all.

The best part? Over 50% of all revenue earned from In our Backyard projects was paid directly to our crew members, enabling them to put money towards their savings goals such as permanent housing and personal development.

Our crew was consistently booked 2+ months in advance in Year 1, so this is a special invitation to book a spring clean up or garden project soon! Brenda, our Crew Lead, is currently booking in jobs for May 2024.

This is your opportunity to help us change the perception of homelessness in the Waterloo Region, one backyard at a time.

Visit www.inourbackyard.ca to learn more about our work and to leave a deposit!

01/30/2024

In Our Backyard crew members attended the Landscape Ontario Congress on January 10 and 11. Being a member of the Landscape Ontario professional organization has created valuable opportunities for the crew of IOB.
In addition to providing access to a wide range of suppliers, Landscape Ontario provides it members with educational and professional development options.
During the winter months, IOB crew and staff will take advantage of the services offered by Landscape Ontario.
Read more about our crew's incredible new development here: www.cambridgesheltercorp.ca/current-news

11/09/2023

We're just about done all of our Fall cleanups this year!

We have lots of pics and stories ready to share on Facebook with you all over the winter as we reflect on our first year together as a team.

In the meantime, check out our crew with one of our happy customers yesterday ☺️

08/31/2023

Thank you to the Canadian Tire Cambridge locations (Pinebush Road & Highland Shopping Centre) for supporting the launch of In our Backyard!

In May, both Canadian Tire locations came together and generously provided us with a donation of brand new landscaping equipment, from electric mowers, to steel-toed boots, to wheelbarrows and handtools.

A study by the Hope Research Center identified Hope as one of the top predictors of someone’s ability to flourish. Specifically, it suggests that in order for people to flourish, they need to see the pathway to success and feel the agency to achieve those goals.

The new equipment provided by the Cambridge Canadian Tire locations supports us in providing Hope for our Cambridge Shelter clients. It shows our clients that if they take a vulnerable first step forward joining the crew, our community has their back and wants to see them flourish.

Thank you Canadian Tire Pinebush and Canadian Tire Highland Shopping Centre for being part of the solution to homelessness in our community!

Canadian Tire Canadian Tire Cambridge Shelter Corporation - The Bridges

08/18/2023

A super exciting update courtesy of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. !!

08/15/2023

Check out the before & after on our latest customer job!! 🌻

Last week, our team was brought in for a multi-day garden clean-up and rejuvenation project.

Our crew members:

1. Removed shrubs and plants that were dying.

2. Trimmed, edged, and mulched the gardens.

3. Redesigned the front garden bed to be friendlier for butterflies and birds!

This resulted in a front and back yard makeover that truly makes you stop and appreciate the art and creativity that goes into garden projects! 🌱

We're proud of how much new energy this will bring to the homeowners. And we're also proud of our crew members for continuing to set the bar so high.

Visit www.inourbackyard.ca to learn what we're all about!

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If you're inspired and believe in what we do, the greatest compliment you can give is sharing our post. It introduces us to new people and helps us grow our work and impact in our community ❤️

The majority of our new customers are coming from word-of-mouth referrals from people like you!

07/28/2023

A satisfying garden installation project! 🌻

"I wasn't sure how my garden would turn out, even when I saw the initial plan on paper. But I am so pleased with the results of both my front and back gardens. They look beautiful!"

"Brenda and the crew were friendly and very efficient. I wasn't expecting them to move one of the huge rocks to the other side of the garden or place a smaller rock in the back one, but changing the rocks around really added to the design. I would highly recommend In Our Backyard to anyone who is thinking of hiring a landscape company."

Check out the before & after pictures of our customer's front and back yards! We've also posted the garden blueprint that we prepared for them 🌱

Visit www.inourbackyard.ca if you'd like to learn more about our work and what we stand for.

What do you think of the job our In Our Backyard crew did with the gardens? Feel free to share a comment below and we'll relay it to our team!

07/17/2023

Last week, the In our Backyard crew officially finished job #20!!

That's 20 full days of work for our crew members and 20 gardens transformed into beautiful spaces that bring joy to our customers' lives.

When you support our work, you are not only investing in your property, but also in your community 🌱

Here are photos from earlier in the season when we worked on the Homer Watson House & Gallery ☺️

www.inourbackyard.ca if you'd like to learn more about our work and what we stand for.

We're currently booking into the last week of July!

06/30/2023

Another garden rejuvenation job! 🌼

Our team was brought in to refresh the front yard of our customer's home.

We removed most of the weeds and overgrown grass, we mulched, and then replanted the front garden with new native plants that will liven up the space!

We also weeded, mowed, and trimmed the front and side yards to top it all off 😊

This was a full day job that had our customer and our team members feeling proud of the end result! We included a before picture so you can see the hard work and effort that our team put into this one.

We are now booking into late July! Visit www.inourbackyard.ca to learn more about our work and what we stand for.

What do you think of job #3? Any messages you'd like us to share with the crew that did this project?