Bill Diprose - The Shed – More Than Just Projects

We started our Men's Shed about five years ago with a government grant of $14,000, which helped us renovate, buy tools, and get the place running. Back then, it felt like we were building a workshop. Now, looking back, it's clear we built something much bigger.

Today, we have about 15 active members who come down every Tuesday and Thursday. Even though the grant funding has long run out, we keep going by building planters, wishing wells, and other wood projects from donated pallets. We sell what we make and use the money to buy supplies like glue, nails, and anything else we need to keep the projects and the spirit alive.

Some of us used to have our workshops, and some still do. But we come here not just for the tools; we come for the stories, the camaraderie, and the feeling of belonging. We laugh, build, sit over coffee, and solve the world's problems in the space of a morning.

"One of our members is a retired SAIT instructor, and he and other knowledgeable members run workshops on the safe use of power tools."  

We've talked about opening five days a week, but for now, the guys who show up are the ones who want to be here and that matters more than anything.

It's a positive space. Without the Shed, many of us would be sitting at home staring at four walls. Loneliness can eat away at you. Depression can creep in, even when you don't see it coming. Here, we stay busy. We stay connected. One of our members is 85 years old, and he still looks forward to every visit. That feeling of belonging and purpose is something you can't measure, but you can feel it the moment you walk through our door.

Safety is essential, too. We always have at least two members present, looking out for each other like family.

Beyond our projects, we reach into the community. We run a "Linkages" program, bringing youth and seniors together. Kids, many new to Canada, come in after school to work alongside us, building birdhouses and small projects. For some of these kids, we're the only "grandparents" they have close by.

We've even started offering woodworking classes to ladies in the community, teaching them to handle power tools so they can build projects at home. Everyone is welcome here.

Another project we're proud of is making woodworking kits for brain injury patients. These kits are sent to care homes so residents can work with their hands again, rebuilding confidence, improving mental health, and finding a spark of joy.

At the Shed, you're never just building wood. You're creating something inside yourself, too.
There's something we don't talk about enough, and we need to.

Suicide has touched too many of our lives.

I've lost several friends, relatives, and people I worked alongside. Some were as young as 18, and some were in their 80s. No one saw it coming. They smiled. They laughed. And we didn't know what they were carrying inside.

Men don't talk about it enough.

But here, we do.

We sit around with coffee and open conversations. We talk about what's going on in our lives, our stresses, our fears, our struggles with aging, dementia, depression, or loneliness. And by talking, we chip away at the silence that isolates so many of us.

Coming to the Shed gives people a reason to get out of bed in the morning. It gives us purpose. It reminds us we are still needed, still seen, still important.

It doesn't fix everything.

But it helps. And sometimes, that's enough to save a life.

We've even had ladies come in to teach sessions on mental wellness, teaching us to talk kindly to ourselves, notice when we're slipping, and ask for help. Every conversation matters. Every laugh matters. Every project matters.

In this Shed, there's no shame in struggling.

There's only strength in speaking.

For Mental Health Awareness Month this May, we invite every man struggling or needing to feel part of something again to walk through our doors.

You're not alone.

You don't have to carry it alone anymore.