Saturday, March 9, 2019, was our first venture out into downtown Ottawa to do a bit of outreach work and give away some of our pre-filled Project Dignity bags to some of Ottawa’s homeless population. Beau’s gym bag was filled with bags for men, and mine was filled with bags for women. Neither one of us had ever done something like this before, so we didn’t really know what to expect! We decided to strategically park centrally in the market area, so we could easily head back to our vehicle to load up on more bags to give away. The idea was to also get a few background stories from some of the individuals we met along the way, that we could showcase on the website.
Our first interaction occurred near the Salvation Army. We encountered a small group of men and Beau started chatting with them while I stood by. They were a little apprehensive at first, but when we mentioned that we had toothpaste and brushes, socks, hats, mitts, scarves, t-shirts
I thought to myself, “What if we could get a whole bunch of people in Ottawa involved just by donating items that they no longer use or need! Be it shoes, boots, socks, hats, mitts, scarves, neck warmers, jackets, coats, purses, sports bags, knapsacks, tote bags, sleeping bags, blankets, feminine hygiene products, small Kleenex packs, combs and brushes, disposable razors, band-aids, and all kinds of toiletries (smaller travel sized items are great). We found that many items can also be purchased cheaply at Dollarama type stores.
Anything helps!! We just want to keep filling up bags, so we can keep on giving a little bit of dignity and compassion to some of our fellow humans that are really struggling in our city!
After spending a bit of time with these fellows, we continued going on our way. We hadn’t asked for names and stories, as this really was the very first real contact we had so far, and we just enjoyed the moments and interactions as they happened! We were told that the Shepherds of Good Hope, that also housed women, was just around the corner. Since my sports bag was full of women’s Project Dignity bags, we decided to go check it out.
As we wandered around the corner, we saw a man peering into a dumpster. Although it was still quite cold, especially in the wind, this fellow was only wearing sweatpants and a very beat up, ripped sweatshirt and worn out boots! He had no jacket to keep him warm! Beau went over and said hello, and I quickly followed. The man immediately started chatting with us. He said it was amazing the kinds of things he finds in the trash, including food. We decided we wanted to stay and chat with him for a while and maybe get his story. We gave him one of the bags and with a smile, he immediately ate the small chocolate bar. He then proceeded to take off his boots and put on the thickest pair of the 3 pairs of socks that were in the bag. While he was doing this, he told us a bit of his story. His name is Julien (pictured with Beau), 42 years old and originally from Maniwaki.
He mentioned that he has been on the street for about 9-10 months. He said he had been living a normal life until his father passed away about 14 years ago. With tears in his eyes, he said that he still misses his dad terribly! When his father died, the family home where he lived was sold and he has been struggling ever since! With great emotion he told us his dream was to be able to go back to his childhood home, to have a wife and children and to live a normal, happy life!
Julien is a size medium and wears size 9 shoes. If anyone wants to donate directly to him, or any other individual featured here, just put their name on the outside of whatever donation bag or box you are using and place it outside the pickup address by 9:00AM on pickup day. We will try our very best to make that they get your gift to them directly and in a timely manner! Every donation is most appreciated!
Once we finally said our goodbyes to Julien and realized it was already getting late, we continued walking on our way towards the Shepherds of Good Hope. It was in this area that we bumped into a group of individuals, made up if both men and women. We started chatting and handing out Project Dignity bags. Everyone was smiling and so appreciative! We had made sure to write down gender and sizes just in the inside edge of the bags, making it much easier to hand out appropriate sizes. When asked what their immediate needs (besides food) were, most said clothing and toiletries!
This is the reason why gently used, clean clothing is needed!
We never did end up getting another life story today, but we really enjoyed hanging out and talking to Leena and Carl (seen joking with Beau), Kayla (seen sharing a hug with me), as well as many other beautiful souls.
We thank everyone so much for any and all donations!!!
This experience left me with a beautiful thought, “Ultimately, aren’t we all just human souls connected together by the universe?!”
After we came home yesterday, we kept thinking about Julien, who didn’t even have a coat! Beau came up with a solution – he remembered his practically brand-new ski jacket that has been hanging in the closet unused for years! Tomorrow we plan on heading back into the downtown core to give Julien this jacket. I know that in our hearts we are certainly feeling a lot warmer!
Please join in to help our cause and feel the warmth in your hearts too!