Being university students, it’s easy for us to get overwhelmed with school work and forget that we live in one of the best cities in the world, with world class concerts, delicious food, and famous sites right outside our doorstep. But one thing that I never realized are the countless community service opportunities Toronto has to offer. This month, I decided to volunteer at the Redeemer Drop- in Centre and hand out bagged dinners to the homeless. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure why I wanted to help them out, seeing as the homeless sometimes make me nervous whenever I pass them on Bloor.
Regardless, I found myself on Monday morning, walking into the church and grabbing the bagged dinners. I walked in, my hands crossing in front of me, holding my phone and looking at my shoes. It took about five seconds for a man to come up to me and tell me that I was asking to get beat up. So I took a deep breath, and held my head high. When I looked around, I was surprised to see that the homeless were acting very casual, eating lunch at the tables.
The volunteers set up a corner for me by the door and put the bagged dinners on my lap. I would hand a bagged dinner out when somebody left the church, and many people thanked me. One man sparked a conversation and I learned that he was attending a community college and studying English, just like me. He then preceded to relate Shakespeare to Taylor Swift, which made me laugh. “Her words are just, just genius! Love that girl.” Sitting by the door, I overheard many conversations, one between two men who looked around 50. One was showing off his drawings, which were quit good, and the other man was discussing Toronto. He said that though he likes Toronto, it’s too cold, and wants to start a new life somewhere warm. “I’m getting out of here soon, you know. I’m leaving real soon.”
That’s when it hit me. These people, the homeless, they aren’t strange or crazy. They are people, just like you and I. Some attended university, others have families, had jobs, and somehow, life got in their way. Many have mental disabilities, or experienced some major hardship in life that caused life to get the best of them. They aren’t people that should be feared, they are people that need to be helped.
It’s amazing the difference between looking at someone versus really seeing them. Seeing these homeless men and women have allowed me to discover that if it just takes one life changing event for me to end up in their shoes. It’s important to get help when you start to slip, so you can stand back up. Helping the homeless taught me that they are troubled people who deserve to be helped. We are all going through life together, and it’s important to realize that some need more help than us, and if we are able to provide any at all; not only will it better your own outlook on life, but it will better the lives of others. Life is not a competition, it’s a journey that we need to help each other through. So before you say you’re too busy to volunteer, think of all the people out there, unable to be as lucky as you, getting an education and having a home. And also, there is nothing more rewarding than having someone smile and say, “I’m not starving tonight.”
If you’re thinking of volunteering around Toronto, check out these resources:
http://www.volunteertoronto.ca/
http://www.theredeemer.ca/Page/LunchProgram.html
http://www.lawyersfeedthehungry.ca/
http://www.covenanthousetoronto.ca/homeless-youth/volunteer
Photo Source:
http://www.bloor-yorkville.com/img/content/about-us/history/church-of-th…
https://skepticalcubefarm.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/homelessness-look-…