Volunteers giving help to people on the street
By Ian Martens on January 30, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDimartens@lethbridgeherald.com Imartens@lethbridgeheraldAs winter weather again begins to tighten its hold and many take for granted a warm place to sleep, a group of volunteers from MyCityCare venture out into the cold to offer a little warmth and hope to those living on the streets of Lethbridge.
The group spent their time handing out hygiene kits, along with lunches, socks, toques and mittens, to those huddled among belongings and under piles of blankets at Galt Gardens or those making their way through the downtown streets.
The weekly initiative stems from a project of Not4Sale, a program within the MyCityCare network which aims to help exploited women and children, though with the current chilly temperatures the offering is made available to anyone in need – men and women.
“We wanted to included everybody because we realize that this is not just women that are suffering out there that are cold,” said coordinator Angelica Mcnee.
The aim, she’s says, is to build connections to help individuals find the resources and supports they need.
“To that end, MyCityCare partners with other agencies, such as the Lethbridge Food Bank.
“When they have the proper supports there’s more of a chance of them coming out of that type of lifestyle or finding the right resources. We want to be able to connect them to those resources.”
For Marcel Rides At The Door and his friend Barry Long Time Squirrel, who each received a care bag from the group as they walked along 5th Street, the gesture was appreciated at a time when they say support is hard to come by.
“I’m grateful having help,” said Rides At The Door, who indicates resources right now aren’t alway easy to access.
“I don’t know where to look for support. The information’s not there because of COVID, it’s very restricted. So everything’s online.”
Despite not having a place to call home and describing his day-to-day as an effort of “pure survival,” the two say they try to remain in a positive space.
“You can’t get depressed. If you do then you get in trouble. When people get desperate, they do desperate things. But we don’t push ourselves there.”
Along with trying to help meet basic needs, McNee echoes the need for hope.
“My heart really goes out to these individuals because I think, reality is, just a couple of choices away that may have been where I could have ended up, or whoever, we could have all ended up there in one form or another,” she said.
When I see these individuals, that’s someone’s mom, that’s someone’s grandma, that’s someone’s dad, that’s someone’s brother. And I don’t want to just stand back and do nothing about this, I actually want to be an active part in making our community better and that means reaching the most vulnerable.
More information on MyCityCare can be found at the website at myvictory.ca/mycitycare/ Follow @IMartensHerald on Twitter 4
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