Everybody is just a person

Greetings from Sunny Winterpeg! No lie about the sun, it really is bright enough to blind you. Guess they had to make for up the cold somehow, right?

My name is Sammy and I’m a new face to the ASB Winnipeg blog. I’m a first year but I actually heard about ASB a couple years before coming to Western. We’ve been off the blog since Sunday so I guess the task of recapping the last couple of days is left with me. Bear with me, our big ‘ol family has been up to a lot.

After successfully navigating our way to Siloam Mission on Winnipeg Transit, we were given an amazing orientation by the volunteer coordinator Lindsay. She was even wearing a Western sweater! Many of us wonder why the homeless don’t “just get a job”, but Lindsay broke it down for us. We’ve all done the job hunt. Write up our (exaggerated) resume, hand it in (everywhere), wait (forever) for a phone call, go in for an (awkward) interview and wait for the phone to ring (again). As tedious as that is, for someone on the streets, even writing a resume can be a mission. If you don’t have computer skills or your name is attached to a criminal record, it can be impossible to get your foot in the door. Hearing about the difficulty of every little step in getting off the streets helped dispel a lot of the myths our team had or had heard about homelessness.

Luckily we were able to see hope in the amazing attitudes of everyone working at Siloam. It was the little things that helped show their compassion. There are exercise programs and art programs (and let me tell you, these people can PAINT). They work hard, going above and beyond to make sure everyone feels that love. Even if it’s just giving them a healthy meal, or throwing out that pair of size 42 pink pants that someone donated.

At some point we’ve all worked as “bus boys”, gathering empty cups and plates during lunch. This has been our opportunity to interact directly with the people who come to the mission. We’ve all found something different. I met a man named Robert who told me about selling books he stole from the Toronto Public Library. Then, as I bussed, he would walk by with a smile, tap me on the shoulder and pretend it was someone 20 feet away. Despite their differences, one thing that astonished us about the people was the number who stopped to say a simple “thank you”. We were all struck by their willingness to share the space with us, because we know that we’re the outsiders in the situation.

On Tuesday morning, we worked at Winnipeg Harvest, a local food bank. It astonished us to hear that each family is only able to get a three-day supply of food every two weeks. Many families coming to the Harvest are families, and the working poor. The food helps them get from paycheck to paycheck. It was hard for us to grasp the difference in need from the mission to the Harvest. We spent the morning sorting potatoes, but none of us could manage to keep up with Crazy Hands Andreas. That man can find rotten potatoes at light speed!

Every person is just that – a person. Even if they’re different from you, take the time to stop and say ‘hey’. There’s nothing to be scared of.

Sammy

Comments

[Mathew]

This is a great story. It's always an amazing experience when you're grounded by the reality of others. Really self-reflective. Keep it up - you guys are doing great!

[Linda G.]

What a fantastic way to spend your spring break! Good for all of you. :)