#torontohomeless

[aminabhimla-blog]

Positive Event of the Week 2 #volunteer #feedhomeless #helplowincomepeople #torontohomeless #allangardensfoodandclothingshare #treewarmerstoronto

[sandwichboardproject-blog]

I planned to give the sign out to Bob yesterday but it got turned down. He looked at the sign and said I don’t know man, a smile wouldn’t get me through the day. And he put my sign away.

I felt a little embarrassed to be honest and I didn’t know how to react.

Today I went back to him and wanted to explain myself. Unluckily he’s not there. So I asked the owner of a nearby flower shop if she has seen him. She said he’s there earlier and wanted to buy some flowers for his wife in the hospital. She had liver-related disease.

In the hospital? I paused a second.

At that moment, I realized why he didn’t accept my sign.

The sign is large, but the words on it look so small in front of his hardship.

[sandwichboardproject-blog]

I caught up with Wesley today and asked him how the Friday sign worked for him. He said he got lots of smiles, giggles and some comments like "it’s cute" from passersby. Some of them gave him change. “The smiles are really precious to me.” He said “Connecting with people is better than any monetary rewards and it keeps me alive on the street.”

[sandwichboardproject-blog]

Wesley with the new sign (sign #4).

[sandwichboardproject-blog]

I caught up with Wesley yesterday morning and asked him how the new sign went. He said it was a smash. He went to Dundas square last Saturday with the sign and some artificial flowers from Dollarama. He put the cup away and went there just to promote the message. He said he had countless conversations with passersby. At the end, I asked him if there were more signs that I could help with. He said if I could help with one that would be great. And this is what I worked on last night.

[sandwichboardproject-blog]

Dear Wesley,

I would never forget the lesson that you taught me and thanks for sharing your stories with me.

Your mom should be proud of her son, a man with great integrity.

I wish your mom a happy smile in heaven on this mother’s day.

[sandwichboardproject-blog]

I met Wesley on my way to a grocery store. During our talk, he mentioned he recently lost his mom and he insisted that when I went home today, I should tell my mom that I love her. I usually don't say that often to my mom but on that day I did because of him.I made the message into a sign and gave it to Wesley today. At first, he didn’t say anything when looking at the sign. Later he explained that he was overwhelmed by emotions and he was glad that he’s still alive.We also chatted about other things and in the end I asked if he had any words for people who read his stories.He said he observed people walking by him every day. Some of them looked busy. Some of them looked anxious. But only a few of them looked happy. People seemed to be in a rush and he wanted to remind people that there were still precious things in life that don’t need to be rushed. Instead, slow down. Feel life and catch the love while you can.