Hope with Wheels

Hope with Wheels turns 20 years old this year! Through various logos, name changes, rough weather, and a pandemic, this program helps make the lives of the less fortunate and homeless just a little better by providing warm food, hygiene products, clothing and sleeping bags.

This program would not have existed without the help of our wonderful volunteers! On December 1st, 2022, during our Volunteer Christmas Party, we had a ceremony thanking them, a plaque on our staircase wall and individual 20th-anniversary certificates for them. We feel both proud and blessed to run such a fantastic program! Who knows what the future will bring, but we know we will be here for the long run.

We see fewer and fewer of our downtown friends as the weather gets colder. Some are in a shelter, while others are bundled up in the sleeping bag around the corner from Nathan Phillips Square. Thanks to a kind donation from Jillian and Andre, we can provide sleeping bag inserts for those who wish to remain where they are. We can also offer them hand warmers, thanks to Kai from ihatethecold.com; this donation will go a long way. Some of our downtown friends sleep on grates to stay warm, which is heartbreaking.

HWW community lunches at St. Margaret’s are also going strong. It is all inside, so unlike our downtown friends, the colder it gets, the more people show up for our lunches. Recently, we have started giving out warm meals (stew, chilli etc.) and fresh salads that staff and volunteers make on the spot. Thank you again to Reverend Jacqueline, her team and the volunteers that host us and help give out food twice a month!