Toronto and Street Level Charity

Yesterday I happened to be walking north on the Yonge Street sidewalk when I witnessed an act of kindness. A man was sitting on the dirty sidewalk, resting his back on the facade of one of Yonge Street's many nameless businesses. He looked as though he had had a hard life and that his today was no different than his yesterday. A woman appeared from around the corner and presented him with a banana, a protein shake and something else which I couldn't ascertain.

The man, upon receipt of these gifts, didn't seem to know what to say or do but I think he was likely grateful. The woman didn't stick around looking for praise or thanks, she just carried on her way. A simple and brief act of charity. No doubt one of many on this particular day.

Charity in Toronto, for me, is troubling. Do you give the beggar money and fuel his/her addictions? I have no doubt that a certain percentage of street donations end up in booze and drugs. I admired the woman who gave food. If you're going to give anything, let it be food and shelter in the short term. Everything else can be addressed after these two basic needs, but addressed they must be. That said, you can help everyone but you can't 'save' everyone, or so I think.

Today's picture is one that I took in late January or early February lest you think that we still have snow on our sidewalks. I took the image from the streetcar on which I was traveling. It was a snowy, miserable day and I was intrigued by the scene in front of my eyes. A van with very distinct markings was stopped in front of a McDonald's Café and it appeared to be giving out food to the needy.

First of all I was intrigued by the location of the van, in front of a McDonald's on Queen Street West. It reminded me of the Pro Life picketers on Brunswick Street in Fredericton. Strategically, Fredericton's anti-abortionist movement place themselves across the street from the Morgentaler abortion clinic (the scene of the 'crime' in their minds, rightly or wrongly, though I'm not judging them or the clinic in this blog). Did this charity van see McDonald's as the 'scene of the crime'? Perhaps it was coincidental. Queen Street West is home to many panhandlers and street people, so appearing on this street made sense.

The van itself was clearly identifiable from it's graphics which were unique and highly legible. On the side it read ' One Glorious Chain Of Giving And Receiving. Love Unites All Creatures'...a quote attributed to Samuel Raphael Hirsch. In a smaller font was the name of the organization, Mobile Jewish Response To The Homeless, 1-877-582-5472, veahavta.org.

At the time I took the picture I knew, one day, I would use it in my blog. Today just happens to be that day. I did see that van on one other occasion, in March, right outside of my condo! This really had me wondering about location, location, location....with a certain degree of perplexity.

So, what does this van do in terms of charity? Let's look (off to veahavta.org I go).

Well, I've got to say that my first impression of the veahavta web site was very, very good. The organization appears to be highly organized and professional, incredibly creative and quite obviously charitable. In the simplest of terms, borrowing copy from their web site, here's what they do:

Ve’ahavta is a Canadian humanitarian and relief organization that is motivated by the Jewish value of tzedakah – the obligation to do justice – by assisting the needy locally and abroad through volunteerism, education, and acts of kindness, while building bridges between Jews and other peoples, worldwide.

Here's some text about the mission of the van and its volunteers that I saw:

In 1996 Ve’ahavta launched its Mobile Jewish Response to the Homeless van outreach project in partnership with Na-Me-Res, the Native Men’s Residence. In 2001, Ve’ahavta began operating the vans independently three shifts per week. Beginning in January 2010, we sent out volunteer and logistical teams on two vans for a total of seven shifts per week. In 2009, we served 4,369 clients with services including food and drink, essential clothing, hygiene supplies, and various referrals to self-improvement and counselling facilities. In 2010, 538 volunteers served 7,624 clients. That is a 75% increase of clients served! 

You can hardly walk four blocks in Toronto without encountering a beggar. It's a scene that has become so ubiquitous that the pain of human suffering is all but forgotten. The face of poverty becomes almost faceless. The homeless, it would seem, become like the winter weather....something to be endured in hope that better times are ahead. But are they?

Is homelessness and poverty the problem of our Federal Government, or is it something better dealt with by churches, charities, faiths and foundations? Perhaps they work together through grants, I don't know. There are more questions than answers in my mind, that's for sure. I don't know much other than we've always had poverty, beggars, homelessness, mental illness and addictions. We likely always will. One could easily conclude that giving that lone beggar a banana was nothing more than a drop of water in a sea of hopelessness. Not so....

I believe that banana fed more than one person.