Street Outreach February 21, 2016 - Heading into our fourth year of helping those in need we will be spending 2 hours handing out lunches and clothing to those in need.  There will be 15-20 individuals/(our volunteer angels) making this happen!


There are plenty of organizations out there where you can donate your money and things, but many of us feel, and hear time after time, how the funds and donations are not fully getting to ones in need.  Some of the local Thrift Stores throw away or ‘send overseas’ over ½ of the usable merchandise and clothing items that kind people donate to them (thinking they will all be used locally). 



So basically we raid our closets, canvass our friends and family, check the "Lost and Found” areas of some local high schools, yoga studios and gym’s, (for back packs, water bottles and yoga mats) make some healthy bag lunches, give out bags of toiletries (single use sizes donated from a local hotel), dental care items (donated by a Dental Hygiene group) and whatever else people without homes may need to ease their burden.



We are just trying to do something meaningful while reducing the amount of stuff people generally throw away.  People that have helped in the past (our ‘volunteer angels’) see what a small amount of time and effort can do and what an impact it has on over 800 people/year on the street and  through our Housing Outreach, 15 people/year who transition to their first homes after living on the street. 

The people that we have helped have touched our hearts and lives much more than I am sure we have touched theirs.  We see their struggles and are incredibly humbled when they say ‘thank you ladies for thinking of us and coming down to visit us” and my heart just breaks, we are so grateful to have met them….



Keeping our life’s issues in perspective and never forgetting to make the time to do the ‘right things’ has been very important since the first time we went down in 2012.  When someone who had nothing at all thanked us for simply taking a moment, talking to and ‘seeing’ them, and passing on a small amount of our good fortune to them.  We were told that by simply showing up and having a conversation with them, they knew ‘real’ people do care.  We are not affiliated with any other organized group so our name came from the grass roots reason of why we are doing this… “Did4them”.



If you would like to help by donating, re-purposing your excess life gatherings =) or make a donation (food or otherwise) everything we collect goes directly to the people on the streets.


We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your consideration and the possibility of helping us with our cause to help others not as fortunate as we are!  Our Street (and Housing) Outreach visits remind us that we are indeed here to help take care of each other….and I can’t think of another job that is quite as important =)

Men’s and Women’s SEASONAL clothes

Please make sure clothes and footwear aren’t dirty, stained, ripped, have missing buttons/zippers and/or holes

-  Layered shirts, (i.e. tank tops, long sleeved shirts and heavier pullovers), pants (jeans, heavy cotton and dark colours), sweaters, jackets, gloves, toques, shoes, runners, boots, belts, rain gear, snow pants, etc.
-  New undergarments, socks, belts, bras etc.

Misc:

-  Sleeping bags, bed linens, towels/facecloths.
-  Basic hygiene products, toothpaste/brushes, soap, hand sanitizers, shampoos, deodorants,  hairbrushes, hairclips, razors, Q-tips, Band-Aids, toenail clippers, feminine and incontinence products, etc.
-  Backpacks (or any carrying bag, small carry on, laptop case, reusable shopping bags, etc.) yoga mats, spill proof water bottles/coffee mugs.
-  Books, arts and craft items etc.
-  Gift cards (i.e. Grocery stores, Phone cards etc.)


Please contact us for a more detailed list~

Many thanks!!

Laurissa and Jen

Didit4them@gmail.com

Http://didit4them.blogspot.ca/

Bottle Donation: Encorp Tsawwassen #380

Housing Outreach for the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre DEWC

Just wanted to show you a picture of Audrey's place before, quite sparse, only a chair where she sat by the window to crochet.  She said she sat in silence most days as she did not even have a radio. She was sleeping on an air mattress on the floor and was having great difficulty getting up as her legs are weak from the heart surgery she had in 2011.   Sleeping on the air mattress was worsening her existing physical health conditions and I think putting new and unnecessary stressors on her mind too.   She was crying and very distraught, her words, story and struggles touched all of us deeply.

For 4 days Jen, Lynda and I rallied together to get her most "bare minimum, necessity" type of  items from our family/friends, purchased a few things ourselves and with some donations we had.   We were able to use Lynda and her husband's truck and dolly and my SUV, loaded up with all the items and met Audrey at her new place on Sunday.

And after - we brought her most things on her list including this lovely loveseat sofa bed, bedding and throw pillows for her to get off the floor an adorable little kitchen table and chairs from Jen and Lynda, microwave, blender, coffee maker, all types of kitchenware,  a tote with a lid (as she had found a roach on her counter) end table, coffee table, lamp, stereo, alarm clock,  food, cleaning supplies, towels, pictures for her wall, some clothes and a cozy bathrobe/slippers, toiletries,  a "housewarming" plant, fruit basket etc. etc.   She was so excited and said she had "the Goosebumps" for all that we had done for her. 

The last one is a picture that we had taken by some "passing Police officers" when we were finished and outside Audrey's building.  They were very happy to hear of our new friendship and why it was important that we capture this moment for all of us~

Trip 7: July 6, 2014

Another trip and another chance to share this with new volunteers!  We had the pleasure of having members from the AdventureFive-0 Meet up group with us as we help the women, men and children of East Vancouver with food, clothing and many other donations. Each visit is approximately 2 hours and many people helped with the food preparation and distribution (amongst other very heart warming tasks). 

I just wanted to say to the 'first timers'  that Ulrike, John, Anne, CJ, Laurie, Danielle - you all added a strong presence of true compassion and human spirit today ....YOU have made a difference in these people lives today, and in mine. Thank you for opening up your heart and for the gentle caring you have shown many of the people downtown today.   Days like this remind us that we are indeed here to help take care of each other.  Oddly enough we were all soaked with rain but somehow still smiling at the end of the day.... Amazing people - Great trip everyone! Now if I can just figure out how to make a living doing this every day~ hmmm =)

Here is a bit more about what we do:

It is said that true compassion is doing something for another who cannot do anything for you~ 

What is it?

We take items that you no longer need and give them directly to the people who can most benefit from them – on the streets and in shelters.   We also take yummy sandwiches & nourishing treats to help with hunger pains.

How do we do it?

We pick up seasonal used clothing, hygiene products, linens and take them directly to the people on the streets 4 times per year.

How can I help?

You clear your clutter, give it a second life and call us to pick it up~         It’s Easy!

What We Collect

Women’s, Men’s and Kid’s Items:

All sizes SEASONAL clothes:

v  Layered shirts, (i.e. tank tops, long sleeved shirts and heavier pullovers), pants (jeans and dark colours) heavy cotton, sweaters, jackets, gloves, toques, shoes, runners, boots, belts.

v  New undergarments, socks, belts etc.

v  Bras, socks, new undergarments, etc.

v  Non-electronic games and toys.

v  Books, arts and craft items etc.

Plus: Basic hygiene products, toothpaste/brushes, soap, hand sanitizers, shampoos, deodorants, hairbrushes, hairclips, razors, Q-tips, Band-Aids, toenail clippers, feminine and incontinence products, etc.

Miscellaneous Items:

v  Sleeping bags, bed linens, towels/facecloths.

v  Backpacks spill proof water bottles/coffee mugs.

v  Gift cards (i.e. Grocery stores, Phone cards etc.)

Please contact us for a more detailed list~

“We would all like to think that if we ever needed it, someone would help us…”