Dear Editor,
We are so lucky to be living in Canada, B.C. and Maple Ridge. I always have food, shelter and a warm home.
Living in the downtown and walking around every day, I see many who are struggling. There are addicts (drugs and alcohol), mentally challenged, seniors physically challenged and some who are just down on their luck.
It must be awful to wake up on a street or under a tree, cold, hungry, having no washroom, isolated and sick. I see and talk to them every day. Just like other groups, some are nice and some are not. Many of them need help.
Over the Christmas break, a friend and I donated warm clothing that we had purchased at a thrift store to Food for the Soul. The storefront centre is an opioid agonist treatment (OAT) clinic, and offers addiction counselling, a food program, a clothing program, a harm reduction program, a volunteer work program, and a housing/shelter referral service. I regularly see street people getting help there and also see them working there. I am impressed by the fine work they are doing.
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We are so fortunate in Maple Ridge. It is a great community, and although many are facing very real challenges, I would ask you to join me in supporting Food for the Soul Project at 101, 22347 Lougheed Hwy. in Maple Ridge.
Thank you and have a great year.
Roger Welch, Maple Ridge
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