For our second annual homeless initiative, we continue to serve our displaced brothers and sisters by providing resources for these gifted people, many of whom are living a difficult situation. We will once again be hosting a winter preparation drive, where we are collecting blankets, outerwear, clothing and toiletries that we are offering in our ‘free marketplace’. We also provide reusable bags and a ‘used clothing dropoff’ so soiled nothing can be properly disposed of. We are planning on expanding our services this year to include a veterinarian station and a nurse practitioner, as well as a barber.

Once more, we are offering 200 hot and fresh vegan meals created by a talented chef with produce donated by local farmers. The event begins with an indigenous land blessing and meditation, with healers offering smudges throughout the day.

This initiatives goal is to empower and heal our displaced communities by providing a safe space to experience joy and abundance. We honour our brothers and sisters though these acts because we are ONE, and creating that bridge which demystifies the gap between our various communities helps to support the growth of every individual in attendance.

During this event, we plant native trees and shrubs to combat climate change and crate greenspace in the city. To begin, an arborist guides the group in a talk about the impact of trees in the specific environment and provides knowledge about the complex ecosystems surrounding us and how we can support them. Afterwards, the we form a circle around the saplings and are led on a guided meditation and indigenous wisdom teaching. We will learn of the importance of these magnificent plants through ancient insight. Afterwards we collectively plant each of the trees.