Even homeless people have dreams

As I was leaving the mall today, bundled up to bear the windy winter, I walked right into a lady knocking her over.

Apologizing profusely for my oblivious clumsiness, I extended my hand to help her up. When my hands touched hers, she felt freezing. Cold like a metal pole in the dead of winter.

Her dilemma was going into the mall to warm up and risking losing her cart full of bottles she collected, or to stay outside.

Here I was, rushing to my warm car to go to my warm home, while this poor woman is struggling just to stay warm to survive.

I offered to put her bottles in my trunk so she could go inside to warm up. As we were going inside, she told me how she has been trying to get off the streets for years, how one day she’s going to have a house and a job and be able to shop at fancy stores. She said, ‘Even homeless people have dreams.’

Back in December, I was nominated for The Kingsway Kindness award, gratefully winning a $2500 Kingsway Mall gift card and $2500 to the charity of my choice. I had a $100 gift card left that I had been saving. I pulled it out of my wallet and handed it to her.

Her big blue eyes welled up with tears instantly as she was more excited than a kid in a candy store.

‘Sandy’ got two orders of New York Fries and said she was going to go to The Bay and buy stuff from the snooty sales ladies that look at her like she couldn’t afford anything. Haha, yeah Sandy!

After she shopped, (the looks on the salesladies faces were priceless btw) I drove her to the bottle depot so she could cash in, and dropped her off at the shelter.

I always said if I ever got free money, I’d use it to help others. Sandy spent it better than I ever could have! I know it wasn’t much, but you can’t put a price on a woman in her shopping glory. She doesn’t know it, but she made my day.

I hope everyone stays warm out there tonight.  – Claire ❤