Programs > Info & Volunteer Centre > Volunteers are Stars Awards > Hand Up to Hope

Hand Up to Hope understands that a little hope goes a long way. That’s why, each Sunday evening, at the Richmond Bottle Depot, the group provides a hot home-cooked meal to the city’s homeless and disadvantaged. On some nights, as many as 25 people show up to receive food, as well as socks, gloves, jackets, and other basic necessities.

But these volunteers provide more than just food and clothing. They help the individuals they meet access community resources to assist with drug and alcohol addiction or mental illness; they help them apply for housing and government benefits; sometimes, they help them simply by offering encouragement, and, that word again, hope.

Some of the individuals the group has helped are now off the streets and leading productive, fulfilling lives. Several of them have even started volunteering. One such individual visits local schools to speak about the dangers of addiction and, more importantly, to tell his story of redemption. The hope is that students, after hearing from someone who’s been homeless, will feel a greater connection to those living on the streets and, ultimately, do what they can to help.

Hand Up to Hope has been active for nearly three years, and in that time has worked tirelessly to ensure that those who might otherwise fall through the cracks get a chance at a better life. Sometimes, a hot meal, a new change of clothes, and a little encouragement can make all the difference in the world.