SAINT JOHN, N.B. – As the days to get colder, life gets harder for people living on the streets. That’s why Loyalist City Newschasers has teamed up with the Saint John Police to deliver packs full of help for the homeless.
Allen Merritt has been living on the streets in Saint John for about 14 years. When he received a pack full of gifts – he was pretty surprised.
“It was full of delightful things. There was a gift card in it from Tim Horton’s, a hair cut, kleenex and all kinds of toilettries. I have socks and a blanket, one of those cozy blankets you can wrap right around you,” he said.
It’s all stuffed into a festive red bag by Doreen Naves from Loyalist City Newschasers.
“I was uptown during the summer watching another person pass out some bags to some needy and I thought this would be a good idea for the winter,” she said.
So she set to work and managed to get enough donations to fill 111 backpacks for the homeless.
“The out pour of people who wanted to give was unbelievable.”
All she needed then was to find some caring elves to help her pass them out.
“The Saint John Police are the one that see when the homeless shelters might be full or there is no place for them to go,” she said.
Sgt. David Hartley-Brown said each police car in the city now carries at least two bags ready to hand out as needed and they’ve delivered others to area shelters.
“We want people to remember that it’s not just about investigating crimes and everything else. It’s about being a helping person and a helping resource to everybody that needs us,” he said.
Once all 111 backpacks are handed out the project won’t end there.
Naves said she plans on taking in more donations to fill even more backpacks. She’d like to expand the backpacks for a homeless project throughout the winter.
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