Yesterday, we had a call. A call that made 3 of my volunteers cry.

You see, an individual in need contacted @HarvestHillsYYC and asked for help with food. We have permission to tell his story and share his request with everyone.
It started off with a phone call to a new volunteer that was on her first on call shift over the Christmas Break. "N" called and left a message in which he asked to be called back as soon as possible.

So our volunteer Melanie returned his call.
She asked N what he needed help with & he said he needed help with food/rent cause he could pay his rent & not eat for the month & maybe eat once every 3 to 4 days....or pay some of his rent and be able to eat everyday and hope he could find the money to pay the rest of his rent.
She asked if he weren't able to pay a portion of his rent, how much would he be short. N said if he wasn't able to get a food hamper he was planning to use $300 of his money to buy some food & then sell some of his belongings to make up the rest of the money he would owe for rent
She then asked him about his living situation and he told her that he lived alone and was new to all this new fangled technology and he got himself a computer box to be able to contact the foodbank and other groups for help cause his neighbor told him to...and so here he was.
He shared that his two children died of overdoses here in #Alberta and how he had no other family. His wife died over 15 years ago and how he lived alone basically just waiting to die.

That made Melanie cry. So she asked N if it was ok if we helped him with what he needed.
He said "What do you mean?", Melanie made the decision to help N right then because she later told me that there was just something in his voice that tugged at her heart and reached her soul.

She went & got all his info and told him that she would call him back within the hour.
Melanie went to a bank machine (Knowing we have exhausted all our funds & are running on fumes) and she took out $300.00 of her own money for N's rent.

She then phoned me and asked if we had enough to purchase an emergency hamper for a gentleman that had called asking for help.
I said yes we do and I then met her at a #Safeway store in the North East...and we shopped and loaded up two carts of items. We made sure that N was set up and did not have to worry between whether or not he has to choose between paying his rent and eating everyday. #YYC
We checked out and loaded up all the groceries and drove to an address in #Falconridge. We parked and then Melanie called N and said "This is your address right?" He said "Yes, Why?" to which Melanie said "Well we are right out front and we have your groceries."
He dropped the phone and quickly picked it up and said OMG! I Can't Believe It! You Are An Angel! Thank You! Thank You A Million Times!

Melanie teared up and then said "Would you mind opening your door so we can put the groceries on the doorstep?"

He said "I'll be right there!"
I think he thought he was just going to be getting one or two bags of groceries because when Melanie and her son began to unload her car and then move over to mine, N just burst into tears.
He said he was crying because he was figuring that he would only get a little help from us. He asked us why we would help an old man like him....

Melanie's son said it best when he looked at N and said:
Mr, at one point you were someone's son just like I am my mom's son.
Just cause you are alone now, there are people who care about you and those people are my mom and me and Miss Jen.

That is what made Melanie and me cry. Which in turn made N cry and then Melanie's son cry because his mom was crying.
Once we finished unloading & stood in N's front yard, we chatted for a few minutes when Melanie's son said Mr. I think you forgot something. I saw a secret person put something in your mailbox when you weren't looking

Melanie's son was smiling so much that he said his face hurt!
So N went over to the mailbox and took out an envelope. He opened it up and said I promise not to cry this time, because then we will all cry.....and my face is not going to look good for the ladies tomorrow if I cry!

#RentRelief #FoodRelief #RentSecurity #FoodSecurity #FeedYYC
He said thank you profusely and if it wasn't for the current covid19 pandemic going on, he would be giving us all hugs and us ladies a kiss on the cheek!

As we turned to leave, Melanie's son said I hope we can be friends! and promised to be N's penpal since N lived alone!
If anyone would like to donate to our Non Profit, Please consider sending us an etransfer at:

Donations@HarvestHillsCaresCalgary.Ca

We can also process Credit Cards & Weekly or Monthly donations as well as PayPal on our website at:

HarvestHillsCaresCalgary.Ca
Someone asked us a question about Melanie:

Question: Did Melanie use her own money to help N?

Answer: Yes she took $300.00 of her own money out of her account in order to help N. She did not want N to have to choose between #Rent or #Food.

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More from @HarvestHillsYYC

7 Jan
This evening at 4:45pm we got a call from a social worker that works with seniors. She called us in a frenzy asking us for immediate help.

She told us of an emergency so extreme that her voice shook with concern over one of her clients.

#YYC #Calgary #CalgarySeniors #hope
This is what she said:

"Hello Jen, I was hoping I would be able to contact you before I left my work for the day in regards to a rather important situation that came across my desk this afternoon. I hope you have the time to chat?"

I said "Yes of course, how can we help?" #care
She said "We have a senior lady that is struggling so much that she has been going door to door asking for food from others in her complex."

I was quiet and honestly speechless.

I said "Of course we can and we will help. What is it that you need." #FEEDYYC #FoodHamper #helping
Read 13 tweets
21 Dec 20
After a day of delivering shopping for and hampers with @merylyyc, I was dropping my daughter off at her dads for the week when I first got a call from a single mom that needed help.

Picture below is a truck full of hampers!
I answered the phone and explained the steps this person on the phone needed to do to apply for assistance. She told me she would head to the site right away.....and she did.

So this 🚨Emergency🚨 came in tonight. (See photo of email).
I immediately contacted her and asked her what she immediately needed. She explained that she needed to get out of the room she is sharing with her children & into a basement suite

She then said she wanted a meal or two so she could eat like a family with her kids for Christmas.
Read 12 tweets
18 Dec 20
🚨🎄#Christmas #Help🎄🚨

We only have 2 #families left 2 be sponsored for this #HolidaySeason

If you want to help a #family be #sponsored, please call the HHCC team at 403-608-7224 for more info!

Family information for each family is below!

#PleaseDonate #AlbertaCares #YYC
Family 1:

#FrontlineWorkers #Mom is on the #Frontline at a local #Hospital.

#Dad is a maintenance worker that worked for #WestJet, he was laid off. (He’s been #LaidOff since May of #2020.

This #Family has 4 #Children & #Pets.

They are looking to be #Sponsored for #Christmas
Family 2:

#Dad is a #FRONTLINE #Worker.

#Mom was a #Waitress until she was laid off in #April of #2020. The #restaurant #ClosedDown

There are 5 children ages 7 months to 8 years.

They too are #Looking to be #Sponsored for #Christmas this #HolidaySeason.

#CalgaryCares #YYC
Read 7 tweets
7 Dec 20
I am writing this while crying. I was going to read it on a video but I am an ugly crier!

This was emailed to us last night from a 10 year old little girl who does not want presents for Christmas but wants food to feed her family. Image
This is one of many we have received. Including the one below.
Read 4 tweets
6 Dec 20
Jen here, I am currently waiting for my car 2 warm up 2 be able 2 drive 2 a home in #Martindale to pick up & drive a mom & young son to the Children’s Hospital.

She needed a ride & did not have enough money to pay for a cab.

So the #volunteer on call called me for #help. #YYC
So soon I will be heading to the Children’s Hospital 🏥 & hoping that this young mans eardrum did not burst, as his mom said that this will be his 4th or 5th ear infection just this year. Mom is alone here in #YYC as she just moved here from #GrandPrairie in January of this year.
Now the #car is #warm & I’m off! I will #update everyone after I am back home! #HelpingOthers #DoAGoodDeed #community #Support #YYCCares #AlbertaCares #CalgaryCares #CanadaCares
Read 8 tweets
6 Dec 20
The team was out shopping for #FoodHampers today! All of us are super busy!

We delivered sixteen #hampers just today alone with tomorrow being our day off!

We are in #desperate #need of donations whether it be a financial #donation or gift cards.

TY TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS!! ImageImageImageImage
Tomorrow we will be planning out all our holiday hampers! But we are still in need of donations small or large, as daily we get calls, emails, texts and messages on our social media.

If you can help, please donate via our website at:

HarvestHillsCaresCalgary.Ca
There’s a link in the drop down menu for #Donations.

For etransfers, they can be sent to:

Donations@HarvestHillsCaresCalgary.Ca

Please help the 111 families we currently have on our #holiday list this year! #charity #ad #GivingTuesday2020 #Christmas #Alberta #Calgary #FeedYYC
Read 4 tweets

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