It’s early in the day-3:00 a.m. early-and Tim Woo is grocery shopping. When he gets back from the Sobey’s up the street from UTSC, Woo will have with him $50 worth of juice, water, and generic-brand pop.
President of UTSC’s Street Support, a club with 200-plus members, Woo has just loaded his beaten-up, “somewhat green” ’96 Volvo with the fundraising supplies needed to continue running the organization that distributes food and clothing directly to downtown Toronto’s homeless every Friday.
The drinks will be sold at UTSC’s Meeting Place the next morning to raise money to buy clothing, ingredients for tuna, egg salad, and ham and cheese sandwiches, and doughnuts-just a few of the essentials the group has been distributing for free since the beginning of the school year.
“Our city has a problem, and it needs to be addressed. We can’t ignore it because the problem’s getting bigger,” said Woo, as he reflected on childhood visits to downtown Toronto with his parents, part of the reason he decided to start the group at his high school.
Each Friday, the volunteers of Street Support set up a seemingly endless assembly line of sandwiches, wrapping each in plastic wrap and brown paper bags.
After fanning out in groups near the Yonge and Bloor intersection, they hand out sandwiches throughout the city until it gets dark. The remaining sandwiches are delivered to homeless shelters and churches before the volunteers board a subway for the trek back to Scarborough.
“Something I really appreciate about Street Support is that they get to know people down there,” said Vanessa Johnson, a second-year international development studies student and volunteer with the group. Her previous experiences with helping the homeless in British Columbia lacked the personal contact that she says has the potential to make a great impact on someone’s life.
“When I give somebody a sandwich…I can’t express it in words,” said Johnson, after being asked how she felt while volunteering for the club.
Though the reaction from the homeless is sometimes mixed, third-year psychology student Michael Ium said they are often grateful.
“They thank you and want to talk to you,” he said of his own experiences with Street Support since he started in October 2005.
Back inside Tim Woo’s semi-green Volvo, which is being covered by a light snowfall, he says that Street Support is a band-aid solution, pointing out that homelessness is an ongoing issue.
“There is a need for this organization in the city of Toronto,” he said.
Woo hopes Street Support will be able to build a strong foundation at UTSC after he leaves, enabling students to participate more.
