VANCOUVER—It was because of the poverty he witnessed on a daily basis while driving bus through Vancouver’s poorest neighbourhood that Dave Rai decided he wanted to do something to help the homeless.
“When I see these guys with no shoes, they’ve got ripped jackets, out there in the cold, they’re totally dirty.... I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to have to do something.’”
He started out small—collecting coats and shoes and distributing them to homeless people he had come to know as they rode his bus. After work hours he would often drive to the Chinatown area and exchange people’s tattered jackets with better ones from his trunk.
Before long, more and more people approached him for help. Rai began soliciting donations from family and friends. His co-workers at West Vancouver Blue Bus Transit also became involved.
“My boss and the people at Blue Bus are helping me big time—like money-wise, support, everything,” he says.
Together they raised enough money to provide a free lunch in October at Main and Hastings in the Downtown Eastside. About 750 people showed up. Volunteers also distributed jackets, shoes and socks.
“The food was gone in an hour and fifteen minutes and there was still a line-up,” Rai says.
After that, the drivers at Coast Mountain Bus Company where Rai had previously worked and who had heard about his efforts, also wanted to chip in. As word spread, people who ride his bus have been offering donations as well, he says.
“Last week a lady gave me $50 while I’m driving. She said, ‘Just buy something and feed them.’”
Rai organized another free meal on Dec. 27, again at Main and Hastings. He says it takes the assistance of many volunteers to put the food out and distribute the coats, shoes, and socks.
Rai is now in the process of launching his non-profit charity, The Great Helping Hand, to formalize his work with Vancouver’s homeless as well as his efforts to assist newcomers to Canada, another “helping project” he has on the go. He says he donates 15 percent of his salary to charitable causes.
Rai’s strong spirit of compassion has motivated some co-workers who at first weren’t too keen to get involved. His wife and two daughters have been highly supportive all along, he says. “They help out all the time.”
He plans to put on a free meal at Main and Hastings on a monthly basis, and hopes to soon be able to provide a breakfast of coffee and muffins one morning a week. Fruiticana, a large grocery and specialty store chain, has offered to donate not only food but the use of a truck to transport it and burners to keep it hot. Costco is considering donating muffins.
“They are so thankful,” says Rai of the people he’s helping. He believes providing nutritious food for the homeless can make a big difference.
“Right now they don’t eat hardly anything—wherever the money comes from it goes straight to the drugs and they don’t even think. If they get good food, apples, bananas, that kind of thing, grapes, they’re going to feel good. That’s the plan. Maybe I can do it so that one person at least is going to be off the street.”
For more information, visit thegreathelpinghand.com.
“When I see these guys with no shoes, they’ve got ripped jackets, out there in the cold, they’re totally dirty.... I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to have to do something.’”
He started out small—collecting coats and shoes and distributing them to homeless people he had come to know as they rode his bus. After work hours he would often drive to the Chinatown area and exchange people’s tattered jackets with better ones from his trunk.
Before long, more and more people approached him for help. Rai began soliciting donations from family and friends. His co-workers at West Vancouver Blue Bus Transit also became involved.
“My boss and the people at Blue Bus are helping me big time—like money-wise, support, everything,” he says.
Together they raised enough money to provide a free lunch in October at Main and Hastings in the Downtown Eastside. About 750 people showed up. Volunteers also distributed jackets, shoes and socks.
“The food was gone in an hour and fifteen minutes and there was still a line-up,” Rai says.
After that, the drivers at Coast Mountain Bus Company where Rai had previously worked and who had heard about his efforts, also wanted to chip in. As word spread, people who ride his bus have been offering donations as well, he says.
“Last week a lady gave me $50 while I’m driving. She said, ‘Just buy something and feed them.’”
Rai organized another free meal on Dec. 27, again at Main and Hastings. He says it takes the assistance of many volunteers to put the food out and distribute the coats, shoes, and socks.
Rai is now in the process of launching his non-profit charity, The Great Helping Hand, to formalize his work with Vancouver’s homeless as well as his efforts to assist newcomers to Canada, another “helping project” he has on the go. He says he donates 15 percent of his salary to charitable causes.
Rai’s strong spirit of compassion has motivated some co-workers who at first weren’t too keen to get involved. His wife and two daughters have been highly supportive all along, he says. “They help out all the time.”
He plans to put on a free meal at Main and Hastings on a monthly basis, and hopes to soon be able to provide a breakfast of coffee and muffins one morning a week. Fruiticana, a large grocery and specialty store chain, has offered to donate not only food but the use of a truck to transport it and burners to keep it hot. Costco is considering donating muffins.
“They are so thankful,” says Rai of the people he’s helping. He believes providing nutritious food for the homeless can make a big difference.
“Right now they don’t eat hardly anything—wherever the money comes from it goes straight to the drugs and they don’t even think. If they get good food, apples, bananas, that kind of thing, grapes, they’re going to feel good. That’s the plan. Maybe I can do it so that one person at least is going to be off the street.”
For more information, visit thegreathelpinghand.com.
