When Revelstoke resident Lindsay Jakus lived in Vancouver she saw homelessness all the time-she was in recovery for an alcohol addiction and she lived and worked in East Vancouver as a tour guide.
She saw everything from robbery, to prostitution to drug use and said it was heartbreaking.
“You just know there is a human soul under there,” she said.
So she decided to help, and that was when she discovered the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre.
READ MORE: Temporary Cold Weather Shelter in the works for Revelstoke
The centre provide safe, women-only spaces for those seeking refuge from abuse and harsh conditions. Their drop-in centre and emergency night shelter are low-barrier and offer essentials to women, no questions asked, including housing, advocacy and other supports. They have a clothing room where donations are stored and women can choose through them as if they are shopping.
That is where Jakus felt she could help. Since then she has been regularly cleaning out her closet and donating to the centre, this time around she asked the rest of Revelstoke to pitch in as well.
“I was driving to Vancouver anyway…” she said.
A little nervous at first about putting the call out on social media, Jakus said she has received nothing but positive feedback and has had an overwhelming amount of people reach out to make donations.
“I daresay I might have too much stuff,” she said–Jakus drives a full-size truck.
READ MORE: Revelstoke’s annual Emergency Services Food Drive coming up Sept. 17
For those wondering “why not support organizations in Revelstoke?”, Jakus said she also regularly donates to the Revelstoke Women’s Shelter Society and has volunteered at their fundraisers as a bartender. She just wanted to share the love.
There is so many homeless people in Vancouver, she said. “They could use a little extra.”
As well as women’s clothing, Jakus is putting together care packages with basic toiletries that she will be handing out herself in East Hastings–for those who don’t access the shelter, she said.
Jakus can be reached on Facebook. She will be driving the donations down to Vancouver on Sept. 5.
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