Showing posts with label People. Show all posts
Showing posts with label People. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Monday, 26 August 2013
Bannock Lady Won't Be Deterred
This woman inspires me so I felt the need to share her story. Comments welcome!
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It's going to take a lot more than some lousy vandals to stop Althea Guiboche, a.k.a. the Got Bannock Lady.
The province tried to shut down Guiboche this spring for serving homemade soup and bannock to the homeless without the required permits.
Undaunted, the mother of seven acquired the proper paperwork and continued her philanthropic ways, giving away bannock and soup to the homeless from her van every Thursday afternoon.
She said she would regularly have 150 to 200 people lined up outside her van every week clamouring for her homemade bread.
"I feed (a wide range of people from) babies to old people of all different races," she said. "I feed everybody."
But on Sunday morning, Guiboche woke up to the sight of her vehicle vandalized. The van, parked outside her North End home, had its windows smashed and there was profanity spray-painted all over it.
"It's terrible but I don't want to blame anyone, I believe in youth and the good of other people," the optimistic Guiboche said. "I love the North End. It has tons of people who are very active within the community."
Guiboche is determined to continue serving hot meals to the homeless even if it means taking taxi cabs, or getting rides from friends.
"It's worth it to let them (the homeless) know they're not forgotten or overlooked," she said. "They need to know that they're cared for. I'm not going to give up."
Guiboche started baking bannock for the homeless after two men came up to her at a gas station asking for food in January of last year.
She offered them three pieces of bannock each, and two cans of soup she had originally planned to give to her friend. Guiboche said she felt the need to help.
"I bought flour and started to practise baking bannock," she said. "I started feeding it to the birds in my yard, and they never left. I had a huge Hydro bill from cooking in my kitchen and couldn't buy food for a while, but I needed to do something."
Now, people in the community are returning the favour.
Guiboche said friends and family have offered to provide rides so she can dole out her bannock. Organizations such as Aboriginal Youth Opportunities have already volunteered to raise money to buy her another vehicle.
"Althea inspires me daily because she creates community around what she's doing," said Ashlyn Haglund, a friend of Guiboche.
"There are a lot of dedicated people who have been helping her. Those donations and the time people give make it possible for her to carry on."
Ryan McMahon, who has only met Guiboche once at an Aboriginal Writers Event last year, is organizing a fundraiser for Guiboche.
The fundraiser will include an evening of performances and standup comedy.
"When someone does so much good it's important to step up if you can," said McMahon. "I can't imagine how they feel, I want to help."
Reprinted from The Winnipeg Free Press
********************************************************************************
It's going to take a lot more than some lousy vandals to stop Althea Guiboche, a.k.a. the Got Bannock Lady.
The province tried to shut down Guiboche this spring for serving homemade soup and bannock to the homeless without the required permits.
Undaunted, the mother of seven acquired the proper paperwork and continued her philanthropic ways, giving away bannock and soup to the homeless from her van every Thursday afternoon.
She said she would regularly have 150 to 200 people lined up outside her van every week clamouring for her homemade bread.
"I feed (a wide range of people from) babies to old people of all different races," she said. "I feed everybody."
'It's worth it to let them (the homeless) know they're not forgotten or overlooked... I'm not going to give up.'-- Althea Guiboche
"It's terrible but I don't want to blame anyone, I believe in youth and the good of other people," the optimistic Guiboche said. "I love the North End. It has tons of people who are very active within the community."
Guiboche is determined to continue serving hot meals to the homeless even if it means taking taxi cabs, or getting rides from friends.
"It's worth it to let them (the homeless) know they're not forgotten or overlooked," she said. "They need to know that they're cared for. I'm not going to give up."
Guiboche started baking bannock for the homeless after two men came up to her at a gas station asking for food in January of last year.
She offered them three pieces of bannock each, and two cans of soup she had originally planned to give to her friend. Guiboche said she felt the need to help.
"I bought flour and started to practise baking bannock," she said. "I started feeding it to the birds in my yard, and they never left. I had a huge Hydro bill from cooking in my kitchen and couldn't buy food for a while, but I needed to do something."
Now, people in the community are returning the favour.
Guiboche said friends and family have offered to provide rides so she can dole out her bannock. Organizations such as Aboriginal Youth Opportunities have already volunteered to raise money to buy her another vehicle.
"Althea inspires me daily because she creates community around what she's doing," said Ashlyn Haglund, a friend of Guiboche.
"There are a lot of dedicated people who have been helping her. Those donations and the time people give make it possible for her to carry on."
Ryan McMahon, who has only met Guiboche once at an Aboriginal Writers Event last year, is organizing a fundraiser for Guiboche.
The fundraiser will include an evening of performances and standup comedy.
"When someone does so much good it's important to step up if you can," said McMahon. "I can't imagine how they feel, I want to help."
Reprinted from The Winnipeg Free Press
Monday, 7 January 2013
10 Things That Inspire
Could you repeat the question please?
Inspirations. They're everywhere!
I'm in. Let's get to it....
in·spi·ra·tion
/ˌinspəˈrāSHən/
Noun
|
10 Inspirational Things
1.> People
I love talking to people, hearing the stories they have to tell (as long as we're not dwelling on the negative) and supporting them. Seeing people go from Point A to Point B is cool too! Change is good when it works for you.
2.> The Sky
Don't ask me why I am infatuated with 'looking up' but I am! I love the shapes of the cloud formations, the variations of colors at any point of any day - the different ways the sun and moon rise and sink every day. You want inspiring - look up.
3.> Life
Have you ever given real thought to the idea of life? All life - it's everywhere. maybe I should have made this the last point on the list.....
4.> Swimming
Anytime we can be fluid and weightless it is an intense feeling. Moving through the water just feels good! If you can open your eyes and look around, even better. It makes one feel like a mermaid....and I know I'm not alone on that one.
5.> Friends
They tell it like it is and 'plant seeds' in us so that we can learn and move forward. Some just come right out and tell us what they think. Either way, we end up giving thought to what they say because of a connection we have to them (we know they would never harm us) and we actually hear them. What we do next is up to us if we are 'inspired' enough.
6.> Animals
Spending time with pets can be a wonderful way to let go of what we cling to in daily life and allow inspiration to find us! A good walk with the dog always helps. heck, even enjoying a fish tank is said to be extremely relaxing.
7.> Music
Nothing inspires like great music! From a time we are young, we experience it and music is inside each of us forever. We can't help but move our bodies sometimes. Get up and dance!8.> Art
I truly believe that everyone is an artist in some way. We are born to create. When we aren't creating, we feel disengaged somehow - like something is missing. A project or creative outlet - every person has one or is looking for one. Art (like life) is completely open to perspective.
9.> Poetry and Other Writings
There are so many great books, poems, editorials and articles written, it too is considered an art form. We all have our favorites - those stories that got us moving and interested.....'inspired.' Interestingly, if we kept a diary when we were younger, we'd already be well on our way to our own memoirs (just a thought).
10.> YOU
Yes - YOU.
You know the reasons why. ;)
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