'Love Everyday' aims to increase awareness about poverty and under privileged people in our communities. Our message is that all of us are truly blessed with great people and opportunities in our lives, but so few of us are actually aware. By helping people realize and appreciate all the great things they have in life, and encouraging them to share their gifts with those less fortunate - we help give a face and identity to those that most of society just gloss over or don't see at all.
This is the idea that started the 'Love Everyday' line of shirts, available through 'New Threat Apparel'. It's not just about showing off clothes, it's about showing off a statement. I do my best to demonstrate the 'Love Everyday' message by using all the proceeds from these shirts to directly help out people on the streets of Toronto.
That one shirt you buy can help provide meals, clothes, and hope for people in need. You can also look forward to 'Love Everyday' shirts that support different charities that we will be working with in the future.
These shirts are separate from the standard New Threat clothes available, but you can order them online through the New Threat Product section.They are also available in 'Adrenaline Tattoos' 239 Queen Street West, Toronto, right by MuchMusic.
These are the people, lives, and stories that inspire and drive us.
November 4 , 2008
Here are some pictures from working with a youth group at Lakeshore Arts. After a talk about Love Everyday, I held a little arts workshop for them. Great people and a great time!
October 29 , 2008
New Love Everyday video! (Above, and on Youtube) Thanks to Graham Beasley for following me around and filming me do what I do. And thanks to Mikey T, for creating such a great audio track. Mikey T has also been responsible for engineering and producing acclaimed releases including Shad's Juno and Polaris nominated hip hop album "The Old Prince" (BlackBox/Fontana), and Elephant's ambitious debut "The Violet Hour" (Nevado/Fontana).
It was great getting help from such talented guys. So check out all the work they put into it. You can also see the larger, higher quality version here.
And new women's Love Everyday shirts are here! New mens shirts are on the way too. You can order them online in the NT product section and they're also available in Adrenaline Tattoos, .
Coming up in November, I'll be doing another Love Everyday discussion and arts workshop for Lakeshore Arts' youth group, and then another Love Everyday discussion at McMaster University.
September 10 , 2008
Thanks to Graham Beasley for the photos.
August 23 , 2008
August 14 , 2008
Everyone loves ice cream! And friends. And sandwiches.
Thanks to Graham Beasley for the photos.
July 15 , 2008
I spent yesterday with some of the kids from the Lakeshore Arts organization. After a talk about 'Love Everyday', we got to sculpt and paint for the rest of the day. Supposedly I was the instructor but these kids were great! I was so impressed. I basically just got to have fun and play for the day.
The kids came up with some incredible work and ideas. It was as much fun seeing what everyone else came up with as it was just painting and working on my own stuff. Some of their creations are in the above right picture, and the above left picture is me with some of the group. It's too bad I missed out on getting more pictures of their work.
Thank you so much, Megan, Nadine and the rest of Lakeshore Arts for giving me the opportunity to come help out! And thanks to all the kids from Lakeshore Arts for being awesome! I had a blast.
July 13 , 2008
I've helped these two people out a few times before but never had the chance to sit down and hang out with them until today. They were so greatful for some food and drinks. We talked for a while about Love Everyday and they were really into the whole idea. They both showed a lot of interest in providing advice and information for me to pass on at a little poverty awareness discussion/talk that I'll be doing for the kids at Lakeshore Arts tomorrow. It's always nice getting such positive feedback from people on the streets.
July 14 | Lake Shore Arts | 'Love Everyday' poverty Awareness talk and arts workshop
June 27 , 2008
(Photo by Stephen McGill, WGTS Magazine)
WGTS Magazine's birthday! It was a great opportunity being involved in the WGTS Magazine anniversary concert. Great show, and good vibes from everyone. Thanks so much to all of Love Everyday's friends for helping out, and thanks so much to everyone that picked up Love Everyday shirts. It was rad seeing a lot of people showing so much interest. We'll also be at the Warped Tour Mississauga show, and Wakestock on Toronto Island and we can't wait to see all of you there!
Love Everyday made it into a bunch of shots at the WGTS concert, being worn by Todd Wells from the band Means. Great music, so check them out!
June 27 | WGTSMagazine.com | WGTS Anniversary Party
July 19 | Warped Tour 2008 | Arrow Hall, Mississauga
July 24-27 | Wakestock | Toronto Island
June 3 , 2008
I had the privilege of meeting Slim today. His shirt caught my attention while I was going by on the bus - "Buy a great self-help book here". I remembered reading about him somewhere before, and thinking that I'd love to meet him. I hopped right off the bus and headed over to the little area that he had set up shop in. Surrounding him were signs and a shopping cart, all advertising this one book, "Soulshaping". He has been selling this book on the street for some time now. The actual story behind how Slim began selling these books is quite interesting.
The author of the book, Jeff Brown, befriended Slim after seeing him on the street every now and then. Occasionally, Jeff would spare some change for Slim and spend time with him. This was all during the writing of Jeff's book, which happens to be about 'spiritual' homelessness. Eventually, they came up with a unique idea. After his book was printed, Jeff would supply Slim with these books for him to distribute out on the street. That was the general idea at least, but for Jeff the concept behind it was to empower Slim with a new sense of conviction and purpose. Not knowing what to expect, Jeff gave Slim a few of the books at first and then would re-supply him with more as they were sold. After just the first few weeks, Slim had sold over 60 books. Now he regularly keeps a shopping cart stocked with the books, and sells them daily while sporting his "Buy a great self-help book here" shirt. Word has reached all over the internet to Facebook, Youtube, and also the SNAP Newspaper.
The pride and self-confidence that this has helped him regain is amazing. All it took was someone to show him that he really was needed and appreciated in the community. No longer feeling like an outcast, Slim can often be seen proudly carting his books along St Clair. It was a pleasure meeting him in person and hanging out for a while. And of course I bought the book.
June | SNAP Newspapers| 'Slim'
June 2 | TheStar.com | Child poverty crusade
June 2 | TheStar.com | World food crisis hinders war on poverty
May to June 7 | WGTS Magazine | Contest featuring 'Love Everyday' and 'New Threat'
May 26 | TheStar.com | Use outreach, not coercion
May 10 , 2008
You might recognize some of Ryan's art work from downtown. He sells his illustrations on the street for around $5, and has been all over Ontario doing this. I ran into him this particular time on Queen Street as he was drawing. We talked about art for a while and he showed me a folder of a lot of his work. Great stuff. It was pretty inspiring seeing this guy without a home so passionate about his art, and so happy to just be drawing and enjoying the day. I bought some of his art, and also got him some drawing supplies. Check his stuff out if you get the chance.
May to June 7 | WGTS Magazine | Contest featuring 'Love Everyday' and 'New Threat'
May 9 | TheStar.com | Poverty `steals from your soul'
May 8 | TheStar.com | Housing is only partial answer to panhandling
May 6 | TheStar.com | Toronto's panhandling plan: $5 million for social workers
April 25 , 2008
Chris always has a number of interesting signs up. This time though, a $65 ticket for panhandling accompanies his signs. I know panhandling is no solution to the problems of poverty, but I personally don't think ticketing panhandlers is a solution to the problems of panhandling. If anything, a bit of mandatory community service might make more sense, and help everyone out.
A lot of people I've been talking to lately have been getting tickets as well. Normally, aggressive panhandling is what gets people these tickets, especially outside of stores, banks and restaurants. Or people approaching cars stopped at lights. Chris here is neither causing a disturbance nor outside of any stores. He is actually just in his usual spot by a park, expressing some of his desire to start working. He just needs a bike and he can start working as a courier in the city. It would be a great start for him.
People begging in the streets is a sign to all of us that something is wrong. Ticketing these people is not much of an answer or solution. How can you have faith in a city that won't even let people in need ask for help?
April 19 | TheStar.com | Defining Poverty
March 31, 2008
After years of being out on the street, my pal Frank now has an apartment! I've hung out and had lunch with him a few times a week for the past few months, and I also wrote a bit here about our first little meeting on February 28th. After a few months of seeing him so down on his luck, it's great to see him getting back on his feet. He is helping to fix up the building for some money as well. Frank has also managed to start getting his blood tests done. Things are looking pretty bright for him, and I'd like to think that your support has played a little part in that. Because the work he's doing right now pretty much only pays for his rent, he is still panhandling but it's still a great start. And at least he has a warm place of his own to sleep now.
Mike is another friend of mine who has some good things coming his way. He is in training to be a peer helper for other street youth. Hopefully soon he'll be all set up in a shelter helping other people in the same situations that he's had experience dealing with in the past few years. Securing that job will definitely open up a lot of new doors for him. Last time we had lunch together he talked about how excited he was to get into so many new things like skateboarding, and practicing guitar more. "I'm just getting started", he says.
March 11, 2008
In Ontario, government welfare benefits are applied for through the Ontario Works program (OW). OW benefits are for people who need money because they are unable to find work. The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) offers long-term disability benefits to people with serious disabilities who basically have no way to support themselves.
The basic rate for a single person on OW is approximately $548 per month. For ODSP, the rate is $979. Social assistance benefits include two fixed portions, one for shelter and one for all other basic needs. Even back in 2003, according to the City of Toronto's estimates, 70% of the people who qualified for the shelter portion of the benefits from OW had a rent greater than the benefits they recieved. Most homeless people only receive the basic needs portion of social assistance (No shelter portion), and as a result receive much less than the basic social assistance rate. Living alone in the city on a couple hundred dollars a month when you are just barely physically or mentally able to work would be a tough task no matter who you are. And without the support of friends or family, you are on your own, and maybe even out on the street. It seems that the Social Assistance benefit rates do not really reflect an accurate cost of living, especially in Toronto.
Marshall busted up his back, working for the city as a construction worker over a year ago. Construction is all he's ever done and now his back isn't even able to support a tool belt around his waist. He hasn't been able to receive more than the bare minimum through the Ontario Works program. I met him earlier in the past weekend during another giant snowstorm. I got us some food and got the chance to hear a bit of his story. He talked about how much he still loved this city, and how generous some of the people here were. No more than a minute later, a group of young girls came by as we were talking and gave him a paper bag with a sandwich in it. Marshall tucked the bag away in his shopping cart for later and thanked them, then continued with his story. He went on about how many times he's been jumped and how his injuries just continuously get worse out here. Getting jumped is a constant risk for people like him who spend most of their nights outside rather than in shelters.
According to the 2007 Street Health Report - 1/3 of their homeless respondents had been physically assaulted in the past year. 1/4 of the homeless females had been raped or sexually assaulted in the past year. 3/4 have at least one ongoing serious physical health condition (Some of these conditions include: Hepatitis, cancer, HIV/AIDS), however only 22% of them are getting some form of disability benefits. I know statistics can be dry and boring, but try to keep them in mind next time they're staring up at you from the street and asking for a bit of help. Sometimes just acknowledging them or saying "Hey there. Sorry, I don't really have anything to spare right now. But how's it going?" can help just as much.
February 29, 2008
And another snowstorm. I saw a lot of new faces tonight, but unfortunately a lot of the same faces still out there as well. I ran into Rick, a guy that I've been getting food for for the past while. I know I say this a lot, but this guy is one of the happiest people I've met on the streets. It just seems to be a common thing with a lot of the people out there. It really puts things into perspective once you realize just how insignificant some of the problems you've been stressing about are. Here is this man who is literally sitting in a carboard box, with a bag next to him that contains all his belongings. He's greeting me and passerbys more happily than I could ever manage, and I'm on my way to home from what I thought was a tough day at work - in a big, warm studio with free coffee and hot chocolate. Rick also reminds me of the doorman from the emerald city in the Wizard of Oz, and that's awesome. When I first met him, that almost caught my attention more than the fact that he was sitting in a box on the corner. He at least has a warm place to stay tonight, with the great people at the 'Out of the Cold' program, thanks to the Homelessness Action Group.
While talking with Rick, someone nudged me and said "What's up, small fry". It was Chris, another friend on the street that I've been helping out for some time now. Chris was heading back to his usual spot so we walked and talked for a bit. We got some coffee and then he dropped a little random gift in my hands, a mini keychain flashlight. It was really humbling, and great seeing him proud to have a little something to offer me. We ran into Frank, an older guy I wrote about in an earlier entry here. Sad seeing him in the same situation, evidently deciding against getting out of the city to stay at his sister's place.
Later on down the street, I met up with Mike and another Chris, a few guys I've helped out with food before as well. All really nice guys, about the same age as I am but in very different situations. So it's always bizarre hearing a lot of their stories. We met up with Kevin, who they all work together with, panhandling in different areas and splitting up the money at the end of the night. All of us went for some food and warmed up for a while and talked.
One issue that came up in our big discussion was about jobs. It's interesting hearing how many different jobs some of the guys I meet have had in the past. A lot of them have skills that I doubt I'll ever have, and know more about things that I probably will never know. But in many cases for a lot of homeless people, the problem isn't getting the job - it's keeping the job. Keeping the job while you're showing up to work everyday wearing the same dirty clothes, filthy from spending the night sleeping outside. Or trying to work while half-asleep because there were fights breaking out all night in the shelter you tried to sleep in, or an endless amount of drugs being smoked or injected all around you. Or maybe you didn't sleep at all because your sleeping bag got stolen out in the park earlier that day.
I don't like writing much about all the personal details people I meet share with me, but it truthfully seems like the most common cause for a lot of their misfortune is bad timing and bad luck. Things like the deaths of friends or family, divorce, being laid off, lack of parenting, and other similar issues spiraling down to depression, drugs or just a total lack of care for themselves. We had a long talk about all these things. A typical stereotype of a homeless person; heavy drug user or alcoholic, without any ambition, drive or desire to contribute to society. While this may be true for many (I've come across plenty of examples myself), it is certainly not true for all homeless people. Those are the people I try to reach out to and give a voice to here.
I realize I often just ramble on a lot here, and these "little" updates are starting to become "big" cluttered updates as I get to know some of the people more. I'm no writer. I'm not a professional. And I'm definitely not a saint- but that's part of my point. You don't need to be to try to help someone. I'm just a guy who couldn't help but pass by the guy stuck out on the street without wondering "Maybe this is one of those guys that are really trying". So I decided to try and do something about it, and now here we are. Tomorrow, a disastrous event could land you in a similar situation as some of these people. If that incident doesn't occur, be grateful. "Love every day" and "Love everyday".
February 7 , 2008
Chris always has always got a really happy vibe going on. Makes me wonder why I stress so much about work and money. It's a weird coincidence that I mostly see him right after I get off work. Because there I am, face to face with another reminder of how all the luxuries and wealth of this day & age at our fingertips really can't buy happiness. After a good hour or so, my friend had learned more than enough to get started on the article. We went with Chris and made sure he found his friend who was letting him stay at their place for the night because of the bad snowstorm. Definitely wouldn't want this guy spending the night out in that.
February 6, 2008
This weekend will supposedly bring some really bad snowstorms. So I checked around the area for the regular guys that I usually run into, as well as anyone else stuck out on the street that needed some help. As soon as I met this guy, I could tell he had a long story to tell. I got us some dinner and ate with him for a hour or so. He told me about his long history with heroine, which took over the majority of his life. After getting into a bad car accident and being confined to a wheelchair for a few years, his habit got worse and he ended up on the street. He showed me some terrible scars all down both his arms from the accident. Eventually he learned to walk again but he says he's still in a lot of constant pain.
Living on the streets in Vancouver and a number of other places, and being around drugs for years made avoiding his drug problem difficult. With the help of a rehabilitation centre, he claims he has been clean for 3 years. I've spent a lot of time with a lot of people on the streets, and I've heard countless stories and claims. I've gotten pretty good at judging whether all the stories I hear are true or not, and only the stories that I believe are entirely true are the ones I write about here. This man seemed so sincere and genuine about everything. Normally I just get meals and gifts for people on the street that I haven't known for some time, and try to avoid just giving money right away. I try to really get to know them well enough so that I know the money won't be supporting any bad drug habits. But I had only known this man for a hour and I already really felt for him and could see that everything he was telling me was so honest. He was just trying to save up for a train ticket to get to his sister's place way out of the city. I offered the money, but he refused. He said I had already helped out enough and done my part. He was happy enough with the meal, conversation and time I spent just chilling out with him.
January 19, 2008
Good times with a bunch of the nicest guys. It goes to show that you can meet some great people through something as simple as pizza. I instantly got a hug after the food and we discovered that three of us all shared the same name. One of the Mikes loved the stickers too, so I hooked him up with a bunch. He then stuck them all over himself and proceeded to remind everyone walking by to "love everyday". Fun people, fun times.
January 12, 2008
Our 'Clothing for a Cause' has finally been given a name - 'Love Everyday'. It sums up what these clothes are all about. It's not just about showing off clothes, it's about showing off an expression and a statement. 'Love Everyday' is a reminder - aim to love someone or something every day, try to find all the good people and good things in your everyday life and appreciate them. No matter who you are or where you are from, there are things you have in life that someone else doesn't have. Whether that be friends, family, or a warm place to sleep - Appreciate them all for EVERYTHING.
"Love Everyday"
January 7, 2008
Meet 'Fardoche', or 'Fard' for short. This guy is incredible. Apparently 'Fardoche' was the name of a character from an old french show that always helped kids and encouraged them to eat their vegetables or something. And it's the nickname this guy earned years ago because he has always helped out other people on the streets. It's also what is tattooed across his knuckles, a tattoo which he's gotten re-touched over and over again by friends all over Canada in his travels. I've seen him out on the street a few times before, and today when I ran into him he was busy reading a book someone had given him. After talking for a bit, we went inside where I had the pleasure of hearing his story over some dinner.
Fard has been homeless for 17 years. He normally travels the country, trying to work a bit in different places and then moving on to the next spot. So he definitely had a lot of stories to tell. He originally came to Toronto to see a friend, but when he got here he had found out that this friend had slashed their wrists earlier that month. Some pretty sad stuff.
Even after everything Fard has been through, he's still such a nice, cheery dude with a good outlook on life. The thing that struck me as most interesting about Fard is how generous he is. Half of the things people give him, he tries to find other people on the street to give it to that might need it more than he does. He even refuses to try selling any of it. Fard is also really, really smart. He said he was always so into school, and learning. He managed to take some cooking courses a while ago and did really well with it, so we talked about him trying to get a job at a restaurant - something which he now plans on trying to do. It'd be awesome seeing this guy get back on his feet. Time flew by and before I knew it, we had been talking for almost a hour and I had to head out. It was great meeting this guy, and inspiring to see how generous someone in his position could be. I'm already looking forward to our next talk.
January 2, 2008
Today was without a doubt one of the more colder days we've had this winter. I ran into a man outside near a mall who was asking for some change. After chatting for a bit, I could tell this guy had been outside in that cold for a long time. I took down a quick order of food from him, whatever he wanted to eat, and went and got him his meal. The place I got food from was out of coffee, so when I got back with his meal we decided to venture into the mall for some warmth and coffee.
December 24, 2007
So it's christmas eve. I got off work a bit early, and on my way home I ran into my happy friend that I've helped out with meals a few times before. We can't really understand a word of what we say to each other, so the only way we communicate is through high-fives. I got him some more food and coffee in exchange for more high-fives and then I was on my way. 
I saw Chris up ahead at his usual corner. So I picked up some more food and coffee and
dropped them off to him. We exchanged even more crazy stories. He mentioned how he
normally slept nearby in a little sleeping bag, and that all he hoped for this Christmas
was that it wouldn't rain or snow because a frozen sleeping bag is no fun at all. He said
that the security at the mall near by kick him out when he tries to warm up in there most
of the time. A while later, I carried on to catch the subway in the mall.
It was unbelievably cold and windy. The entire walk I was thinking of how rough it would
be to be in Chris' place. Not only was it Christmas eve, but it was damn cold. I couldn't
imagine. As soon as I got in the mall, I ended up buying a huge duvet blanket along with
a big thick zip-up bag to carry it around in. I went right back out and walked all the
way back to see Chris. As soon as I got back there, I noticed some Xmas signs he had put
up.
"People spend millions on Christmas while homeless people don't even have a house or tree for presents"
I gave him the duvet & bag and hung out with him for a bit longer. That dinner and the blanket are all this guy is getting for Christmas. He let me take pictures of his signs, and then I went back on my way. It felt good for a bit, but on the way back reality hit me as I passed by an elderly homeless lady that clearly needed some help. I had nothing left with me to give except a bit of my time to chat briefly. Definitely a painful reminder of how much more work there is that could be done.
December 21, 2007
These are our friends Chris and Rob. I met them on my way home from work. I got Chris a coffee and something to eat. We all chilled for a long while and shared crazy stories. Rob has a dog that's bigger than I am. Chris has a little glow-thing attached to his jacket that constantly flashes and you can see him from miles away. Look out for Rob riding around downtown all crazy on his bike. If you ever see them around, say whats up. They're some really funny, good spirited guys.
After getting home, I realized that I totally forgot to buy myself something to eat : )
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