Warming hearts one cup of soup at a time

A small crowd gathers outside of Portage Place Mall as Marc Sweet dishes out steaming cups of cream of potato soup. His friend, Joshua Goddard, hands a man a new winter coat, while Niki Giesbrecht wishes a woman and her child a Merry Christmas.

On a frigid Christmas Eve, the trio and several of their friends took to the streets of Winnipeg’s downtown to distribute food, water and winter clothing to people in need.

They call themselves Warmer Hearts Winnipeg.

“Because that’s exactly what it feels like. It warms your heart,” said Sweet, the group’s founder.

At 44-years-old, Sweet is recovering from an addiction that led him through the worst life has to offer, including homelessness and incarceration. Now sober, he is back on the streets, trying to help others in need. Many in the group share a similar story. They know what it’s like to be desperate and alone, and they know how impactful a simple act of kindness can be, he said.

“Connection is key. We all want to be loved and we all want to be cared about… I approach people the same way I would want to be approached and people are appreciative.”

There is nothing flashy about the group; no financial backing. Everything they have is the result of donations and crowd sourced through social media. They serve homemade soup from pails because that’s what they have.

“We aren’t outsiders coming to help these people. We are these people. We’ve lived this life,” Sweet said. “I’ve always wanted to help people with addictions, but I couldn’t help anybody until I helped myself… It’s overwhelming, but incredible.”

It’s grassroots and it works, Sweet said.

According to the 2022 Winnipeg Street Census, there are at least 1,250 people in the city living without housing. The number is a conservative estimate; the true number might include up to 4,000 more, the report said.

Estimates from the Siloam Mission places the current number of overnight shelter beds at between 400 and 600.

“It comes down to the shelters. There’s really not enough,” Goddard said. “There’s a lot of people struggling and forced to stay in places that are unbearable.”

Goddard, 34, was living on the streets last year. He is also recovering from addictions, and helping other helps him remain resolute in his sobriety, he said.

Sweet formed the group around three weeks ago, creating a Facebook page that now has 142 members. His decision to help people in need was inspired by a tragedy.

On Dec. 7, outreach workers from St. Boniface Street Links found 27-year-old Kayla Rae unresponsive on the floor of a heated Winnipeg Transit shelter near Goulet Street and Tache Avenue. Drug paraphernalia was found beside her and she was later pronounced dead in hospital.

At the time, Environment Canada recorded a temperature of -20 C and a windchill of -27 at The Forks.

Speaking to the Free Press earlier this month, her family described her as a kind and outgoing person who was struggling to overcome trauma and addiction.

“It’s a tragedy. People should not be dying like that,” he said. “When you’re homeless, you feel hopeless… I know many people think it’s a choice, but your mind is not working properly and you live in fear and shame — afraid to go to the shelters, afraid to ask for help.”

In the future, Sweet hopes the group continues to grow and he dreams of one day opening a shelter of his own.

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