Your kindness can make sure no one in homelessness spends Christmas alone. For most of us, Christmas dinner means warmth, safety, and people who care about us. But for many of the people who arrive at Depaul, that kind of comfort has been missing for a long time. This Christmas, your kindness can put a proper Christmas dinner on the table and remind someone living in homelessness that they still belong somewhere.
My name is Shay, and I’ve been cooking Christmas dinner at Depaul for 29 years. Every year I see how much it means to the people here, many of whom have no family to turn to, no home of their own, and no place where they feel safe.
Your generosity provides more than a meal. It shows them they’re not forgotten. But we need your help more than ever. Homelessness has become so common that people almost stop noticing it and that’s the saddest change I’ve seen in all my years with Depaul. We cannot allow it to become normal.
The impact of your kindness lasts far beyond Christmas.
I’ll never forget a man named Pat. He was separated from his family but trying desperately to make Christmas special for his young son. When a donor gifted a bike, Pat shook with emotion. It meant he could be the dad his little boy remembered.
That’s the difference you make.
And it’s not just about Christmas. Your kindness lets people like Pat know they’re part of our world. That they’re our neighbours. That they’re not lost, or forgotten or abandoned.
This Christmas Day, I’ll be in the kitchen at cooking for the people who depend on us, but I’ll also be thinking of you. Because without your kindness, their Christmas would be just another difficult day.
Your generosity brings hope, comfort and a sense of home to someone who truly needs it.
Warm Christmas wishes,
Chef Shay Depaul
*Names and details changed to protect privacy.
