​School Speech by Amelia Perritt

​

MMM...I'm hungry! I'm so hungry! It's getting dark.  I’m really feeling hungry now! There sure is a nip in the air. My fingers and toes are like ice! Ice, I can't think about ice. Ice reminds me of ice cubes and fresh juice... and most of all ice cream. It's been  so long since I’ve had ice cream, who am I kidding, it's been a long time since I've had anything to eat. I'm getting desperate. Even that dumpster over there is starting to look mouth watering right now. I wish there were someone or something that could help me. One good hot meal could hold me over for another day, but how … or who could help me?

​

Honourable judges, teachers and fellow students, the topics I have chosen to speak to you about today are hunger and homelessness. Hunger and homelessness are two very real issues in the City of Timmins.  Our local media is constantly running stories about our two major food banks and how often the shelves are bare and the increasing number of families who use the food bank services each month.  Emergency services, service clubs and various individuals are frequently involved in food collection campaigns designed to ensure that every individual who goes to the food bank is provided with what they need to get them through. 

​

But there are limits on what our food banks can do.  Donations are in short supply and demands are always increasing.  Those who attend the food banks are registered and tracked to ensure they are not ‘double dipping’.  People can only get food from a food bank once a month.  Records are kept to prevent people from going to the South Porcupine Food bank at the start of the month and then the Timmins food bank closer to the end of the month when the food has all gone.  Did you hear that, “the food is all gone”?  What then?

​

Food banks have reported an average increase of 13% in the number of people turning to them for support. The South Porcupine Food Bank serves about 2000 clients. Most of the clients are families. Therefore, the number of people actually using the food bank is somewhere between five and six thousand!  Five or six thousand people getting to the point each month when they realize the food is all gone and hunger begins to set in.

 

Hunger and homelessness often go hand-in-hand.  Would it surprise you to know that in 2011 Laurentian University conducted a study of Homelessness in Timmins?  This study was led by Professor Carol Kauppi who discovered that the number of homeless individuals in Timmins was 720 - including 257 infants, children and adolescents under the age of 15.  I know I was surprised, surprised a very sad. 

​

Who would think that in a City as rich as Timmins that the number of homeless and hungry people could be so high?  What are these people to do?  Where are they to turn for help when they have no roof over their head and no food to feed themselves or their children?

​

Believe it or not, one man came riding to the rescue. In winter weather, Mario Dussault brings comfort and support to homeless and less fortunate families in Timmins. Mario spends his weekends driving through city streets, inviting homeless people to have a warm meal.  Trolling dark alleyways and inviting homeless people in for a meal might not be most people's idea of a good Friday night, but that's just what he does.  Mario Dussault operates a sort of soup kitchen on wheels called La Yo! Mobile.

Mario Dusseault works full-time as a grader in the bush around Timmins; he is not a social worker, has no formal training to work with others and is by no means a wealthy man. He is quite simply a person with a big heart.  For several years he dreamed of a way to feed the city's most vulnerable residents on the weekend when they are most in need of nourishment.  Mario realized that there are not any soup kitchens in Timmins open on the weekend and even with food banks or other programs that provide food items; most homeless people have nowhere to cook it.  Mario noticed that on Monday morning there is always a big line up at the Salvation Army because many people haven't had anything to eat since Friday.

 

In November 2011, everything fell into place to make his dream become a reality.  Mario shared his dream and others began to jump on board.  A local bus company sold him a mini bus for far less than its value and far less than the original asking price.  Still others stepped in to get the project on wheels. A local sign company painted the bus and did the lettering for free.  Yet another company designed and built a pantry for the bus where Mario stocks noodles, mitts, hats and winter jackets.

​

The Yo Mobile is a very visible black minibus with bright yellow lettering.  Mario opened the Yo Mobile on November 4th, 2011 and in the first month, he provided nourishment to about 200 people.  According to one board member the Yo Mobile served 1008 people between November and the end of April. They estimate well over 2000 people to date. Mario serves hot coffee, soup and sandwiches and hands out hats, mitts, blankets and sleeping bags to those in need.

Mario Dusseault and his Yo Mobile are a terrific example of how one person can make a difference.  They are an even better example of how these single acts of kindness inspire others to pull together to help the less fortunate.  Mario inspired the bus company, the sign company, various schools and churches, service clubs, banks, businesses, a group of Northern College students, Sparks, Brownies and countless others to put judgment aside and help the homeless and the hungry. Mario is a very modest man and will not let people call him a hero.  He is a hero in my mind.

​

Hunger and homelessness are two very devastating realities with very serious consequences to individuals and to communities.  Please hop on board with Mario and his work with the Yo Mobile in helping the less fortunate in Timmins as he has proven that one person can make a difference, but together we can change the world.

​

Thank you