Stuart Halloway is a cherished volunteer of Chalmers He can be found at our Monday morning cafés, serving coffee and goodies to our guests. He is passionate about helping them, often going out of his way to give them assistance in some way. Stuart also volunteers on Friday mornings at our weekly downtown food distributions. He often volunteers extra time if we are short volunteers. Stuart is always full of energy and has a smile ready for anyone he meets. On top of all this volunteering, he has recently joined the Chalmers Board of Directors. We are very blessed to have Stuart. He truly exemplifies our vision of a community, without poverty, where people flourish with dignity and respect. 

 

Stuart’s words:

 

What brought me to Chalmers?

About 10 years ago I visited Chalmers on Baker St as a member of the United Way Fund Distribution Committee. Over the 4 years on this committee I probably visited 20 agencies. Chalmers is the one I really remember. It struck me as a barebones operation. Basically just people helping people, and making scarce resources go a long

way.

 

What do I like about volunteering? 

The contact with the people both the guests and the other volunteers. The guests are so appreciative.They and the volunteers make the three hours go so quickly- lots of laughs

  

Impact of Chalmers

The example I'm most familiar with is a guest who arrived back in Canada during Covid-  disabled, homeless, with minimal resources and few contacts. This guest never stops praising Chalmers for their support in helping him turn his life around. He is having knee surgery soon and one of the things most looking forward to is being able to come back to Chalmers' weekly morning cafes-for a decent cup of coffee and some breakfast but mostly for the good company and the sense of belonging.