From Rally to Renewal: Rebuilding Hope Through the LIFE Community Project

For more than 15 years, I have walked alongside Oshawa’s most vulnerable — those struggling with food insecurity, homelessness, and the daily weight of poverty. What began as a Sunday gathering called LIFE Rally Oshawa has grown, changed, and survived through challenges both global and personal. Today, as I rebuild my own life after a devastating stroke, I am more determined than ever to carry forward the vision of LIFE – Love Is For Everyone and FIFE – Food Is For Everyone.

This is not just my story. It’s the story of a community learning to come together with compassion, of projects that offer more than handouts, and of a future where every person has both food and hope on the table. At the heart of it all, one thing has never changed — the power of a free sandwich and a free hug.

The Early Days: LIFE Rally Oshawa

When we first started LIFE Rally Oshawa, it was built on simple but powerful truths: that a free sandwich and a free hug can save lives. Every Sunday, we came together to serve meals, hand out necessities, and remind people that they were seen, valued, and loved.

My personal signature has always been the offer of a hug. Over the years, I wore countless t-shirts with the words Free Hugs printed on them, but even when I wasn’t wearing one, people would still come up and ask for a hug. That simple act became a lifeline for many, a way of saying you matter without words.

The impact was lasting. Some came for food, but many came for the connection, the human touch, the sense of belonging. Week after week, LIFE Rally Oshawa became more than just a gathering — it became a community built on compassion, where love and kindness were as nourishing as the meals we served.

Transitioning to LIFE Community Project

The LIFE Community Project was born from a desire to grow beyond Sundays. I envisioned a model that could provide meals more often, while also offering education, training, and opportunities to build real-world skills.

By the time the pandemic began, I had already started shaping this vision. I was exploring ways to grow food year-round, building connections with other organizations, and thinking about how to expand support into daily life.

But even as LIFE Rally Oshawa came to an end, one thing remained constant: the hugs, the smiles, the simple moments of connection. The pandemic may have limited physical contact, but the spirit of Free Hugs never faded. People still reached out, remembering what those gestures meant to them.

A Personal Setback: Stroke and Recovery

Then, life hit me harder than I ever imagined. A sudden and devastating stroke changed everything. Overnight, I went from planning community projects to fighting for my own survival. Recovery meant learning to walk again with a walker, learning to talk again, and enduring the daily reality of needing oxygen and support.

The journey has been long and humbling. But through it, I discovered something invaluable: a renewed sense of purpose.

During my recovery, I was reminded often of those years of free hugs. People told me how much they had meant, how they carried them through dark times. Knowing that a simple hug or sandwich could ripple outward in someone’s life gave me the motivation to push forward in my own healing.

Rebuilding with Greater Purpose

Now, I am rebuilding. Not from the ground up, but from 15 years of lessons, connections, and compassion. The LIFE Community Project is the heart of this new chapter. Through initiatives like Not Just A Food Program, FIFE – Food Is For Everyone, As We Grow, and Plant Share For All, we are creating a holistic approach that blends immediate support with long-term opportunity.

• Not Just A Food Program begins with a simple lunch — and often still a hug. It’s about more than calories; it’s about connection, trust, and dignity.
  
  
• FIFE – Food Is For Everyone is more than a slogan. It’s a movement to grow, share, and distribute food sustainably across the community, built on the same spirit of generosity as a hug freely given.
  
  
• As We Grow focuses on education — teaching people to grow nutritious food indoors all year long, even in small spaces, using methods like the Kratky method of growing systems made from recycled materials. Every plant nurtured is like a hug for the future.
  
  
• Plant Share For All encourages neighbours to share what they grow, creating a cycle of abundance, kindness, and human connection — much like the lasting power of a hug.
  
  

Together, these programs create pathways: from a meal → to a conversation → to shelter and rest → to education and skills → to independence and thriving.

Looking Ahead: LIFE Transitional Housing

The next step is bold: the LIFE Transitional Housing Project. Picture a dome built from recycled materials, filled with food growing year-round. It’s not just a greenhouse, but a training center, a shelter with sleeping pods, and a place where people can find both meals and meaningful work.

And yes, there will always be hugs here too. Because at the end of the day, shelter and food are critical, but human connection is what turns survival into thriving.

A Call to Community

For more than 15 years, I’ve been standing in the gap for Oshawa’s most vulnerable. From the early days of LIFE Rally to the quiet persistence during the pandemic to rebuilding after my stroke, one truth has remained constant: we can only do this together.

And just as a free hug or a free sandwich once saved a life, so can your involvement today. We need volunteers, partners, and everyday neighbours to step forward. Help prepare meals. Share your knowledge of growing, building, or teaching. Donate supplies, food, or resources. Or simply plant a little extra in your space to grow and share it through Plant Share For All.

Because in the end, this is not about me. It’s about all of us. It’s about proving that Love Is For Everyone and Food Is For Everyone.