Paying It Forward

Helping the homeless and their pets as a ‘Palm to Paws’ volunteer was a moving, eye-opening experience

- Kathy Hebb

For many of us, Christ-mas is a time of year that brings happiness, joy and special moments of sharing with friends and family. Winter is also commonly seen as a time to bundle up and get outdoors for some fun and exercise. Unfortunately, not everyone gets to celebrate the holidays or enjoy winter in such a way. For the homeless, Christmas can be just another day—another act of survival— and the joys of winter are nonexistent in the face of cold, lack of shelter and hunger. Living on the streets can literally be a struggle between life and death. Some go days without a roof over their head or a proper meal. Unfortunately, it seems that many people just don’t want to hear about the reality of how serious the problem is.

During a cold spell at the beginning of December 2018, there was a story in the news about a dog that froze to death in downtown Montreal. The dog belonged to a homeless person, who could not gain access to a warm space for himself and his loyal companion. When they first heard about it, the story broke the hearts of two Montreal sisters I know, Samantha (Capobianco) Murray and Sara Capobianco. They decided something had to be done, and so started up a non-profit organization called “Palm to Paws,” raising more than $7,000 in financial support and collecting an amazing array of donated items to help those living on the streets with their pets.