Revelstoke local Mike Brown wants to bring his community together and help people with disabilities afford groceries.
His idea is to start a crowdfunding effort with businesses and residents that would work with Southside and Save-On-Foods, grocery stores in the area. He said he hopes to create a “pool of money” where locals with disabilities can draw funds to help cover the cost of groceries.
The idea came to Brown while working at a local funeral home and volunteering at the hospice.
“It made me very aware of people with disabilities and just kind of how fortunate a lot of us able-bodied people are,” he said.
He also has friends with disabilities who inspired him to reach out to the public for help.
“She (Brown’s friend) has Lyme Disease and she’s a single mother, and she made this post about needing cans to help supplement her income,” he said. “I also have a friend in town … he had a stroke and he’s actually lost the use in one side of his body.”
According to the B.C. government, single-parent families where the parent is a person with a disability (PWD) can receive up to $1478.50 a month.
Brown said seeing these unique spirits around Revelstoke made him want to contribute and do something bigger than looking after himself.
He posted about the crowdfunding idea on Facebook and within 24 hours received a wave of positive feedback.
“Every building was once a blueprint, you have to start somewhere.”
Brown is urging the community to help.
“In Revelstoke, things are quite expensive. It’s a ski town and with that a lot of businesses tri to capitalize on tourists while kind of forgetting that local residents also make up large part of their business.”
He hopes to make a difference within the Revelstoke community, and teach others that supporting one another is crucial in today’s world.
“If we allocate that love to a specific community, then it becomes more of a well that people can drink from.”
