LAWYER GIVES BACK
Needy receive winter goods
A local criminal defence lawyer spent Christmas Eve giving back to Windsor’s downtown community with help from her colleagues in the justice system.
Stationed at the corner of University Avenue West and Bruce Avenue with a few fold-out tables and several boxes of non-perishable items, Helen Burgess handed out blankets, food, lip balm and more to passersby in need.
Although she purchased some of the things herself, most of the supplies she gave away were donated to her by friends, family, judges, and fellow lawyers who were looking to help out.
“Anything you can do to brighten someone’s day, even if it’s something small, is worth doing,” Burgess said. “Any small token goes a long way.”
Burgess was inspired to give back by a friend who distributed sandwiches and cold weather items the week before, she said. She planned to hold a similarly small-scale giveaway downtown, “but people kept giving me stuff to hand out.”
Hats, mittens, hand warmers, apples and oranges were also given out. Burgess had bags on hand so individuals could conveniently carry more.
Denis Vidmar, “head shroomer” at the local pop-up Magical Mushroom Hub, saw Burgess’s post on social media about her plans to disperse donations and asked to contribute. He made a large batch of mushroom soup and offered individuals who stopped by as many containers as they wanted.
“This is the holiday season,” Vidmar said. “I make soup all the time. I was actually sold out of mushrooms, so I went and bought ingredients and put everything together.”
Vidmar called what Burgess was doing “phenomenal.”
“I thought, hey, maybe we can feed some people some hot, delicious and nutritious soup.”
Burgess said every day she works with people who struggle, either financially or with mental health.
“They always tell me they feel lost or forgotten,” she said. “I just wanted to do something to remind people that they’re not forgotten and the community cares about them.”