I want to thank all of you for your prayers and faithful support for our outreach in downtown Victoria. We’ve been delighted to share the experience of serving on Pandora with a new group of young volunteers, most from UVic, who’ve joined our street outreach team. Their energy and friendliness has proven a great boost both to us and to the folks on the block.
Christmas sock drive
Now that school is back in session and the days are growing shorter, I wanted to give everyone a heads-up about our Christmas gift plans for our friends on Pandora. This year we’re going to give out a variation on Christmas stockings: nice socks filled with Christmas chocolate, candy, and some other goodies, and I’m hoping you’ll participate with us by filling some socks for us to give out. If you’d like to, please read on!
The sock: I’ve hunted around for the perfect sock for this purpose, and I think I’ve found it. At Walmart in the men’s section, there are ‘three-packs’ of nice men’s dress socks. The brand name is CHAPS. They are longer than regular crew socks, which gives ample room for goodies, plus the stripes and polka dots make them festive looking.
The contents: Basically, chocolate and candy, along with 2 packs of hand warmers and a hand-written, encouraging Christmas note or small card (this latter is a great project for kids.) It is very important that all the chocolate and candy be suitable for people with few or no teeth! The candy listed below is suitable. And please note, all candy must all be in its original, individually wrapped packaging.
- Ferrero Rocher chocolate balls
- Lindt Lindor chocolate truffles
- Leto chocolate truffles
- Hershey’s kisses
- York peppermint chocolates
- Small chocolate Santas
- Candy canes
- Packets of Skittles
- Packets of Sour Patch Kids
- Jolly Rancher candies
- Werther’s original caramel candies
- 2 packs of hand warmers
- Hand-written Christmas note or card
You could also add a couple of things like a chapstick and small pack of hand wipes.
The method: Stuff the candy, the note or card, and the hand warmers into the foot of one of the socks, roll up the other sock and stuff it in on top of everything. (Please do not overstuff the sock.) Tie the sock securely closed with a colourful ribbon or rubber band. Presto! Your stocking is complete.
The date: Please deliver your filled socks for us to give out on Pandora to Church of our Lord, 626 Blanshard, Victoria, BC by 2pm Monday, December 8th, 2025. (The church office is open for drop-offs on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays between 10am and 2pm, or between 10am and 1pm on Fridays. Feel free to contact me, Lisa Warden, to arrange an alternative drop-off time.)
We are aiming to give out 200 stuffed Christmas sock gifts this year. Please spread the word to anyone you think might like to participate by filling some socks for us to hand out. Thanks!
Reconciliation on Pandora
Amid all the adversity and suffering on the block, love, light, and miracles are not uncommon.
One Tuesday night, a cleanly dressed, well-groomed woman approached me. “You look sober,” she said. “May I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” I replied.
“My name is Joan* (not her real name). I’m looking for my son. I was wondering if maybe you’d seen him.”
I asked her his name, and where and when she’d last seen him. Joan told me she’d been looking for her son, Joe*, for three weeks. She’d last seen him in the park up the street, on the 1000-block of Pandora. “I’m really worried,” she said. “I’m going out of town soon and I’m desperate to find him before I leave.”
I asked Joan if she had a picture of Joe. She got out her phone and showed me. I didn’t recognize him and was about to say so, much as I hated to disappoint her. But then I realized one of our street friends on the block would probably know Joe. I immediately thought of Al*. Al knows everyone. I’d just chatted with him, but when I turned around to find him, I couldn’t see him anywhere. I tried the refined approach and yelled out his name as loud as I could. Out of the huddling sea of people on the sidewalk in front of Our Place emerged Al.
“Hey Al, this is Joan. Joan is looking for her son, Joe. I thought you might know him. Have you seen him recently?”
Al looked at the photo on Joan’s phone and said nonchalantly, “ya, I saw him this afternoon.” The relief that swept over Joan was palpable. I noticed that Al was scanning the sidewalk down the block. A few moments later he said, “as a matter of fact, he’s right over there,” pointing a ways down the block.
Joan made her way over to a cluster of guys grouped together. They were seated on the pavement, heads down, some in hoodies, others in ball caps. Joan stopped in front of them and softly said Joe’s name. A head turned, and up stood a young man.
No lectures, no anger, and no recriminations followed as Joan and Joe faced each other. There were no words, in fact. They simply dissolved into a long, loving hug that went on and on.
What struck me was that this was the last chapter of the prodigal son story being played out right before us. I saw that love and goodness and redemption and reconciliation and grace were always at work, even in the darkest and most despairing of places.
Joan was very grateful to us and to Al. She now wants to volunteer with Street Hope. And dear Al felt like a million bucks that day, well aware of the sacred role he’d played in reconnecting this mother and son. Where there is life, there is hope.
Thank you, dear friends, for your generous support for Street Hope Victoria.
With appreciation,
Lisa Warden
Director, Street Hope Victoria
To donate, please visit https://www.thresholdministries.ca/give/. (Indicate that it is for “Street Hope Victoria” in the memo line.)
You can also support us by buying your groceries at Fairway using a Fairway Community Shopping Card linked to Street Hope Victoria. Contact Lisa if you would like a card.