Onetime Winnipeg youth won’t sit back, uses big heart to launch bright-blue ZacPac attack to help city’s homeless

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This article was published 20/06/2023 (810 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A bustling warehouse in Winnipeg’s Exchange District was awash in bright blue T-shirts and waterproof containers Tuesday afternoon.

Approximately 100 volunteers from several organizations were busy preparing 1,200 ZacPacs — dry bags filled with essential items, including sleeping bags and socks — to deliver to Winnipeggers experiencing homelessness.

Launched in 2020 in Vancouver, the ZacPac Project is 15-year-old philanthropist Zac Weinberg’s mission to help people experiencing homelessness in Canada. Though he’s lived on the West Coast for the past seven years, he returned to his hometown this week to launch the initiative.

“As much as I learned about the issue of homelessness in detail in Vancouver, I realized it’s a problem on the rise everywhere across Canada,” said Zac, a former St. John’s Ravenscourt student. “It just felt great to bring it back to my hometown, because I’m still very connected with Winnipeg.”

ZacPacs were a massive success in Vancouver, where 5,200 bags have been distributed over three years. Each waterproof sack includes a sleeping bag, an emergency blanket, a water bottle, socks, a toothbrush and granola bars.

On Tuesday, piles of the dry bags were loaded into trucks en route to Siloam Mission, the Main Street Project, Downtown Community Safety Partnership, the North End Women’s Resource Centre, the Andrews Street Family Centre and Resource Assistance for Youth. The partner organizations will distribute them to homeless people around the city.

In the loading zone, a group of teens with Marymound School’s Pathways program took a short break after a long morning spent packing bags.

“I just want to help the homeless people, because they’re going through a lot. It’s a good idea to take care of them with all this stuff,” student Joshuah Spence said.

A 16-year-old teen who called herself Jewels is doing her part to help people experiencing homelessness, too. She started a clothing drive earlier this year to ensure Winnipeggers in need have something to wear, regardless of their living situation.

“I went through tough battles myself, so I decided to help homeless people,” she said. “I want to give stuff to people that really need it. This project is going well, and I hope I can donate it before the end of the school year.”

Marymound executive director Mardy Yager said volunteering is a core part of the Pathways program, which helps students from Grade 9 to age 19 who have individual needs transition into adulthood through experiential learning and career placements.

Volunteering in the community has nurtured Jewels’ compassion for people without shelter and a desire to combat the associated stigma.

“When people are mean to them, it’s like, ‘C’mon, they’re human beings, too,’” she said. “We need to help and care for one another.”

During a round of speeches from city leaders, Zac was commended for his hard work and dedication to the project.

Premier Heather Stefanson, who has known the Weinberg family for the entirety of Zac’s life, said she offered to help bring the project to Winnipeg shortly after it first launched in 2020.

Mayor Scott Gillingham was at the warehouse with Jarred Baker, Winnipeg’s senior adviser on homelessness. Baker started working in the newly established position in the mayor’s office earlier this month.

“Jarred will be meeting with as many organizations as possible that are working on the front lines with Winnipeggers experiencing homelessness,” Gillingham said. “The goal is to better align and co-ordinate all the effort and work that’s being done.”

Gillingham said he’s spoken to Families Minister Rochelle Squires several times about working together on a co-ordinated homelessness strategy.

“It’s the Province of Manitoba that really has the department and the jurisdiction that so many individuals who are struggling right now need: mental health services, health services, addiction services — those are under the purview of the Province of Manitoba,” he said.

While Zac said he knows the vibrant blue bags will not solve the homeless crisis in Winnipeg, Vancouver, or anywhere else, he hopes they draw attention to the need for change.

“I’m here because I believe we can’t turn a blind eye to people living in bus shelters or in tents or on the streets,” he said. “While I acknowledge that the ZacPacs can only make a dent in the issue of homelessness, and 1,200 doesn’t cover all of those in true need, I do hope we’re raising awareness.”

cierra.bettens@freepress.mb.ca