Walking by a homeless person can ruin 15-year-old Noah Hunt’s day.
“I can’t imagine what it would be like to live on the street,” he said. “When I see someone struggling, it makes me feel awful.”
Living in Toronto, it’s not unusual for him to encounter homelessness. Youth are especially heartbreaking because, as a teen, he can identify with them. “I have so much. I live in a really nice home, eat good-quality food, sleep in a warm bed and wear good clothes. But I know that many kids don’t have access to what are considered basic human needs. I feel that’s unfair. Why do I get all this stuff and other people don’t?”
Hunt often has trouble shaking his intense feeling of empathy. It’s what led him to become one of our youngest monthly donors, using his allowance money to support Covenant House.
“When I was younger, I would get a weekly allowance and my parents encouraged me to divide it into three: savings, spending and giving. As I got older, I would get my charity money every year on my birthday and I would often choose to give it to Covenant House,” he said.
“Now, I get my allowance once a month, so I decided to set up a monthly donation.”
Although he knows his regular giving makes a difference, the Grade 10 Northern Secondary School student says he’s conflicted by giving money to struggling people in person versus donating to a charity.
“It helps to know that when you donate to Covenant House, you’re providing a support system that will help people more than giving a little bit of change will.”