British Columbia·Our Vancouver

Joshua Smith packs lunches for the homeless

For three years now Joshua Smith and his mom have been packing up special lunch bags for the homeless on the downtown eastside. Traci Smith is picking up on her son's kind impulse to teach him about empathy for those suffering addiction and mental illness.

Mom and son reach out to street people partly to understand troubled members of their own family

Raising kind kids

10 years ago
Duration 5:47
Mom and son reach out to street people

For three years, Traci Smith and her son Joshua have been packing gift lunches for people in the Downtown Eastside. 

But this is more than charity.

Traci hopes the experience will help Joshua empathize with members of their family who are struggling with addiction and mental illness. 

They spoke to Gloria Macarenko of Our Vancouver.

Our Vancouver