Danielle MacDuff had noticed a man sitting outside the pharmacy in her small Canadian town on several occasions. He was around 60, with unkempt long hair, and he sat by a garbage can with a hat out for donations.
Surprisingly, he never asked for money but instead quietly read a book and engaged in conversations with anyone willing to stop for a moment.
One cold morning, Danielle decided to chat with him during her errands. She discovered his name was Brian Bannister, and despite the harsh cold, he lived in an unheated shed in Newcastle, Ontario.
In a brief 25-minute conversation, Danielle learned that Brian’s life had taken a difficult turn, and he had almost entirely given up. By the end of their talk, she felt compelled to help him.
Being a farmer with an abundance of work, Danielle made an impromptu decision to hire Brian. The next morning, she picked him up and brought him to her farm, where he diligently worked on various tasks like mucking stalls, feeding goats, and tending to cattle and horses.
Brian proved to be a hardworking individual, and, most importantly, he was incredibly grateful for the job and Danielle’s support.
Expressing his emotions, Brian said,
“It’s overwhelming. I can’t believe anyone would care for me this much.”
Several weeks later, Brian hadn’t missed a single shift, and Danielle was more determined than ever to help him rebuild his life. She took him for his first haircut in over two years, provided him with a phone, and assisted him in accessing financial support from government resources.
As a humble farmer, Danielle realized she couldn’t lift Brian out of poverty on her own. She decided to seek help from her community, starting a GoFundMe campaign. The response was overwhelming, with the fundraiser surpassing $11,500. This support allowed Brian to stay in a hotel temporarily and transition off the streets.
Expressing gratitude for the community’s response, Danielle wrote on the fundraiser page,
“I really want to raise enough money to get Brian in a nice warm place he can call his own and re-build his life.”
Danielle later discovered more about Brian’s journey to homelessness. He is a recovering addict who has experienced the loss of two wives – one to cancer and the other in a car accident. Overwhelmed by grief, he found it challenging to move forward until Danielle extended her hand of friendship and offered him work on her farm.
Despite all the positive changes in Brian’s life, Danielle believes she has gained as much from their partnership as Brian has. Describing him as kind, compassionate, and fantastic with her children and animals, she appreciates his willingness to help on the farm.
Thanks to Danielle’s efforts, the entire town of Newcastle is rallying behind Brian. She emphasizes that this experience has shown her the power of communities coming together, suggesting that collective efforts could potentially help all unhoused individuals regain control of their lives. Truly, it takes a village!
@ctvnewstoronto 60-year-old Brian Bannister was unhoused, overcame addiction, survived abuse and lost two wives, one in a crash, the other to cancer. Over the past two years, he says he gave up. But then he met Danielle McDuff in Newcastle, Ontario, who did more than just offer him a job on her farm. She also got him his first haircut in two years, a phone, access to government supports and an a rare camaraderie made possible through selfless acts of kindness. #ctvnews #ctvnewstoronto #toronto #ctvtoronto #news #explore #foryou #fyp #ontario #canada #gta #newcastle #farm #homeless #unhoused #actsofkindness #goodsamaritan #canadiankindness #goodnews #goodnewsstory #goodnewstiktok #newstiktok #kindnessmatters #actsofservice #homelessness #goodpeople #gooddeeds #canadiantiktok ♬ original sound – ctvnewstoronto
