Passing the Mic: Shannon, Johan, and the Heart of Neighbourly
Neighbourly launches its first conversation with hosts Johan Heinrichs and Shannon Steeves, explaining the shift from “Journey With Care” to a new focus on everyday community stories. Shannon shares her heart for building bridges in Winnipeg and why listening to ordinary people matters.
The team outlines how listeners can expect a mix of in-depth interviews and quick “Neighbourly Headlines” featuring positive Canadian news. Real-life accounts, from waiting to deliver groceries to single moms to participating in a Cost of Poverty experience, reveal the sometimes-messy but always powerful impact of patient, neighbourly love.
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Guest [00:00:02]:
I says, why don't we just drop them in the entrance way like she had asked? And she says, no, we're gonna wait. It's important to have connection. And I really learned something there, you know, about being patient, because I think at the end, this single mom felt she was worth the wait.
Johan Heinrichs [00:00:20]:
All right, here we are. If you've been listening for a while on this podcast feed, you probably noticed something a little bit different when you hit play today. This is no longer a Journey with Care anymore. It is now neighbourly. And we wanted this first episode just to sit down together and tell you why. So here I am with my friend and colleague, Shannon. So we're going to talk just about the shift and why we're doing it, and maybe a sneak peek into what you can expect from neighbourly in the coming months and hopefully years. As long as you guys are sharing and listening to, we'll just keep going.
Johan Heinrichs [00:00:56]:
So, Shannon, welcome to neighbourly Podcast as one of our main hosts.
Shannon Steeves [00:01:02]:
Thank you. I am so excited about this because today this is less of an interview and it's just a kitchen table chat. We're just going to be sharing what's changing, what is staying the same, and what people can really look forward to with neighbourly.
Johan Heinrichs [00:01:21]:
Well, our audience probably doesn't even know who you are. You were a guest on the podcast at one point, but maybe just share a little bit about who their new host is and, like, who is this person that's interviewing people and that they're going to get to know a little bit.
Shannon Steeves [00:01:34]:
Well, like Johan said, my name is Shannon and I get the honor of being a part of this team. I'm only working on our Care Portal network here in Winnipeg. So officially, I'm the Care Portal regional manager here in the Winnipeg area. And that just gets. That means I get to have a lot of conversations with people, with churches, with pastors, with people in the congregation. And then I get to meet a lot of incredible agencies that are doing amazing work in the city, working with kids and families, you know, expectant parents or people working with grandparents who just took in grandkids that they're caring for and really just trying to be the help bridge. People that need help with people who want to help. And I love that part of what I get to do.
Shannon Steeves [00:02:26]:
My heart is for people. I feel like growing up in just the family that I was in, we were always with people, doing things with people. My parents were really adamant about just instilling that importance in my brothers and I. I've got two older Brothers. So, yeah, I learned to be tough. So I'm so excited. I'm so excited to hear more stories through this podcast and bring them to light those. The stories that I get to see every day.
Shannon Steeves [00:02:57]:
And yeah, can't wait to be doing it with you, Johan.
Johan Heinrichs [00:03:01]:
And that brings us into a little bit of the why. So if you've been following Journey with Care over the past several years, you'll notice we've covered an array of topics. We've talked to leaders, we've done stories, reconciliation, mental health, all sorts of things, trauma care. And we realized that we were reaching very broad, but not very specific, which is why we brought you on, because you are really boots on the ground doing the Care Portal in Winnipeg. Here you're on the front lines, hearing the stories, getting people activated, and you get to hear those amazing stories that people get inspired by, to hear, get involved in their community, which is why we shifted to neighbourly. We really want to bring these stories out and inspire listeners to love our neighbours better. And people are going to start asking, okay, but you had Wendy on here as your main host for so long. Why is she all of a sudden disappearing? Do you want to answer that one?
Shannon Steeves [00:03:58]:
Wendy's busy. No, that. That shortens it way too much. Wendy is spearheading so many things in the direction of car, our impact, and all the different avenues that we're trying to grow in and expand in. And so she will still be on here and there, I'm sure. Maybe I'm volunteering her for that, but she's still very much with us and a part of all of this, just taking a. A different, I guess, seat at the table when it comes to the podcast. And so I'm not trying to fill her shoes, because those are only shoes she can fill, but just trying to bring a voice to, to the stories that we hear and that we see and really trying to broadcast those out to those that need to hear them.
Johan Heinrichs [00:04:43]:
Yeah. And if you've been following anything Care Impact related, following us on social media and our website, you'll notice that there are a lot of big projects that are coming out this fall and that we've been working on. And Wendy, being the director of Care Impact, really needs to focus in on these things to make them happen. So just this allows her to really focus in on those things as well. And again, we'll have her on for sure once in a while to share some stories and share what's happening. So, Shannon, you might have answered it already, actually, but what are you looking forward to the most in hosting the podcast. And I mean, first of all, like, I'm not going to be on with you every episode like this. It's mostly going to be you, like, getting people's stories.
Johan Heinrichs [00:05:26]:
Those ones that have those Frontline stories I'm going to be doing every other week, and I'll talk about that a little bit later. But what are you most looking forward to in. In doing these interviews?
Shannon Steeves [00:05:36]:
You know, I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately, and I think at the heart of it, I. I love learning why people do the things they do. I was with my dad recently, and he was a math major, and he's very, like, kind of black and white when it comes to. To just, like, how things work. And so he'd be, you know, helping me with my math, but I'd always be like, why? Like, why is, you know, 0.5 times 0.75, whatever it is? And he's like, because it just is. That's just how the numbers work. But for me, I always needed to understand why, like, why does it work that way? And I think that then kind of drives me into this. I want to understand why people care, and more importantly, I want to help unlock for other people that in themselves that.
Shannon Steeves [00:06:32]:
I think each of us has a. We each have a story, and that story then can do something in someone else's life and speak to maybe those parts of ourselves that are hurting or broken. I just think our stories are powerful, and I want those to be shared, and I want to be able to ask people questions like, why did it matter to you when you saw that person and you needed to. You felt like you needed to step in or, you know, someone did something in your life, like, why was that so impactful? And I think that's really what I'm most excited about. What I'm most looking forward to is getting to amplify other people's stories. And I think there's so much power when we can relate to someone. You know, we can scroll on social media and be influenced by all the quote influencers out there. And for.
Shannon Steeves [00:07:26]:
For better or worse, you know, I'm not saying those are bad, but I think it's really beautiful when we get to hear from the average person. You know, when we get to hear from. From Tom, who cuts grass but has these amazing stories or, you know, whoever it might be, maybe those. Those uncommon people. I'm. I'm just really excited to share those stories.
Johan Heinrichs [00:07:47]:
Is there anything about this that intimidates you or you feel A little bit scared about it. I mean, it's your first time hosting a podcast. We just kind of threw you into it, right?
Shannon Steeves [00:07:55]:
Yeah. You know, Johan, I think I got, I got a message and someone was like, hey, can you hop on this call? We're going to talk about the podcast. And I was like, sure. And by the end of the podcast, I had said yes to co hosting. Yeah. There definitely are parts that feel a little intimidating. People's stories have weight to it, and I wanna, I want this to be a space where it really does feel like a conversation. And, you know, practically.
Shannon Steeves [00:08:20]:
A podcast is such a great way to be able to share widely with a wide network of people, but it's. We're not sitting across from each other at a table. You know, I'm on my laptop. Maybe it's five kilometers away from you, but still it there, it can be a little awkward. And so I really am just hoping and praying to cut through some of that just like tech awkwardness. And I really just want people to feel comfortable. And it might take a little time to get there, but I'm a little nervous about it. But we'll get there.
Shannon Steeves [00:08:47]:
It'll be good.
Johan Heinrichs [00:08:49]:
Yeah, for sure. It's intimidating for even people to tell their story, but I'm sure it's going to be awesome. We already have some people lined up, I think.
Shannon Steeves [00:08:57]:
Yeah. So, Johan, tell us a little bit about neighbourly headlines that is going to be our segments or our episodes on the weeks where I'm not interviewing someone. So tell us a little bit about what those are, why we're doing that, and why they matter.
Johan Heinrichs [00:09:12]:
Yeah. So we, we realized, even doing Journey With Care, that setting up interviews every single week is a monumental task, even for scheduling. So we wanted to make sure that we were still being consistent in getting out content. And one of the things was there are so many bad news stories out there. I just realized, like, going through my news feeds is just. It weighs on you after a while. And it's really hard to be even a good neighbour when you just see so many negative things happening and not seeing those stories that we want to highlight. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to look through the news and trust me, I've been doing this and it's not an easy task to find those good neighbour stories, those positive news stories that we get inspired by hearing about people, how they're helping their communities, how they're getting involved.
Johan Heinrichs [00:10:03]:
Society doesn't like to highlight these stories. So I feel like we want to create a space where we can highlight these things and be inspired on a positive end of things. So we want, we want this podcast to really inspire us to love our neighbours well and be better neighbours. And these are, these are going to be shorter episodes, like five to 10 minutes on alternating weeks where we're not getting those interviews with you and your guests. These are going to be Canadian stories. Obviously, we want to keep it community oriented and encouraging. So that's what you can expect every other week. So if our listeners, if you come across any stories, any headlines that you feel would be a great fit, that will save me hours of research, and I would love to highlight those stories.
Johan Heinrichs [00:10:44]:
So please send them to me. PodcastAreImpact CA. Or you can just go on neighbourly CA and, and submit them there. Well, that's another note, actually. So we went with neighbourly. The problem is, like, Americans don't spell neighbourly with you. So, I mean, we're going out on a limb here saying, hey, we really want to tap into this Canadian audience because they're the only ones that are going to find us, right?
Shannon Steeves [00:11:11]:
That's right.
Johan Heinrichs [00:11:12]:
Although we did, we did get the URL for the American spelling as well. But you can't do two different names on the podcast itself. So we're, we're going out on an lin here saying, hey, our Canadian audience is going to be engaged. They're going to share the podcast. We're going to get some amazing stories on here to encourage, to encourage communities in the body of Christ. So you heard about neighbourly headlines, and, you know, we're doing some interviews with Shannon. So what can our listeners expect from these interviews? Are they going to be like hour long? Like, how do you envision your episodes going?
Shannon Steeves [00:11:45]:
Yeah, these episodes are going to be a little bit longer than neighbourly headlines. They're going to be around 20 minutes. And we really want these to be accessible. You know, you're driving on your way to work, or maybe you're picking kids up from practice or whatever. It might be that you don't have to sit down for, you know, 45 an hour long to be able to listen. So about 20 minutes every other week. And every single episode is always going to begin with our signature icebreaker. I don't know how people feel about icebreakers, but I personally love them.
Shannon Steeves [00:12:14]:
I'm a two on the Enneagram, if anybody knows. So, yeah, so it's going to be growing up who was a neighbour you'll never forget. Just to really intro our conversation, because this is called neighbourly. So it's a perfect place to start. And guests, then we'll have the opportunity to answer that question. And we really, beyond that, want to hear stories from our guests that. That are examples of ways that either they impacted somebody else or someone impacted them in their life. Stories of being a good neighbour.
Shannon Steeves [00:12:49]:
And we really want to hear that with dignity and with honesty from our guests, and that ultimately, listeners can walk away feeling encouraged and that there's one simple, practical step that they can put into action. We don't want this to be a podcast where it feels like you're hearing so much and you're like, this is all great, but what do I do next? This is practical. This is grounded. This is real life. And you're going to walk away feeling empowered. That's our goal, that you'll feel empowered to step out and to act right in your neighbourhood.
Johan Heinrichs [00:13:22]:
Okay, so I'm going to jump ahead here, Shannon, and ask you, who's a neighbour that you'll never forget?
Shannon Steeves [00:13:30]:
Yeah, I vaguely remember this as a memory, but I remember it more as it being told to me that this is what happened. I was around 5, and there was a family that was, like, up the street and then on a side street that lived a little ways from us. And apparently the mom in that house told her daughter, her name was Sydney. She was 4. She said, you need to go make friends. So she sent Sydney out on the street in the neighbourhood, I think by herself. Maybe her mom was with her. I kind of hope her mom was with her.
Shannon Steeves [00:14:06]:
She's four to go make friends. And so I'm just, you know, in my house, and there's a knock on the door, and I open it up, and it's Sidney. And she's there to make a friend. And from that moment on, Sydney and I became some. Just one of my best friends. And I got married last year, and getting to invite her and her family to my wedding was just so cool because eventually she moved out of the neighbourhood. And. But, you know, we had to drive to each other from now on.
Shannon Steeves [00:14:40]:
But still we kept that relationship. And, you know, years later, to see her at my wedding and to really credit that to her mom for sending her out to go make friends in the neighbourhood was really just such a special thing.
Johan Heinrichs [00:14:56]:
That's a nice, happy neighbour story. But there's also bad neighbours out there, so I'm sure we're going to hear a lot of those as well. I mean, I. You know what? I was probably the bad neighbour when I was a kid. Oh, no, I remember three separate occasions kicking a soccer ball through my neighbour's window at least three times. And my dad had to go over there and repair the window. So I was probably that bad neighbourhood kid. I just like soccer.
Johan Heinrichs [00:15:17]:
I wasn't mean or anything. I wasn't trying to, but, you know, I didn't have great aim.
Shannon Steeves [00:15:23]:
It's okay. You know, Johan, that reminds me. Like I said, I have two older brothers, and I vividly remember the day that my oldest brother decided it was a great idea to spray paint his name in red spray paint on the curb really big. So he spent many hours after that trying to scrub that. That prepaid off of the curve. He was a bad neighbour.
Johan Heinrichs [00:15:46]:
Yeah. All right, so we're. So who do we expect to listen to this podcast? What kind of person might enjoy these stories?
Shannon Steeves [00:15:54]:
Well, given the title, I picture everyday neighbours, regular people, especially people who might not think of themselves as, quote, world Changers, but people who just care about showing up for the people around them. I think about the church folks who, you know, they bake the casseroles and they show up when the new baby's born with a meal. You know, people who care about building community. I often picture, you know, in some neighbourhoods, they've got the basketball court and all the. The teens are out there playing basketball in the neighbourhood. Or I think of anyone hungry for hope in the middle of ordinary life. That's really what this is about. This is for people who wonder if the little things that they do actually matter.
Johan Heinrichs [00:16:42]:
Yeah.
Shannon Steeves [00:16:42]:
And they need the reminder that, yes, those things do matter. That's who I picture listening to this podcast.
Johan Heinrichs [00:16:50]:
Yeah. They all build up for sure, those little things. For me, it's a little bit different. I feel like it's for those who actually stretch thin because I think a lot of us have good intentions. We want to be good neighbours. We want to love our neighbours like Christ told us. But we feel so stretched thin that maybe me being a good neighbour is going unnoticed. But we still want to make a difference.
Johan Heinrichs [00:17:15]:
We still want to impact our community. We want to love our neighbour like Christ told us to do. So it's for those folks who want to live out their faith in more practical ways beyond Sunday mornings. People who can use that encouragement that they're not alone and that ordinary. Okay, yes. Those small things that you mentioned, even checking in on our neighbour, they have that ripple effect, and we don't often notice that. But if we hear story after story of these small things and the ripple effect that it causes, I think that's Going to encourage us to keep doing those small things and to keep loving our neighbours. So, all that being said, let's get into a little bit of a sneak peek of what people can expect.
Johan Heinrichs [00:17:57]:
You're not going to interview someone on this episode. They can expect that in the coming weeks. But we have an audio clip of someone that shared a Care Portal story. So this is the kind of story that we're looking for. So even if you're listening to this and you've had a similar experience like reach out to us, go to neighbourly ca. You can leave a voice message on there. You can message us from there. We would love to hear your story, too, and maybe even have you on the podcast, but let's listen in.
Guest [00:18:26]:
So the experience with the Care Portal was very encouraging, but it was also a learning lesson where I see why they like to train people. Because we had done grocery shopping, we were all excited to drop off the groceries for a single mom who had a couple children, but she was not initially able to come to the door. She was saying that she was helping put her child down. And because there was three units, we were a little uncomfortable to leave this stuff in the entranceway because, you know, obviously there was gift cards in there. We wanted to have the connection and give it to her personally. So we waited, waited. Nothing was happening for quite a while, 15 minutes. But then she got honest and said, you know, I don't know why, but I lied.
Guest [00:19:11]:
I'm actually not there. And so we still waited and her parents actually dropped her off and we had the connection. And I think what was very impactful in the 30 minutes we waited was Deb, who was with me. So says, why don't we just drop them in the entrance way like she had asked? And she says, no, we're going to wait. It's important to have connection. And I really learned something there, you know, about being patient, because I think at the end, this single mom felt she was worth the wait. And also it gave Deb the opportunity to check in and say, hey, are you coming to the mom's class this Thursday? And I think there was a much more higher chance she would show up to that based on that personal interaction. So I really learned a lot from Deb.
Guest [00:19:56]:
It was wonderful to go with someone. And I can see how there's different scenarios you encounter. And therefore, it is nice to have someone with you, standing with you in sometimes the discomfort or disappointment or it didn't go the way you thought it would, but it was just a very encouraging experience. Yeah, So I think what encouraged me, despite initially feeling a little bit even disappointed or disrespected because there was some lying or not truth, but Deb shared with me that there was one person that her boyfriend had always answered the door for a year before a particular single mom started to trust. And it just showed me, you know, maybe for me, it's easy to just have a cup of coffee with another woman so naturally or experience giving or hospitality or generosity, but for another person, they've never, never experienced it. And so I can see now where you really have to sort of accept and appreciate where someone is at and to still do your role, no matter what you're feeling. You certainly got to acknowledge and work through any feelings or of judgment, but to change that to curiosity, you know, and step in their shoes for a moment. The other thing was that that ended so beautifully was I know that I put some cookie dough in the bags in the groceries as just an extra thing for her to do with the kids.
Guest [00:21:25]:
And she had actually sent a picture to Deb with those pictures. And it was really encouraging that of showing the cookies that she had made. And so I feel she really was appreciative that we came, that we waited, and she was worth the wait. I think the. What it meant to me personally was I learned a valuable lesson to be able to sit in discomfort, to sit in the letdown, because, you know, I was all excited, you know, to give and you want a certain reaction, hey, thank you. So good to see you, and thank you so much. And that didn't happen initially, but I liked that because it taught me to work through some emotions and go to curiosity, to wait, to be patient, and that the connection was the most important thing, not just the task we did, but to connect and to help someone feel they were worth the wait.
Johan Heinrichs [00:22:24]:
So there you have it. That's. That's actually a clip that happened from our Decadent Care summit that we did just before the New Year last year. We had some people go out and do some care portal requests. So that was her first time at Careportal. These are an all clean, amazing encounters with people because loving our neighbours is often messy, and we know that. But I think a really amazing experience that she had. One quote that stuck out to me was, you certainly got to acknowledge and work through any feelings of judgment, but to change that to curiosity and step into their shoes for a moment, and that's always been the mantra of Journey with Care podcasts even, is to.
Johan Heinrichs [00:23:06]:
Is to stay curious. And that's really what it's all about, like, let's be curious about our neighbours and those around us, because curiosity takes us into those stories. It takes us into empathy and loving our neighbours a little bit better. Shannon, did you have any thoughts after hearing that clip?
Shannon Steeves [00:23:22]:
Yeah, I think that line she said she was worth the wait.
Johan Heinrichs [00:23:26]:
Yeah.
Shannon Steeves [00:23:27]:
Is so. It kind of stops you in my tracks, really, because it reminds me of Jesus, that Jesus took time and he waited for people. And, man, I think in today's day and age, we live in a world where everything is so fast and we want things quick and we want, you know, if it's not worth our time, if it's. If we, you know, if we could do. Be doing something different, that's more worth our time, we're going to do that thing instead. And yet when we stop and we pause, man, so much happens there. And I think slowing down and to maybe ask the Lord, ask Holy Spirit to speak in those moments, I think we miss a lot when we don't do that. And the beauty of.
Shannon Steeves [00:24:21]:
In this story that she was worth the wait, something relational happened, that it wasn't just a transactional giving an item and being on the way. It was about seeing her, seeing the person. And at the end of the day, that's what Jesus did.
Guest [00:24:39]:
He.
Shannon Steeves [00:24:39]:
He saw people. And I think we have so much to learn when it comes to this. So much to slow down and just wait.
Johan Heinrichs [00:24:50]:
I'm reminded of the first time I did a care portal request. We went to the single mom that had. I think she had three kids. We go to her door, we have the item. I think it was a winter coat or something for her kids. And we knock on the door and she opens it a crack. And I think she said, can you just leave it at the door? She didn't want to open her door up wide for us to see inside or have the kids run out or something, or maybe it was the dogs, I don't know. But we did that and we said, okay, we'll leave it here.
Johan Heinrichs [00:25:22]:
We hope you feel blessed or whatever. And then. And then we get another request for the same mom. She might have even talked to us and said, hey, is there any way I could get this and this? And we looked into it. So we came back a second time, and the door was open just a little bit more. So we provided that request. And I think it was the third time that we came, she had another request. So we came and she opened that door wide.
Johan Heinrichs [00:25:48]:
One of the kids came running out and grabbed my leg, and I'm like, what is happening here? This is crazy. So it's really that consistency of showing up, that's what people are looking for. And these stories, I think hearing the hard parts are also encouraging because it means we're not alone when we have trouble loving our neighbours.
Shannon Steeves [00:26:07]:
That's right. Yeah. That's beautiful, Johan. And I think that really gets to the heart of, of why caring for our neighbours matters so much. I think it can be really easy, I think, to look at the world and get overwhelmed about where to start because there's needs everywhere, really big needs, affordable housing, childcare, food, like all of these big issues. And you know, I can just get so restless on my own thinking like, what am I gonna, how do I, how do I have an impact here? And yet I think God's not calling us necessarily to impact these huge systemic issues. He's just calling us to see the people right there. He's calling us to go back to the woman a third time and see her open that door wide because she trusts you now and that her life, maybe even in just a small way or maybe in a big way, is being changed simply by showing up.
Shannon Steeves [00:27:11]:
I think that's what we're being called to.
Johan Heinrichs [00:27:14]:
Yeah, it's beautiful. Now we're going pretty long here, but we're not done yet. During that conference that I'm talking about, we also did what is called the Cost of Poverty experience. And this is something pretty new for Care Impact that we're offering exclusively. Care Impact is offering in Canada. So if you're listening and you want to do something like this, reach out because we want to run a Cost of Poverty experience in your neighbourhood as well. But it was really impactful. I mean, this first one that we did, we've Canadianized it since, but we, this was, we've.
Johan Heinrichs [00:27:47]:
We had some friends from the States come up and they help us run this one. And we had some impactful stories from that. And I'm just going to share a couple. It's a very short clip. This was a debrief that we had after doing the Cost of Poverty Experience. So this is a poverty simulation. We're going table to table. You're taking on a Persona, you're given a role to play and you're walking in someone else's shoes.
Johan Heinrichs [00:28:10]:
And by the end of it you very impactful, whether you're hosting a table or one of the participants actually participating in the experience. So here you go.
Guest [00:28:20]:
I was a five year old boy and I just felt the pressure of this being dragged along with My parents, everywhere we went. It's like the first day we forgot to go to work, it was like, what the heck was that? And then all of a sudden we're just getting dragged around everywhere and yet taken to agencies and how they would treat my parents. I didn't like that. And they were just giving pat answers. Sometimes I was just like, just, just get on with it. And I was going, come on mom, let's just keep going, let's. Because we got, we got more important things to do than talk about to the church people. Like we have things we need, so let's keep going.
Guest [00:28:50]:
And I just, even as a five year old, I felt like I was taking that on. And I work at a family support center and I see these five year olds that come into my office. So I'm just going to be doing a little shift on that, like what is that little five year old feeling? And it's really important.
Guest 2 [00:29:05]:
I'm the husband of a pregnant wife and a young man that's in school and has got ADHD and I don't have a job. And we were given a notice for eviction for our place and I went trying to find a job and I felt powerless, powerless to change my destiny. And in the end we ended up in the bus depot. Sheltered overnight now and just the realizing, you know, I couldn't take care of my child and the only place he got a solid meal was in school and my wife was around, pregnant wife was around trying to hustle up food for the groceries that we had and we ended up having no home. So very, very powerless.
Johan Heinrichs [00:29:47]:
So there were dozens of those stories in the debrief actually that we recorded. But the reason why I'm playing that is because we're not just getting care portal stories on here. We are really getting interviews with people that are having these, these impactful stories, whether they've done a cope. And maybe we're going to get some, maybe we're going to interview some people that have done a COPE as well, a Cost of Poverty experience and they're sharing their experience through that. We really just want to encourage people in whatever capacity to love our neighbours better, whatever that looks like. So hoping we can get some more COPE stories in here as well.
Shannon Steeves [00:30:20]:
Yeah, Johan, I'm so excited for the Cost of Poverty experience to expand across Canada. I think most people have not heard of this before and it's such an impactful way to get a little bit of an understanding of the cost of poverty. It's in the name. This is an experience where for a couple of hours, maybe on a Saturday morning with your church, you can have us come in and we'll take you through this experience of walking through what maybe a month looks like in the life of someone experiencing poverty. You'll receive the name and the information of a family, a real family that shared their story to help build this experience. And you'll go through some different tasks that you would do throughout the month. Going to get groceries, filling out paperwork for assistance, different things like that, to get a look into what is it, what does it feel like to be experiencing poverty today? And after that experience, you'll have some time to debrief from that and process your experience with others who went through it and have some guided discussion about, you know, what does this really look like for the people next door, the people in our lives that this is a reality for?
Johan Heinrichs [00:31:40]:
And what I like about that is that it's really low risk. Like, there are real experience. Like you can go to some organizations in your city that'll actually take you on an overnight poverty experience on the street. And that's a big ask for some people. Like, that's just scary. They're never going to do that. But this is something that's held in a facility, a gym. So it's very low risk but high reward.
Johan Heinrichs [00:32:05]:
Like you still feel the impact of it. That's what we heard from a lot of those testimonials is people are really impacted from doing the cost of poverty experience. Even though they didn't actually have to go through it, they really felt the weight of it.
Shannon Steeves [00:32:18]:
Absolutely.
Johan Heinrichs [00:32:19]:
All right, so I think we're ready to wrap up this introductory episode. This is kind of a one off. You're not going to get episodes like this all the time. They're not all going to be over half an hour. What do we want to leave our audience with here? I think starting next week, we're already going to get going on the first real episodes. So what do we need from our listeners?
Shannon Steeves [00:32:39]:
Yeah, we would love to hear from you as we get started on this. Here's a few really simple ways that you can join in. Please tell a friend or a neighbour about neighbourly. You can visit our website at neighbourly ca and just drop us a note, share what you're excited about, your questions, or maybe even some suggestions for future episodes. You can actually leave a voice message right there on our website. Um, we'd also love for you to share any news in your community. So we talked about those headlines, episodes, news stories that show ordinary neighbours offering extraordinary care. So please send that to us.
Shannon Steeves [00:33:20]:
neighbourly CA or podcastarempact ca. And if you're on Facebook, come join our Care Impact podcast group. That is a great place to connect and to share stories. And maybe even you'll be asked to come on the podcast after you share a story. But we just want you to be a part of this. That's what this is all about, is real stories, real people. And we are so excited to bring you in on that.
Johan Heinrichs [00:33:48]:
Awesome. And again, you can find CARE impact on social media, too, if you want to follow along that way with all the other things that we're doing. But this is a big part of what we're doing because we believe that impact comes with sharing our stories. We can share information all day long, but what really impacts people are the stories. All right, so next week, you'll hear it. Tune in. You can stay on this podcast feed. You don't have to go anywhere.
Johan Heinrichs [00:34:14]:
If you're not subscribed, subscribe. But if you're here, well, you don't have to do anything. Just listen.
Guest 2 [00:34:19]:
Right?
Shannon Steeves [00:34:20]:
That's right.
Guest 3 [00:34:24]:
Turning over tables Breaking all chains When I see you in a stranger I'm no longer asleep Turning over tables Tearing down walls Building up the bridges between the stones of these Turning old tables Breaking all the chains.
