She Didn’t Forget About Me | With Ashley and Chantal
She Didn’t Forget About Me
With Ashley & Chantal
Neighbourly Podcast | Hosted by Shannon Steeves
What happens when someone actually follows through?
In this episode of Neighbourly, Shannon sits down with Ashley and Chantal to share a story that began with a simple CarePortal request for a wagon and children’s clothing. What followed was something far deeper than meeting a practical need. It became a story of friendship, trust rebuilt, and a community that didn’t forget.
Chantal was navigating grief, addiction recovery, and child welfare involvement when Ashley responded to that request. Months passed. Chantal assumed the connection would fade, as many had before.
But Ashley called.
And that call changed everything.
This episode explores what it means to show up, keep your word, and become the kind of neighbour someone can rely on.
In This Episode
What it feels like to expect people to forget about you
How small acts of care can restore dignity
The impact of consistent community support for single mothers
Why follow-through matters more than big gestures
How faith becomes real through everyday presence
The unexpected ways care changes both the giver and the receiver
The Bigger Theme: Ordinary Care, Extraordinary Impact
At its heart, this conversation reflects a core Neighbourly belief: care does not need to be dramatic to be powerful. It simply needs to be present.
Ashley’s “yes” to one CarePortal request became an open door to:
A beach day that rebuilt trust
Ongoing connection through the Generations program
Practical support like rides, encouragement, and shared community
A renewed sense of hope and belonging
This episode highlights the importance of:
Community support for vulnerable families
Church and nonprofit partnerships working together
Trauma-informed, dignity-first care
Consistency over one-time charity
About CarePortal & Community Care
This story began through CarePortal, a platform that connects churches with real-time needs of families in their local communities.
When a request is shared, local churches can respond with practical help, relational support, or both.
Ashley’s small group simply chose to say yes.
That decision created space for long-term community.
Care like this reminds us that:
Technology can help neighbours find one another
Churches can play a meaningful role in family support
Support does not require perfection, just presence
Key Quotes from the Episode
“She didn’t forget about me.”
“I’m not used to people actually following through with their word.”
“It’s nice to know there are people who care without a secret agenda.”
“Sometimes it just takes someone saying yes.”
Why This Story Matters
Many people living through grief, addiction recovery, or child welfare involvement experience deep isolation. When promises go unmet, trust erodes.
Consistent care rebuilds it.
This episode speaks to:
Single mothers navigating hardship
Churches wondering how to engage their community
Anyone who has felt forgotten
Anyone unsure whether their small act of kindness matters
It does.
A Simple Step You Can Take This Week
Think of one person you told, “Let’s connect soon.”
Follow through.
Send the text.
Make the call.
Keep the promise.
Ordinary care has extraordinary impact.
About Neighbourly
Neighbourly is a weekly podcast hosted by Shannon Steeves and produced by CareImpact. Each episode shares real stories of ordinary people offering extraordinary care across Canada.
On alternating weeks, Neighbourly Headlines highlights recent Canadian stories of neighbours stepping up in powerful ways.
Ordinary people. Extraordinary care.
Guest Links:
Living Bible Explorers: https://www.livingbibleexplorers.com/
Episode transcript Read the full transcript
Introduction: A Story of Showing Up
Chantel: My dad had just passed away. CFS was involved in my life. I was just getting over an addiction. I'm gonna get emotional here. She just kind of said to me, hey, we run a program that brings single mothers, like me. So about three months had passed or so. So I was like, oh, she forgot about me. Like, she forgot about me for sure.
Chantel: Why would she? So all of a sudden I get a call, and yeah, she didn't forget about me. I'm just not used to that. I'm used to people being, you know, you can't really rely on them and this and that.
Johan Heinrichs: Every one of us has a story about someone who showed up when it mattered most. I'm Johan, and this is Neighborly, a podcast about the ordinary ways people show extraordinary care. Every other week, Shannon Steeves sits down with someone who's lived that out, real stories of faith, kindness, and community in action. So grab your coffee and let's join Shannon at the table.
Meeting Ashley and Chantel
Shannon Steeves: Welcome back to Neighborly. Today's episode is a little special because we are recording on site, in person, with our two guests today. And it's extra special because they actually brought their story to me. Ashley and Chantel first met through a request that came through CarePortal, and that started as just a simple response, but turned into real friendship and community. I am just so glad that they're here to share it. Welcome, Ashley, and welcome, Chantel. Thank you.
Ashley: Thanks.
The neighbours they still remember
Shannon Steeves: We always get started with the icebreaker question. Who is a neighbour that you'll never forget?
Ashley: Well, I can go first. When I was younger, me and my sisters had our bus stop across the street at our neighbour's house, where we'd go every day in the morning, dropped off and picked up there. Soon these neighbours began sitting outside with us and would provide us chalk while we waited for our bus. Eventually it turned into us hanging out there after school, then spending evenings there. They would give us snacks, and we would get to watch TV with them.
Ashley: They were an older, middle-aged couple who didn't have any kids of their own, and they just adopted us in. We called them Uncle Jake and Auntie Helen. We would have end-of-year parties at their house. They really adopted us into the family, and it all started because we were there for the bus stop.
Shannon Steeves: That's so sweet.
Chantel: I feel like it's always older people with no children that are the sweetest ever.
Ashley: Right.
Chantel: And that are willing to give everything to the neighbourhood children. Those are the best types of neighbours.
Shannon Steeves: Yeah. What about for you, Chantel?
Chantel: Something that stands out, I remember moving into, not Point Douglas, not so great, right on the corner of Euclid and Logan. It was a little house there. I remember it started off when we went to rent the house, the owner was like, oh, I don't have the keys. So my brother actually crawled in the window. Just a little strange, right?
Ashley: It was just very, very strange.
Chantel: The day we moved in, there was a neighbour next door who came over with hamburgers and hot dogs and cupcakes. It was just so nice to know that those people still exist, even in not-so-great areas. I'll never forget that. It was definitely a time that we could use it. We were all tired. But it will always stand out to me that she went out of her way. She was just a very nice lady. The whole time we lived there, she was always giving to us.
Shannon Steeves: Wow.
Chantel: So yeah, that's definitely my favourite neighbour.
Shannon Steeves: She sounds like such a gem.
Chantel: She was very nice.
Shannon Steeves: And that's so true. Certain areas of cities can have a reputation because maybe all we hear about is the crime or violence or whatever. But if we didn't ask, we wouldn't know about these incredible people in those communities who are keeping things going. That's so sweet.
Life Right Now for Ashley and Chantel
Shannon Steeves: In just a few sentences or a few words, can you each share a little bit about who you are? What does your everyday life look like right now? Maybe I'll start with Ashley.
Ashley: Right now I am the youth program director at Living Bible Explorers. I've been working here for coming on four years now.
Chantel: Wow.
Ashley: And my husband and I just last year moved into the West End. So now we get to live in the community, in the neighbourhood. I get to walk to work, and yeah, that's life. It's good. It's so good.
Shannon Steeves: That's awesome. What about you?
Chantel: I am the mother to an incredible almost three-year-old. I have a lot of things that I still am working on, but right now I get to be at home with my daughter and listen to the tantrums and just be a part of everything. I wouldn't change it for the world.
Chantel: Other than that, I just try to be the best mum I can be for her. LBE and being able to come here, and the people that I've met, have just helped me so much with being a single mother. They're there for me in ways that you can't even... nope, I'm gonna start tearing up. Okay. But yeah, right now I'm just enjoying being present with her.
Shannon Steeves: That's so good. Mums change the world, in my opinion.
Chantel: When I had my daughter, I was thirty-four, and I'm now thirty-six, and I always say being a single mother in your thirties is not for the weak. Late thirties, you know, it is definitely not for the weak. There's never a dull moment. Everything's always go, go, go, right? But it's definitely, I'm reliving my childhood, and it's amazing. It really is.
Shannon Steeves: I'm sure that maybe is healing. I think about just playing, and your own inner child.
Chantel: Yeah, it's definitely not something I ever thought I was gonna do. So it's amazing.
Shannon Steeves: Awesome. Way to go. You are amazing.
How a CarePortal Request Became Community
Shannon Steeves: As I hinted at the beginning of this, you guys first got connected through CarePortal. A need was entered into CarePortal for Chantel, for a wagon and some clothes for your little girl. That request came in from someone you were working with, and it got sent out to some nearby churches. Ashley, can you take us back to the day that request came in and what made you want to respond?
Ashley: Yeah. My small group at the time, we were doing one CarePortal request a month, kind of what we had decided we wanted to do. We're all a bunch of young adults, so we don't have a lot of resources ourselves, but we were like, yeah, let's do this. So the time came where we were like, let's see if there's a CarePortal request we want to do.
Ashley: We looked at this one and thought, oh, that's cute. Clothes for a two-year-old, a wagon, sounds like fun. And immediately I also thought, I mean, you can't tell exactly where it's located on the CarePortal request, but I was like, oh, it's like right there. With LBE, I'm there all the time. I know that street, or that area. So we're like, let's do that. Why not?
Ashley: We were a bunch of young adults, and the request was actually filled through Kildonan MCC. They had donated items for a once-a-month kind of thing. So we got to go there and pick it out, and we were like, why not? Let's do it. There's low risk here. We just get to go and do it and go meet this family.
What was happening in Chantel’s life at the time
Shannon Steeves: Chantel, what was going on in your life at that time when you were working with somebody who was able to get that request submitted?
Chantel: There was actually lots going on. My dad had just passed away. CFS was involved in my life. I was just getting over an addiction. I'm gonna get emotional here. So when Ashley had brought the wagon and the clothes for Adela, she just kind of said to me, hey, I work this program that brings single mothers, like me, to the beach and does other activities and stuff.
Chantel: And I was like, oh cool, that would be amazing. Haven't been to the beach all year. I don't have a vehicle or really ways to get anywhere. So about three months had passed or so, and I was like, oh, she forgot about me. She forgot about me for sure. Why would she?
Chantel: So all of a sudden I get a call, and yeah, she didn't forget about me. I'm gonna get so emotional, I'm sorry. I'm just not used to that. I'm used to people, you know, you can't really rely on them and this and that. Ashley not forgetting about us, that was just really, it was nice.
Chantel: Then came the beach day, and it was great. We had a great time. Everything was provided for us, everything my daughter could absolutely need. It was nice to know that we were part of something. Obviously I was shy to go, but Ashley made me feel so comfortable. We had an amazing time.
Chantel: Then she told me about Generations, and I ended up being called again too. I'm just so not used to people actually following through with their word. So for Ashley, and everybody too, I was just shocked and grateful.
Shannon Steeves: I don't think I realized that part of the story, that there was a gap in between you meeting and then the beach day. In my head I thought it was pretty quick.
Ashley: Yeah, we had met in June and then the beach day was only in August.
Chantel: Okay.
Ashley: Yeah, so there was two months.
Chantel: Yeah, yeah, three.
Shannon Steeves: Wow.
The First Connection and What Each of Them Saw
Shannon Steeves: What was going through your mind when you guys first met? She shared her perspective. What about for you, Ashley?
Ashley: I mean, it was fun.
Chantel: I feel like Ashley knew. I feel like Ashley looked at me and kind of knew that I was sad and not in a position in life that I wanted to be.
Shannon Steeves: Yeah.
Chantel: So, I don't know, she did. She knew.
Shannon Steeves: Wow.
Ashley: I think not at first. No, I think at first I was like, hey, let's whatever, we were just chatting. I went with one of my friends, Christine, and we were just hanging out with you and your neighbour.
Chantel: Yes, my neighbour had moved.
Ashley: Yeah, and it was just a great conversation. Then I remember there was a moment where all of a sudden it clicked in my brain because you were talking about wanting community.
Shannon Steeves: Wait, community?
Ashley: I'm connected to a community that is also in your neighbourhood. You should get involved. I remember when that clicked. I'm like, oh my goodness, this could potentially be something.
Chantel: And yeah, it turned into what it is now.
Shannon Steeves: And it's crazy because you live about ten, fifteen minutes from here. Is that right?
Chantel: Okay, I live in the core of the North End.
Shannon Steeves: So there are these things that are like, ten minutes isn't crazy far, but had Ashley not come, you might not have heard of this place before.
Chantel: I've never heard of this place, right?
Shannon Steeves: Just the fact that a simple connection is all it took, that's so powerful. Just knowing what's out there and knowing what supports are there for people.
Chantel: See, the thing is too, like I said, CFS was involved in my life, and all of these things that I have in my life now, all the support that I have, all of the things that I'm thankful for, CFS had nothing to do with it because they didn't help me. They didn't do anything that helped my life.
Chantel: I just find that everything that happened afterwards was for a reason. And like you said, Ashley responding to that email. I'm so very thankful she did. There was some greater power involved. There was, because there are so many other churches that are involved, right, that could have picked us or whatever it is. But there was a reason, I feel like.
Shannon Steeves: Yeah, just for that relationship to start.
Chantel: And the minute Adela met Ashley, she was like, I love this person, I've known her for years. It's funny, she's like that with a lot of the people in the program. She's comfortable.
What They Learned From Each Other
Shannon Steeves: That kind of gets to my next question, what have you learned from each other? You already started to share that. What about for you, Ashley? What have you learned from Chantel?
Ashley: I think, actually, my mind goes to a conversation when I was just picking you up now, talking about parenting. I'm not a parent myself.
Chantel: I was overwhelmed when she picked me up.
Ashley: Yeah, but you being a single mother of a toddler who's now entering this phase of difficulties and tensions, and just seeing the way that you're approaching that with humility, and with I want to figure this out, and trying to work it through, and seeing the way that you're connected with some of the people now with LBE, it's encouraging for me.
Ashley: So I feel like maybe in a way I learned more about the single mother life. Not that I would ever want to be a single mother.
Chantel: Yeah, yeah.
Ashley: But just being a mother and caring, and I see the resilience in you.
Chantel: And also, it wasn't always like that. It definitely wasn't. I had my moments where I was like, I'm never gonna be able to do this. But now I'm like, I got this, I got this. And even when I'm crying, I'm just telling myself, you got this. Mothers have done this for years. But it's difficult.
Chantel: Being able to take programs willingly to better myself as a mother is a blessing. Like I said before, when I was forced to take these programs, it didn't register because my daughter was three months old at the time. Discipline wasn't a thing. And now it's just like anything that I can learn or read or try to change is definitely something I want to do.
Shannon Steeves: Wow. Chantel, is there anything you would add about what you've learned in your friendship with Ashley?
Chantel: Ashley didn't forget about me, so that stands out to me. She's the type of person that makes you forget about all the selfishness in the world. She encourages me to be a better person. A lot of people at LBE have done that.
Chantel: I wake up and instead of playing the music I used to play, I'm listening to Christian music because I love it. I've found this new reason, and I'm so unbelievably grateful for it because I don't drive, I don't attend church, but we still do the live streams. I've just found... my family says that I have a new happiness about me.
Chantel: That was never ever for a good reason that I was happy, and now it's like I am, and it's amazing. Sorry I'm so emotional.
Shannon Steeves: Oh my gosh, don't apologize.
Chantel: I've just met some of the most amazing people. The things that have changed already, I can't even imagine what it'll be like five years from now if all of these things are just amazing and I'm happy.
Ashley: I also want to mention, I think you being involved in Generations, that's the family program that you run.
Chantel: Yep.
Ashley: I feel like I can tell there's a difference with you guys being involved too. You bring something really special, your desire to be here. You emit joy. There is something really special about having you guys here too. It's not just, oh, we hope we bless you, but you guys bless us too.
Chantel: Really?
Chantel: Well, I mean, everybody's just so great. There are times where you go to even churches and you feel like... I always wanted my daughter to be a part of something.
Shannon Steeves: Yeah.
Chantel: My dad and me were best friends, and before he passed away, he wanted us so badly to just start going to church. And sorry.
Ashley: No, you're good.
Chantel: So as soon as I became involved with that type of community, I just think everything makes you feel like everything's not so hard. There are actually people that care. There are actually people out there that won't forget about you and will have you feel involved with something, or even just be there for you.
Chantel: I have another lady who is a volunteer for the program that picked me up last week to bring me to do some errands because she knows that I don't have a vehicle. And it's thirty-five and I'm a single mother. So just having these people there for me and my daughter is absolutely amazing. We're blessed in every way.
The Power of Being Seen and Supported
Shannon Steeves: It's so powerful knowing somebody cares about us and is there for us. I've experienced that in my own life, especially recently, just knowing there are people in your corner who are for you. They don't have all the answers, and they don't need to have all the answers. They just need to be there, right? Like you said, just pick you up and go run errands or get groceries or whatever.
Chantel: And it just makes you think, there are actually people out there that care about me without a secret agenda, that care about me and they're getting absolutely nothing out of it.
Shannon Steeves: Yeah.
Chantel: And of course, because of my experiences in life, I always think that people have an alternative motive. Everything in me told me that Ashley was never gonna contact us about the beach because that's what I was used to. So having this, being able to rely on people again is nice. It's something I haven't experienced in a really long time.
Chantel: And they say it takes a village to raise a child. I swear my village is Generations and the people at LBE.
Shannon Steeves: Yeah.
Chantel: Wow.
Shannon Steeves: I just can't get over how resilient you are and being able to step into a community that was probably new and full of people you didn't know. I'd be nervous too. And now to be coming consistently, really you're creating culture by bringing joy, and you're contributing so much. It's not just about what you're getting out of it. You bring so much in who you are.
Chantel: My resilience wasn't always like that. Every day is... but I just feel like having everybody that's there for me now, having Generations, even the friends I've made, it's like a whole new world of people compared to what I'm used to.
Chantel: It's funny, everybody in my life is like, oh, you're changing, you're this, that. But it's like, so I'm too happy, or am I too sad? What is it, you know? But I'm not letting anybody affect what I'm doing. I'm happy, my daughter's happy, and that's all that matters.
Shannon Steeves: That's so good.
What They Hope People Hear in This Story
Shannon Steeves: I'd love to hear from both of you what you hope people hear from this story. So Ashley, do you want to take that?
Ashley: I think what I hope people hear, because it's what I've been reflecting on recently, is just how cool God is. We've already kind of been talking about this a bit on the way here. Something so small, me and my small group from church did not really think about it at the time. We were just like, yeah, we're willing to do a request. We just did it.
Ashley: And I don't know how deeply you thought about it at the time, but you were willing to receive a request. Because of that, God matched this up in such a perfect way where there could be this community, you know?
Chantel: It's funny you say that because when I had my involvement in CFS, I used to say I wish there was some type of program that me and my daughter could get involved in that focused on doing things with children and just being... and it's just so crazy because it's like my prayers got answered.
Ashley: Yeah.
Chantel: Without me even knowing, and they continue to get answered in small ways too. Like Cheryl, for instance, also part of Generations, her messaging me last week saying, how are you? And I was like, oh my God, losing my mind. I was supposed to start with this program to get respite. It's been five months, long story.
Shannon Steeves: Yeah.
Chantel: Anyway, she was like, do you want me to come and bring you to do some things? And it's just like, how did you know that I was in need? And she was like, God.
Ashley: Yeah, yeah.
Chantel: It blows my mind because God knows.
Shannon Steeves: And it sounds like it takes people saying yes. A lot of people who listen to this, I want them to understand that it takes us helping each other. It takes us saying yes. God's gonna move in people's lives, and you are praying, but sometimes he's gonna use us to do that.
Shannon Steeves: You were just saying yes to this request with your small group, and at that time you didn't know what it would all lead to, but you're like, okay, I'm willing. I'm willing to be used and to go meet my neighbour who lives nearby and just be there for her. That's what community is. And now you're both growing and learning from each other.
Chantel: Yeah, yeah. It's funny. There could be a whole video of me crying about this, really, honestly.
Shannon Steeves: Like a little blooper reel. I love it.
Chantel: But it's tears of joy. Even on the way here, I was tearing up, but it's tears of joy. That is not something that's happened in my life in so long.
Chantel: All of the things that I've been through and overcome, and when I met Ashley, I was really drinking. When my dad passed, I didn't know how to deal with it, and I was never anybody that drank. So for a while I kind of got lost, you know. Then coming back and having everything that I have now, just with praying, because you get to a point where you feel like my prayers aren't being listened to, nobody cares about me.
Chantel: Then something happens, something happens like Ashley, and it just makes you rethink everything. And then you just have to sit back and know that you weren't forgotten about by God, or by Ashley, and it's really made me... my family talks about how happy I am now, and that's something I've always wanted, to just be. And it's just small things like this, right?
Ashley: Sometimes there are these moments where you know it's God. It's undeniable. God has his hand. And that's what I see in your life too. It's undeniable that God has his hand in your life right now.
Chantel: And if you asked me this a year ago, I'd be like, oh my God, that's crazy, easy to say. But no, God is, I'll say it like I said to my friend on the phone, God is king.
Ashley: Okay.
Chantel: Because they think that I'm being sarcastic about this, but I'm like, no, you guys don't understand.
Why Generations Feels Like Family
Shannon Steeves: Is there anything I haven't asked that you feel like there's something you want to say or feel prompted to share?
Chantel: I would just like to say that getting involved with Generations, of course I was hesitant. Even now here, they all are good with my daughter. She knows everybody. It's like family that I never expected to have.
Chantel: For anybody, not even just single mothers, families, people that just want to feel a part of something, Generations is amazing. Every single person that's involved has never once made me feel less than. They've all made me feel like I'm the best mum ever. I may not be the best, but definitely a trying mother.
Chantel: I'm just so grateful for meeting these people, and they're in my prayers every... I'm so thankful. Hearing people, even the other volunteers and stuff, having them is just amazing. It makes you feel a whole type of peace that I've never felt before.
Shannon Steeves: Wow, thank you for saying that.
Chantel: Yes. Oh, I'm gonna start crying in here.
Shannon Steeves: Anything for you, Ashley, that you want to say?
Ashley: I'm just thinking, I'm so grateful, and it honestly makes me think, why don't I say yes more often? I should just be paying more attention to life and what opportunities God is giving, because I feel like he is giving opportunities so much more often. Sometimes we choose to ignore them.
Closing
Shannon Steeves: Thank you both for coming on today. This has been such a blessing to me. I think I say that with every episode, but it's just an honour to sit with both of you and hear what you've experienced through your friendship.
Chantel: That's real life. That's it right there.
Shannon Steeves: Yeah.
Chantel: Yes, I am extremely blessed, and I'm actually very honoured that we were invited to do this today, so thank you.
Johan Heinrichs: The stories we share here remind us that care doesn't have to be perfect to be powerful. It just has to be present. Neighborly is an initiative of Care Impact, a Canadian charity equipping churches, agencies, and communities with tech and training to care better together. Visit careimpact.ca, or to find out more about the podcast, sponsorships, being a guest, or just dropping us a line, visit neighborlypodcast.ca.
Johan Heinrichs: We'd love to hear from you. Check the show notes for the link, or hop on our Care Impact Podcast group on Facebook to join our podcast community. I'm Johan. Thanks for listening, and keep being the kind of neighbour someone will never forget, in a good way.
SONG: Tearing down walls, building up the bridges between the souls. Love is turning over tables, breaking off chains. When I see you in a stranger, I'm no longer a stranger. Love is turning over tables, tearing down walls, building under bridges between us all.
