The Way Care Changes Us
The Way Care Changes Us
Seeing Beyond the Need and Learning to Show Up
What if care isn’t about having the right answer, but learning to truly see people?
In this episode of Neighbourly, Shannon Steeves steps out from behind the mic and shares personal stories from her work with CarePortal. From missed connections to meaningful encounters, this conversation explores how compassion can reshape the way we see others and how simple acts of care can lead to lasting impact.
If you’ve ever wondered how to care for your neighbours, support families in need, or get involved in your community, this episode offers a grounded and practical starting point.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
Why care is more than meeting physical needs
How CarePortal connects churches, agencies, and families
The difference between transactional help and relational care
Real stories of neighbours showing up in simple but powerful ways
How compassion can replace frustration in everyday interactions
Why you don’t need to be an expert to make a difference
Key Stories from the Episode
When Care Doesn’t Go as Planned
A simple delivery turns into a moment of reflection. What starts as confusion becomes a deeper understanding of the unseen burdens people carry and the importance of choosing compassion over expectation.
A Dad, a Home, and a Fresh Start
A single father working toward reunification with his daughters receives more than furniture. A local church shows up, builds relationship, and reminds him he’s not alone.
The Courage to Receive Help
A first-time mom, overwhelmed and in need, experiences dignity and care through a simple but meaningful connection.
What Is CarePortal?
CarePortal is a connecting technology that links local churches with real-time needs from trusted community agencies. It helps neighbours respond to families in their own city with both practical support and relational care.
Rather than operating as a program, CarePortal creates opportunities for:
churches to engage locally
agencies to share real needs
communities to build meaningful relationships
Why Relational Care Matters
Meeting a need is important. But being seen, known, and remembered matters even more.
This episode highlights a simple but powerful shift:
from solving problems → to building relationships
from checking boxes → to showing up consistently
from assumption → to curiosity and compassion
Because real change doesn’t happen through one moment of generosity.
It grows through presence, follow-up, and connection.
What Holds Us Back from Caring?
Many people want to help but feel:
unsure where to start
unequipped or unqualified
hesitant to step into unfamiliar situations
This episode addresses that directly:
You don’t need expertise to care. You just need willingness.
A Simple Step to Try This Week
When something feels frustrating or unexpected, pause and ask:
“What might be going on in their world?”
That one question can shift everything.
Produced By:
Episode transcript Read the full transcript
Introduction
Johan Heinrichs: Not every act of care feels natural. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable, sometimes it’s inconvenient, and sometimes it doesn’t go the way you expected at all. I’m Johan, producer of Neighbourly. Today, the roles are flipped. Shannon, who usually sits across the table listening to others and asking the questions, steps into the story herself.
Johan Heinrichs: What she shares isn’t just about meeting needs. It’s about what happens inside us when we begin to truly see people. Care isn’t just about delivering something. It’s about learning to notice, to listen, and to stay curious instead of jumping to conclusions. These are real stories that reveal how easy it is to lead with expectation, and how powerful it is when we choose compassion instead. Shannon, welcome here. I’m looking forward to this conversation because usually you’re starting it, and I’m behind the scenes making you sound good. Here I get to ask you some questions. So, how are you doing?
Shannon Steeves: I’m good. I’m a little more nervous for this conversation because usually I just get to hear other people share, but I’m excited. I’m looking forward to this one.
Johan Heinrichs: For listeners who don’t know, you’re the regional manager for CarePortal. We talk a lot about CarePortal on this podcast and share some of these stories, but this is a chance for you to share them yourself. You get to see not only needs being met, but transformation in people, and the brightness that comes into their eyes when they get to respond. That’s probably a gift you get to witness.
Shannon Steeves: It’s my favourite thing. When people ask what I do, I get excited every time because it really is such a unique point of view. I get to see needs come in from agencies we’re working with and hear about families who need support to be stable and successful. Then I also get to walk with this network of churches, helping empower them to respond, addressing barriers and fears they have. It’s so cool to see both perspectives, the requests coming in and then the stories afterward, which are the best part. It’s a gift to get to do this.
What CarePortal Does
Johan Heinrichs: Let’s explain it clearly for those listening. What exactly is CarePortal, and what’s your role there?
Shannon Steeves: CarePortal is a connecting technology. It’s not a ministry in and of itself. It’s a tool that can be used. In a nutshell, it’s a request-and-response loop. A child-serving or family-serving agency, organization, or nonprofit working with families on the ground can submit real needs for a specific family into the portal. It’s app based, so you can go on your phone and see these needs as they come in, and it’s based on geography.
Shannon Steeves: When a request is submitted, there’s a pin on a map showing the general area where that family lives, not the specifics, for privacy and safety. Churches nearby that I’ve connected with, trained, and shown how to use the portal then have the opportunity to go and meet that family. They can provide practical items the family needs, but more importantly, it’s about the relational connection they get to have with somebody who may be right in their neighbourhood, hidden in plain sight. Now they know about that family, and they can help meet a practical need while also building a meaningful connection.
Johan Heinrichs: This is mostly an audio-only podcast, but if this ever becomes a clip, people should see how your face lights up when you talk about this. So for churches or leaders listening who don’t have CarePortal, you should really get Shannon in front of you and see that for yourself.
Why Care Changes How We See People
Johan Heinrichs: As you’ve gone through this process and seen people fulfill needs, and probably fulfilled some needs yourself, what has changed in how you actually see people?
Shannon Steeves: Everything. At the core, it comes down to this, people have a desire to be seen. We’ve talked about that on every episode this season, and I think it points to our Creator, our heavenly Father. We’re made in the image of God, and we’re made for connection and relationship. That’s how we’re wired.
Shannon Steeves: When I see churches responding to practical needs, or when I’ve been able to do that myself, yes, the practical needs matter. Sometimes that means preventing separation from a family or helping someone gain stability. But when a family, when a person, feels seen and knows somebody is in their corner, that can change everything. It’s shown me how human we all are. We’re not that different from each other.
Shannon Steeves: It’s easy to get caught up in the noise of the world, social media, trauma, headlines, all of it. But when a mum needs a car seat for her baby and she gets that, and she feels like there’s a nearby church here for her, it changes the way you think. I think about times in my own life when I needed to feel seen and cared for too. At the end of the day, we all need that.
A Story That Changed Her Perspective
Johan Heinrichs: This podcast is all about stories. Is there a story behind what you’re saying, something specific?
Shannon Steeves: Yes. One comes to mind right away. About a year ago, a request came through for a mum who was pregnant and close to the end of her pregnancy. She needed a stroller and a car seat soon. This was actually a request I got to bring my parents on. They hadn’t experienced CarePortal yet, and I got to show them how it works, which was beautiful.
Shannon Steeves: I connected with the mum over text and arranged a time to bring the stroller and car seat. I gave her about a 15-minute heads up when we were on our way. As we were driving there, she called and said something like, “I had to step out for a minute, I needed to go get something to eat, but my niece will be able to let you in. I’m on my way back.” I said, okay, sounds good.
Shannon Steeves: We got there and parked on the street. I really wanted to connect with her, so we waited a few minutes. She still hadn’t come back, so we knocked on the door and brought in this big stroller-car-seat combo. Her niece answered, and we asked if they needed any help putting it together. They said they were all good. So we went back to the car and waited a few more minutes, hoping to meet her, because I wanted her to know we saw her and were here for her.
Shannon Steeves: After a while, she still didn’t come back, and eventually we decided to move on with the day. If I’m being honest, I was confused, and I think I was a little frustrated. You schedule a time to meet somebody, and they don’t come, that’s a normal reaction. But in that moment, I had this nudge, what’s going on in her world?
Shannon Steeves: She was really pregnant. Maybe the food she went to get was the only thing she could tolerate that day, and that’s what she needed. Maybe she was overwhelmed and needed to step out for a second. Maybe receiving help was hard for her to process. I don’t know, and honestly, that doesn’t really matter. What mattered was realizing how much people are carrying that we don’t see.
Shannon Steeves: That moment helped me pause and see how often I interpret life through my own expectations instead of compassion. My expectations come first, and compassion comes later. But if we can flip that and start with compassion, even when something inconveniences us, I think that makes us more like Christ.
More Than Delivering an Item
Johan Heinrichs: What stands out in that story is that it wasn’t really about the physical item. You wanted the connection piece. That seems like part of what makes CarePortal different.
Shannon Steeves: Yes, that’s really the core of this. There are so many amazing ways churches are getting creative in their communities, through events, programs, and different activities. Those things are not inherently bad. But the danger is forgetting the point of them. We can get so caught up in the system, the shopping list, and the to-do list that we forget what it was all for in the first place.
Shannon Steeves: What I love about CarePortal is that it brings it down to that one-on-one connection with a family right there in front of you.
When Churches Show Up as Neighbours
Johan Heinrichs: Do you have a story where you saw a church or community show up in a meaningful way?
Shannon Steeves: Yes, there’s one I often share when I’m meeting with churches for the first time. A while back, there was a single dad who had been experiencing homelessness and was now in housing. He was working on reunification with his daughters, I think two young girls. A request came through saying he needed some simple furniture, maybe a dresser, a kitchen table, and a microwave. The request said this would help him begin having visits with his daughters again.
Shannon Steeves: A church responder who lived only blocks away responded, and I believe with some help from other churches, they were able to get the items. They didn’t just bring them, they stayed. They chatted with the dad. They watched the Jets game together and just sat with him as neighbours.
Shannon Steeves: Later we heard that when his daughters came to visit, they ran into their room excited to see their space set up for them. What always amazes me about this story is the proximity. There was a dad this close to someone from a local church, hidden in plain sight. They just needed a way to know about each other. That’s what happened, a need was shared, and a neighbour said yes.
Building Networks of Support
Johan Heinrichs: It’s not just about one-on-one connection. We’re trying to bring networks of people and organizations together to support families. What have you seen in that area?
Shannon Steeves: The family connections are powerful, but the collaboration is just as meaningful. In communities, you have churches, government agencies, social workers, mental health counsellors, nonprofits, all trying to support people. But often everyone is operating in silos. I don’t think it’s because people don’t want to coordinate. I think it’s just hard to know how to do it in practice.
Shannon Steeves: Through this network, we’ve seen churches coordinating with social workers, nonprofit organizations partnering with church responders, and even local businesses like Kildonan MCC Thrift becoming part of the story. These intersecting spaces working together create something much bigger than what any one group could do alone. That kind of collective impact can be messy, because partnerships are messy, but it’s worth it.
Johan Heinrichs: The church working alongside government and community organizations is really something. Historically that hasn’t always been typical.
Shannon Steeves: Exactly. More and more every day, I’m convicted that the church is called to show up in this space. I have immense gratitude for social workers, counsellors, agencies, and all the supports already out there. But they can’t carry it alone. The church is called to this too. I love the church. I was raised in a local church. I’d call myself a church girl. I believe in God’s plan to use the church to reach people with hope, because we know where the hope is, it’s in Jesus. Scripture is pretty clear about caring for the widow and the orphan.
Johan Heinrichs: And we’ve got churches on every corner. We are in the communities. What an opportunity.
Shannon Steeves: That’s right. Sometimes churches want to help, but they don’t know where to start. Maybe they’re in a community with a lot of needs, or maybe they’re in a more affluent area and want to support but don’t know how to access those needs. That’s what I love about my job. I get to help churches identify the barriers to engaging in community and then help remove those barriers. When we put our love into action and rally around people who don’t have a community of support, we get to embody what the church is supposed to be.
The Power of Ongoing Connection
Johan Heinrichs: Because CarePortal is geographic, there’s an opportunity for churches to follow up and become that continuing connection people are longing for.
Shannon Steeves: One thousand percent. I remember hearing about a family who was asked to write down their circle of support in a caseworker meeting. Every name they wrote down was a paid professional, their social worker, their counsellor, and so on. That story has stayed with me.
Shannon Steeves: If I were asked to do that, I’d start with my parents, our pastors, mentors, so many people. My husband and I are rich with relationships. To imagine there are people who can’t do that, yes, it breaks my heart, but it also fires me up. There are churches on every corner that are called to be that kind of support.
Shannon Steeves: That’s where the church can really step in through relational, consistent care, not just showing up once, but remembering someone’s name, sending a text a week later after dropping off a car seat and asking, “How are you doing? Do you need anything this week? Can I bring a meal over?” Being present shows people that they’re not alone.
A Face She Still Carries
Johan Heinrichs: Is there a face or name or moment that you still carry with you every day?
Shannon Steeves: Yes. Last summer, a request came through for a first-time mum who was due soon. She was feeling pretty anxious and needed almost everything. There were a few key things she needed right away, plus the basics for a new baby.
Shannon Steeves: Someone from my own church who had fostered and adopted had told me, “If you ever need baby items, I’ve got so much.” So I contacted her and said, now’s the time. I picked up the items, and because this mum lived in a different part of the city, I connected with a church closer to where she was. One of the young women from that church came with me, and we packed the car full.
Shannon Steeves: When we got there and met her, she was overwhelmed in the best way. She cried, and I cried too. I was so challenged and convicted by her courage, the strength it takes to say, “I don’t have all the things I need, but I’m willing to receive them.” Hearing some of her story and the circumstances leading up to this baby being born, it felt like such an honour to meet her and show her there were people who saw her and were here for her. That’s a moment I won’t forget.
What These Stories Are Teaching Her
Johan Heinrichs: Let’s go back to your role as regional manager. What are some things you’ve learned through these moments of connection and seeing churches respond?
Shannon Steeves: One thing I always say when I sit down with a church for the first time is that CarePortal is just a tool. It’s a great tool, but it only becomes powerful in the hands of a church that integrates it into ministry and uses it as an outreach tool. That’s where things change and impact happens.
Shannon Steeves: What I’ve learned is that people often overcomplicate what it means to care. We think we need extra time, a degree, or all the right answers. But often what people want most is simply for someone to listen. I think back to our episode with Pastor Steve Griffin from Calgary, where he said the same thing from his work with people experiencing homelessness. More often than not, people just want someone to listen to them beyond the stuff itself.
Shannon Steeves: Slowing down matters. And the beauty of a tool like this is that churches don’t have to go find the needs themselves. We’re already partnered with trusted agencies and organizations on the ground. They know where the needs are. This is an invitation for churches to show up not as experts or child welfare professionals, but as friends and neighbours.
Shannon Steeves: You’re not supposed to be a saviour who has all the answers. We equip people with some tools, sure, but what you really get to be is somebody who cares. You get to help your church lean into a posture of caring for those right outside your door. It means being willing to step out of your comfort zone, to notice, to listen, and to show up for others in the same way you would want someone to show up for you in your own loneliness or isolation.
Closing Encouragement
Shannon Steeves: As you go about your day and things don’t go the way you expect, or someone doesn’t respond the way you thought they would, ask yourself a simple question, what might be going on in their world? More often than not, there’s always more to the story.
Johan Heinrichs: Let’s go get the stories that transform us and keep us compassionate. What do you think is holding people back from jumping into this kind of care?
Shannon Steeves: I think a lot of it is fear. People don’t always name it directly, but it’s there. Sometimes it’s insecurity, feeling unequipped, not knowing what a family is walking through, or worrying about stepping into something unknown. We place limits on ourselves, and sometimes on God too.
Shannon Steeves: We act as though we’re going out into the world on our own, but we’re not. God sent an Advocate and a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to walk with us. When we change our posture to one of, “Wow, I get to engage with a family in my community, and I’m not doing it alone. I’m helping them feel not alone,” that changes everything.
Shannon Steeves: My encouragement to listeners would be this, when that resistance comes up, challenge yourself to press in instead of pulling back. Stay. Engage. That’s where real change can happen.
Johan Heinrichs: And stretching ourselves beyond fear is a great way to grow.
Shannon Steeves: That’s right.
Johan Heinrichs: Thanks so much, Shannon.
Shannon Steeves: Thanks, Johan.
Outro
Johan Heinrichs: The stories we share here remind us that care does not have to be perfect to be powerful. It just has to be present. Neighbourly is an initiative of CareImpact, a Canadian charity equipping churches, agencies, and communities with technology and training to care better together. This episode was produced by Care Creatives Co., a social enterprise of CareImpact.
Johan Heinrichs: If you’re building a podcast and want help with strategy, editing, or full production, visit CareCreativesCo.ca to connect with us. I’m Johan. Thanks for listening, and keep being the kind of neighbour someone will never forget, in a good way.
Johan Heinrichs: When I see you in a stranger, I’m no longer a slave turning over.
