Making mental health accessible for all
About Us
Because I learned to love talking to people who are unhoused, I’ve met some of the nicest, kindest people. They would give you anything they have if you need it. The stories they tell give me goosebumps. I don’t think these people understand the kind of impact they have had on me.
Back in 2020, during the height of COVID, I was bored out of my mind and lying in bed at 1 a.m. trying to think of something I could do. I am going to be a social worker, so it just made sense to do something to help people who the system has failed. To give them an inkling of hope.
I decided to blend my passion for people, mental health and the environment.
I grew up with a father figure who normalized what it was like to be truly human. He had this amazing gift where he could just talk to anyone.
I remember being at McDonald's when I was five years old and him asking a guy if he wanted to eat. He bought him some food, and we sat outside and chatted with this dude for an hour while he ate.
I was mesmerized.
I started A Tin A Day by collecting cookie and coffee tins that would have ended up in the landfill and filling them with self-care items instead – hand warmers, sunscreen, toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant, along with a list of help lines and resources.
A Tin A Day is my whole heart. Every time I give tins away, it gives me a push and I want to keep going – applying for more grants and getting more people to know about the issues that people face. We are all living on the same planet. Why are we competing? Why are we dehumanizing others? There is enough here for all of us.”
"I have a lot of people saying, 'Wow, no one has cared about me like this before.'"