Helping Hands Street Mission came from a heart that has experienced what it is like to have no hope, to be given up on, and to be in an emotional bottomless pit. Helen Norris, a single mom, made a promise to her daughter Fiona while waiting in line at a Salvation Army, that one day they would give back. They would give away free clothes to the homeless.

Helen was able to get back on her feet and in November 1993 she met and later married a wonderful man, Tom. To the world she now looked like she had it all. However in August of 2003 after a Joyce Myers conference, when Helen was at her lowest she met Jesus for the first time and her life changed in an instant. Her new found faith inspired her to show love to those in need in a very practical way.

The next weekend after raiding her linen closet and Tom’s drawers, Helen and a friend followed the Salvation Army soup truck around downtown Hamilton handing out the blankets and clothes. At that moment Helping Hands Street Mission was born!

This soon became a weekly event, with volunteers and donations coming in floods. The generosity both overwhelmed and encouraged Tom and Helen into signing a lease on a 1200 square foot store front on Barton St. in Hamilton, an area where they could make a maximum impact. It was a huge leap of faith followed by even larger reward. Donations of money, materials and labour kept coming.

Since then Tom, Helen and the volunteers have handed out clothes and spent time with their friends in the Barton community and have ministered to a section of society that has been forgotten. A section of sex trade workers, persons with addictions and those socially shunned. However if you ask Helen she will tell you that there is still so much more that can be done and the plans she has to make it all happen. You just need to have faith!