Michael Gaudette says food bank helped him survive

When Michael Gaudette made the move from British Columbia to Saskatchewan, he thought his newfound employment as a journeyman electrician would be permanent.

Less than three months later, work dried up. Gaudette sought out other jobsbut nothing reputable was available, only "fly-by-night" jobs with no guarantee of pay, he said. Then, he found himself on the streets of Saskatoonwith no job.

"It's hard to go from making $40 an hour to where you're coming up and making nothing," Gaudette said. "And you're basically trying to keep your head above water, just trying to survive."

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Gaudette also has health problems which limit his capacity to work a full, strenuous 40-hour work week, he said. A spinal cord injury, heart disease and diabetes are just some of the things Gaudette has to worry about.

"A lot of people figure that people choose to be this way, to be in this situation."

Gaudettesaid he put off going to the food bank for roughly six months. He ate meals at places like the Friendship Inn.

When he finally had a place to stay, he made the trip to the food bank. Rather than walking somewhere else to eat, he was able to cook at home.

"It just goes to show, you can put everything, yourself, out there, you can get all the education, you can do everything and just one little event can change your life," he said. "And you find yourself in a place you never thought you'd be."

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Volunteer work

Gaudette has spent a few days a week volunteering at Saskatoon's food bank and the Salvation Army ringing bells.

He said he also has tickets and training in maintenance and building management, which he tries to get the word out and promote.

"I'm trying to set myself up to succeed, not fail."

Volunteering is one of the ways Gaudette gets out of the house. It gets him interacting with people, allows him to give back to the communityand puts him in a more positive mindset, he said.

"So much of the life that when you're in that situation, it's a negative existence because everything around you is depressing," he said.

Gaudette said volunteer work gives him the feeling of progress, moving forward and learning something new.

"In everybody's life, the day you stop learning is the day you die."

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