'YOU CAN'T IGNORE THEM'

A tough time of year becomes a fine time for Wanda Rawson to help
those homeless & addicted

Some years Christmas is too much to handle for Wanda Rawson.

In 2006, her 22-year-old son died in a furnace explosion in October,
and the thought of celebrating the holidays left her cold.

"I couldn't do Christmas," she said.

Instead, Rawson opened the doors of the Hide-a-Way, her caf? in
Vedder, to the homeless for a turkey dinner on Christmas day.

This year, with no family around, she'll be working to feed the
homeless again on Christmas day at her second caf?, the Corner Nook
on Young Road.

"This year I could care less about Christmas, so why not do something
for everybody else?" she said. "It takes your mind off it, and it
helps people out."

Chilliwack's homeless have a special place in Rawson's heart--not
that long ago, her son was one of them.

His addiction had strained their relationship to the breaking point,
and she had turned him out of the house.

"When you're on drugs and doing drugs, that's all that's important,"
she said. "He knew that he could come back anytime, but he had to smarten up."

Although he was banned from the house, Rawson fed him whenever he
showed up at the Hide-a-Way.

"As a mother, you never want to see your kids go hungry," she said.

Rawson eventually got to know other homeless people in the area, and
on cold mornings she invited them in for a cup of coffee before her
first customers arrived. At the end of the day, they were welcome to
leftover soup.

Before he died, Rawson's son was off the street and holding down two
jobs in Dawson Creek.

After his death though, Rawson was drawn again to the people still
battling addictions on Chilliwack's streets and came up with the idea
of the Christmas dinner.

"I wished I knew what the answer was," she said about the problems of
addictions and homelessness. "You don't turn your back on them. You
can't ignore them. They are there, and it's not right that anybody
should starve."

This year, instead of giving away a free meal, Rawson is hosting a
$12 turkey dinner on Christmas day and donating the proceeds to the
Salvation Army Food Bank.

- - The dinner runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 9020 Young Rd. For more
information, call 604-792-6898.