Bob

Via Flickr:
Walking down Yonge Street while attending a photo workshop, I met Bob on a corner asking for change. I told him about the $2 Portrait project. Bob is 45 years old and is a baker by trade. He injured his back and can no longer lift the heavy bags of flour. He's hoping to heal his back so he can return to work because in the meantime he has to be on the street.

The word "shelter" seems foreign to Canadians; Bob told me he lives in "housing" where he gets $200/month and has to earn the rest of his living expenses. Despite his plight, he described the volunteer work he does at a neighborhood church where he weekly bakes bread for the indigent population. Pointing to a Panera Bread, Bob said that his bread sells for $1.25/loaf and is better than the bread at Panera that sells for $10.

I tossed several dollars Canadian into Bob's cup and wished him luck.

Taken 6/15/13