Don’t forget where you came from

Keith Reinhart
2011 Youth Campaign Chair

“Don’t forget where you came from.” - Justin Bieber

You’ve heard it before, “there’s no place like home,” and Justin Bieber’s home is no exception. Our own local Canadian celebrity recently donated a whopping $10,000 to the Stratford Food Bank. Now, Stratford may not be the city we live in, but I feel it is the perfect topic for this week’s blog. Even a multi-million dollar pop star like Justin comes back to his hometown roots because he knows from personal experience what it’s like to depend on community support.

It’s natural for some to have a cynical reaction to this latest donation. I mean, Justin has performed with some of the biggest musicians around such as Usher and Rihanna. He has also sold millions of albums and has a net worth of $85 million. But it was only a few years ago that this young star and his family relied on help from the Stratford community. In Justin’s movie biopic, Never Say Never, he vividly recalls going to the food bank with his mom. Despite those earlier struggles, however, Justin made it to where he is now.

Even if you haven’t performed in front of millions of screaming fans or been photographed with your celebrity girlfriend, you have something in common with Justin.

We all want the best for our families, friends and community. A lot of times we see people in need and wish we could do more to help. It is important to remember however that helping doesn’t take a lot. Food bank demands have greatly increased, with more people needing food and less food to give out. Every little bit counts. $5 may not mean much to you, but it can mean the world to someone else. Whether it’s five boxes of macaroni and cheese or a frozen pizza, that five dollars just made a difference. That five dollars just helped feed a family.

I wish I could say I’ve performed alongside some of the best artists like Justin has, but I guess he and I will just have to be alike in another way. I’ve made the step to help my home community, and now you have the opportunity to do the same. Be change, make change, and see change with one simple action - text UCHANGE to 45678 to donate $5 to United Way KW. If you want to do even more to help your community, you’ll find some great ideas online at http://www.uwaykw.org/.