'We don’t need this money': Best friends fundraise to help the homeless in New Brunswick

When boredom strikes, many young kids grab their phones or turn the TV on.

But nine-year-olds Emma Doiron and Faith Gibson decided to raise money by selling their art at a lemonade stand in June.

The duo raised $200 and they gave it all to Harvest House Atlantic, a non-profit organization offering support to the homeless and those living with substance use and mental health issues.

“We thought, we don’t need this money, we need to give it to the people that need it more than us,” said Faith.

Not only did they raise some money, they also created inspirational pieces of art with phrases like, “You can do anything,” “Stand tall and dream big” and “You are a star.”

Emma Doiron and Faith Gibson made art pieces to raise money for people experiencing homelessness. (Source: Derek Haggett/CTV News Atlantic)

Those pieces of art have since been framed and now sit on night tables in community housing units in downtown Moncton.

As part of the Harvest House Atlantic Community-Based Housing program, 20 men and eight women will transition from homeless shelters into low-barrier housing next week.

When they arrive, they’ll see the messages of inspiration created by the two kids.

“We both just thought that we could draw, make things like that saying, ‘You are kind,’ or ‘You are a star,’” said Emma.

Faith’s mother Charlene said it all started after a sleepover when the girls got a little bored.

They decided to make some pictures and sold them at a lemonade stand at the bottom of the driveway.

Emma Doiron and Faith Gibson made art pieces to raise money for people experiencing homelessness. (Source: Derek Haggett/CTV News Atlantic)

The girls put up a sign saying all donations go to Harvest House.

Charlene posted a photo and a video on Facebook and within hours people were sending messages of how inspiring Faith and Emma’s act was.

“I thought it was a really special way for the girls to see the value of giving what they had to give back to something that they cared about,” said Charlene.

They may be young, but both are old enough to know there is a serious homelessness issue in their city.

Emma said she feels sad when he see people living on the streets.

“That’s why we wanted to donate,” said Emma. “We like helping them and donating money to the people who need it more than us.”

Charlene said both girls definitely have a grasp of the homeless situation in Moncton.

“They always have questions, ‘Mom, why is it fair or how is it fair?’ And to give them an opportunity to see the need and to understand that there are people behind those faces has been really important to us as a family and as friends to remind those girls that these are people with needs and I love that they use their heart to care,” said Charlene.

Marc Belliveau, Harvest House senior director of communications, government relations and strategic partnerships, said it’s encouraging to see the younger generation get involved.

“They do these lemonade stands, they sell pictures, they raise money for Harvest House, but then they’re doing encouraging messages for people who really have not had encouragement in quite some time,” said Belliveau.

Their parents and everyone at Harvest House are proud of what the girls accomplished, and they can’t help but feel a little sense of pride as well.

“I feel really happy that we did this because we don’t really need that money. We don’t really need it so I think we should just give it to the Harvest House and we did,” said Faith.

The girls are planning another fundraiser for Harvest House in the near future, but this time they say they’ll sell some sweet treats.

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