THUNDER BAY -- All anyone has to do to help the country's homeless is love Jason McComb says.
The 38-year-old Saint Thomas man is on a cross-country walk called Homeless Happens Helping Hands to raise awareness for homeless people in Canada, trying to remove the stigmas and stereotypes attached to poverty.
"You're victimizing a victim of the system," McComb said in Thunder Bay Tuesday.
"We're all worthy of a place in society. We all matter. Everybody matters no matter what your situation is."
McComb's journey started in St. John's in April of 2014 before a broken foot, which happened three times, sidelined him. He started again in June of this year, logging 2,600 kilometres so far on a trip where all he's asking is that people take care of each other.
"I don't want money I want proper treatment for these people," he said.
That can come in many forms, from donating food to taking the time to give someone the help they're asking for. Too many people have their heart painted black these days.
"I want to be the brush that puts a little bit of red back on it," he said.
Homeless people are people too McComb said. That can be easily forgotten.
"These people didn't say in grade one at show and tell that they wanted to grow up to be outcasts," he said.
"I don't know how it came to be that we had to learn to tolerate someone because of their housing status."
Tattooed and walking with a stroller filled with his belongings, McComb has been beaten, threatened and harassed on his tour so far. But then someone will pay for a breakfast or give him a gift card. Each act of kindness wipes out anything bad that's happened so far McComb said.
"People have been aggressive but people have been wonderful," he said.
McComb has also been inspired by Terry Fox, which has made Thunder Bay a special stop on his walk. He's looking to finish the journey to Victoria that Fox didn't get to.
"I get by on the hope that he left me," he said.
McComb's journey can be followed on his Facebook page.
