3月初的多伦多，春寒料峭，多伦多社区与文化中心国际留学生服务中心为了让留学生们深入了解加拿大的文化、尽快融入加拿大，中心带领留学生们来到知名的无家可归庇护所做义工。
首先Sister Joan为留学生们介绍了此间庇护所从50多年前，在大街上向所需求的人们发放热茶、咖啡、面包，然后开始逐步提供更多的服务给有需求的人士，发展到如今不仅提供食物、衣物、庇护等服务，还帮助有需求的人士克服毒品上瘾、酒精上瘾，并获得卫生保健；以及帮助无家可归者找到住房、找到工作，让无家可归者的生活回归正常。
第一次来到仅在电影中看到的庇护所做义工，同学们非常期待。此次任务是整理庇护所91间床位，为晚上来此过夜的无家可归者们提供干净、整洁、温暖的床位。同学们学得很快，一会儿两人搭伴就把床做的又快又好，同学们一边整理床位，一边结合自己在大学里所学的专业知识互相沟通、交流，将书本知识融入到实践中，受益匪浅，收获极大。
以下是同学们的义工体会：
“Brimmed with excitement and wish to delve deeper into Canadian Society, I went to participate in the voluntary work with Good Shepherd Ministries this morning. This is the first time I’ve ever been exposed to such charitable organization in my entire life except for the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness” Where the broke Will Smith tries to sleep overnight in such a shelter with his son. Through a detailed introduction to the entire organization, I learned that in its more than 50 years of dedication to the community, Good Shepherded Ministries provides diverse services to the disadvantaged people including offering food and shelters to drugs and alcohol to get medical assistance, housing homeless ones and relocating veterans to the society. It’s nice to hear that people who once received help here are trying to give back to the organization when they stepped back into their normal life. This is how a healthy and caring society works, isn’t it? It is the existence of places like Good Shepherd Ministries that offers citizens a safety net with which we know someone is always there for help in case we fall. It’s a rewarding and impressive experience for me and I’m looking forward to providing more help as a volunteer. – Jingyi Sun.
“Thanks for offering such a great opportunity for us. We have had a wonderful time making beds for people who need a place to stay at night. We hope they would enjoy the beds we made. Also, the lunch is surprisingly good. It looks like a buffet! Thank you and looking forward to seeing you next time Good Shepherd!” – Jiawei You
“I have volunteered in Refugee Development Center for more than two years in the United States. I am always thinking to start volunteering again. Today’s experience provided me a great place to help others in Toronto. Since my major is Adult Education and Community Development, this place is meaningful and valuable for me. I could incorporate what I learned in class into praxis. I will invite many of my friends to do volunteer with me. “ – Shujie Chen
