Washago resident Dorothy Henson recently returned from serving with Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian disaster relief and development non-profit organization, helping homeless shelters in Thunder Bay deal with a COVID-19 crisis.
On Feb. 10, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit declared an outbreak of COVID-19 among the homeless community. On Feb. 27, Henson was deployed to Thunder Bay where she worked 12-hour shifts at a Thunder Bay hotel, distributing meals and food to people in isolation.
“A lot of the homeless got COVID, so they were set up in hotels for isolation,” Henson explained.
“Some of the staff from St. Joe’s Care Group and the homeless shelters got COVID, too, so the staff had a breakdown."
The Ontario government put out an email blast looking for nurses to go to Thunder Bay. Henson, who spent 10 years in Fergus as an operating room nurse, volunteered.
“It’s just what I do, I like to help, it’s just in me,” she said.
“I have no fear of sleeping on the ground or doing whatever is needed. I’m hardwired to do it. I know it’s not for everybody, but for me, it’s easy to do," she told OrilliaMatters.
Supporting the homeless was an eye-opener for Henson, who said she learned that some people are homeless by choice.
“The homeless are a real different breed, I got to know some of them, and they are just really cool people,” she said.
During her three-and-a-half-week journey, Henson also supported care group and homeless shelter staff.
“We were looking after their needs, taking food to their door, bringing them PPE, and just helping out until they got staffing up again,” she said.
“It’s something I’ll remember forever; I was glad to help.”
Henson’s trip to Thunder Bay was her tenth deployment with Samaritan’s Purse.
The 65-year-old has traveled all over the world to aid people who have experienced hurricanes, virus outbreaks, and even earthquakes. Although she has spent a lot of time helping people away from home, Henson would like the opportunity to serve her local community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Trust me, I’ve tried to help out locally, I put myself out there on the matching portal, but nobody has answered me,” she explained.
“I would definitely like to do vaccines locally; I’ve run flu clinics for years.”
If any local health care services are in need of assistance or staffing, Henson can be reached by email at [email protected].