Originally from Cape Breton, Winnipegger Les Gillis is headed across Canada with his guitar and a message of hope for people experiencing homelessness.
"My journey is going to start going east from Winnipeg, going all the way to Newfoundland," says Gillis. "Back, and then eventually continue on to the West Coast."
Gillis picked up the guitar when he was 17 years old and then spent years busking around the U.S.A., including in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, and Chicago, to name a few.
"My journey [for this] started about 10 years ago. I wanted to sing for the homeless, sick, and elderly to give back a bit. It's been non-stop since then. I've been volunteering for many years, going to the shelters and missions, and bringing some light to their lunch."
Gillis says the fact that Canada has 200,000 people who are struggling with experiencing homelessness is something that inspired him to do this. He also shared that 35,000 people in Canada need to find somewhere to sleep tonight; however, there are roughly 20,000 beds.
"The reasons range. Some of its drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or poverty. When I go into these shelters, they don't know me. But by the time I leave, they definitely know me. Instead of questioning or judging them, all I'm trying to do is bring some peace."
Gillis is planning on leaving Winnipeg on July 15. He has already reached out to many different shelters and missions in different cities, and most places have been incredibly receptive to having him sing to their guests while passing through.
"My idea is to document interviews with the staff and volunteers. I want to know why they're doing what they're doing and what they feel about the situation."
To help with accommodations during Gillis's 'Help Shine a Light on Homelessness Across Canada' tour, he's hoping to raise roughly $4,000 through either his GoFundMe page or through people connecting with him directly through email at shelterus@yahoo.com.
"Thousands and thousands are hungry, not even including the people that go to the shelters. It's unbelievable the crisis that's going on and we're such a rich country. We have to find some sort of solution to this. It can happen to anybody."