Destiny’s Backpacks looking for donations

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This article was published 13/10/2023 (569 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For five years, Shelly Taillieu has been keeping the memory of her daughter, Destiny, alive by providing homeless people in Winnipeg with backpacks filled with everyday necessities.

“How Destiny’s Backpacks came about is because her birthday is on Nov. 10 and her death is Nov. 4. The year after I kept thinking what am I going to do? She died that initial year, what am I going to do to make those days just (get better)?

Shelly said her sister and one of her friends joined her, knowing that Destiny was an advocate for reducing homelessness.

“She used to go and give things to homeless people even though she didn’t have any money,” she said. “She’d borrow money off of me she’d give it to homeless people I found out later. She’d give away clothes…that’s just the type of person she was. Very, very caring.”

Destiny’s Backpacks from Heaven contain granola bars, toothpaste, a toothbrush, feminine hygiene products, a coffee mug, socks, a facecloth, mitts, scarves, toques, and other goods. Taillieu is also collecting sleeping bags, winter coats and jackets, comforters, and tents. Each backpack costs about $140 to fill. Last year, Taillieu handed out 87 backpacks and this year she hopes to hand out a least 28, which is how old her daughter would be if she were still alive. Any extra supplies are given to women’s shelters, detox centres, or the Salvation Army.

“Usually, the donations start coming in right now. I don’t have a whole bunch of supplies now…but I’m still waiting for a lot of stuff on the list. That should be coming in now,” said Shelly.

Destiny died Nov. 4, 2018, from an overdose.

“She was a very happy kid. She was an only child. Very happy child until Grade 8. She was into a lot of sports, figure skating, softball, volleyball, synchronized swimming, and other sports. She finished high school when she was 16 and completed her bachelor of arts at age 20. Her major was criminology,” said Shelly.

Destiny suffered from multiple traumas beginning when she was molested at the age of four, the death of her grandma in Grade 8 and her father abandoning the family during that time as well. In Grade 9 she was raped at a party after becoming drunk.

“I guess she had some traumas in her life…The first time she drank she was raped. So she didn’t drink again until she was 18 (when she became an alcoholic),” Shelly said. “She was never ashamed that addictions is in our family. She was a very beautiful, smart, and caring person.”

Shelly shared that Destiny would stand up for people and be very giving sometimes giving her last suboxone pill to someone else so they wouldn’t have withdrawal symptoms.

At 18, Destiny put herself into rehab where she overcame her addiction to alcohol. She was sober for a year-and-a-half, but it was while she was running an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that she met her boyfriend who was addicted to heroin. The relationship was toxic and led her to becoming a drug addict for a year before she died.

“It can happen to anyone because she was totally on the path of (success). At 16 years old and 20 years old she already has her degree. You had a $10,000 car, $10,000 in your bank account, you’re going to continue on in your education to meeting a guy and a year-and-a-half later you’re pretty much gone.”

Another initiative Shelly has been running to remember her daughter is a scholarship fund for students at St. Norbert Collegiate. The Destiny Taillieu Memorial Scholarship is $500 and is given to a student who possesses leadership, determination, compassion, and advocacy in their high school career in the areas of mental health, substance use, or other types of adversity. To date, the scholarship has given away $2,500.

“My daughter was really into education ‘cause she loved school. She would have stayed in school for life, I guarantee it. One of those professional students. She liked learning. She was going to go on and get her PhD in something,” said Shelly. “St. Norbert Collegiate did a lot for her during her high school years after my mom died and after she got raped. They helped her even after she graduated.”

Those who would like to give a donation to the scholarship can get a tax receipt if they make the donation to the Seine River School Division office.

To give to Destiny’s Backpacks from Heaven or to make a monetary donation email Shelly at shellyt@live.ca.