Giving Fence in Steinbach sees rising use, community support

When Lillis Penner began the Giving Fence, she wanted to address the poverty seen in her neighbourhood.

Now after one and a half years, the free take-what-you-need resource outside her Steinbach home on First Street has “exploded” in both community support and usage.

“They can take what they want without feeling ashamed or embarrassed. Some people just don’t want (others) to know that they need it,” she told The Carillon.

Penner stocks the small black fence every day because all of the items attached are all gone by the evening. Since launching in April 2024, she’s shifted from only supplying non-perishable foods to keeping shampoo, socks, toques, hand warmers and sewing kits stocked on the fence.

Penner said local businesses and churches have held food and clothing drives to support the fence and keep it filled. Others have donated money so she can buy the supplies most needed.

“We’ve had to rearrange our mud room and our shelving to accommodate all the stuff that we have because we have a tiny little house and we have just an explosion of stuff,” she said.

Penner added a mailbox so people can anonymously give her feedback on what supplies are in most demand and how it’s helping them. That process helped her curate the Giving Fence so it can meet the community’s needs, she said. She was surprised to learn the fence was having a life-saving impact on people.

“We actually had one gentleman come up to my husband last year after winter saying thank you and because of our hot packs and the Giving Fence, he didn’t lose any of his fingers and his toes,” she said.

Penner started the fence project after she noticed homeless people walking past her home while she did chores outside. As she talked and got to know them, she wanted to do something to help. After chatting with staff from Steinbach Community Outreach, she decided to launch the Giving Fence.

While running the Giving Fence and speaking with the unhoused community, Penner said Steinbach needs an emergency shelter if it wants to address homelessness. Many people have no place to go and have to resort to sleeping in business foyers or spend the nights walking outside, she said.

“I really truly believe that the first step is just to get them off the street and somewhere warm and safe,” she said.

Penner doesn’t expect to stop running the Giving Fence anytime soon.

“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need the Giving Fence,” she said. “In a semi-perfect world, more people would have one. It would just be something that would maybe be on every street, like the mini libraries.”

Since she is receiving many donations, Penner is content with the size it’s become so it can remain focused on the local level. She hopes her initiative will inspire others to show compassion and empathy for those in need around them.

“These kids that are using the fence see this, and they’re gonna grow up and say, ‘somebody helped me, I can help someone else,’” Penner said. “If we could all do that, then maybe nobody is left wanting.”