Kindness is a small but powerful gesture that speaks louder than words – and in a nook tucked away in Wing B, a cupboard is shouting at the top of its figurative lungs.
As a staff-led initiative in the Medicine Program, the Kindness Cupboard is filled with everything from care items and clothes to canned soup and healthy snacks – offered freely to anyone in need. The idea began when two nurses helped a patient who had lost their clothes during treatment. Refusing to let the patient leave without dignity, they tracked down clothing and ensured a compassionate discharge. Their determination became the seed for something bigger.
We know that when someone experiencing homelessness arrives for urgent care, their clothing may be damaged or removed during treatment. To help ensure no one leaves without essentials, clothing and supplies are kept on hand in various departments.
The spirit of care isn't unique to the Medicine Program. Staff in the Emergency Department and Inpatient Mental Health also maintain clothing cupboards, often supported by staff donations – including food items from the local Food Bank.
The Kindness Cupboard builds on this with added supplies for patients staying longer in the Medicine Program—items that go beyond clothing, and meet other basic needs.
Since its inception in January 2025, its become a place of comfort for many. “It's there for those who need something they may not have the means to get themselves – the Kindness Cupboard fulfills that need,” says Andrea Brissette, Director of the Medicine Program.
With no questions asked, it has become a meaningful example of the compassion and generosity that thrives within the Medicine Program. Their hope? That it inspires others to pay kindness forward.
Stocked entirely through donations from staff and community members, it warms the hearts of those who receive from it—and those who give.
It's a shining example of our values, Collaboration and Care, where staff have come together to support others through small gestures that have lasting impact.
For now, the Kindness Cupboard serves patients and staff in the Medicine Program – but big plans are underway. The team hopes to expand it to hospital-wide with more offerings.
In a world where you can be anything, let's be kind – together.