A food bank that serves the Northeast Avalon is getting a helping hand from a B.C. man who quit his job, sold his house and bought a school bus.
"I quit my job and sold my house and invested my life savings into the bus … to raise money for different charity projects," says Ryan Lancaster.
I was stuck in a rut and wanted to do something more purposeful with my life.- Ryan Lancaster
He is the driving force behind the Million Dollar Bus, which travels across the country, with the goal of raising $1 million for community non-profit organizations by selling off small spaces on the exterior of the bus, where people can put their personal photos or business logos.
Bridges to Hope, located in St. John's, is one of the groups that Lancaster is helping to raise some money for — specifically $5,000 for its Smart Snack program.
"We see about 200 to 250 school-aged children at the food aid centre, but we didn't really have the funding or capacity to give them what I call healthy snacks," said Jody Williams, manager of Bridges to Hope.
He said donations are always welcome and appreciated, but many of the snacks are high in sugars.
"I wanted to basically level the playing field, I guess, so that when you're in school and the kids are kind of eating together, there is no disparity [between] who is marginalized and who is well off," he said.
Williams said the program will also have some information for parents on healthy eating, too.
One man's 'rut' sparks some good
"I was stuck in a rut and wanted to do something more purposeful with my life," is how Lancaster explained how the Million Dollar Bus came to be, albeit after a three-month overhaul.
"We have a couch in here, a furnace, AC, a stove, an oven, beds in the back, some storage … and myself [and our photographer] live full-time in the bus," Lancaster said.
The Million Dollar Bus is in town to help raise money for <a href="https://twitter.com/bridgestohope?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bridgestohope</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/KrissyHolmes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KrissyHolmes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/sjmorningshow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sjmorningshow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CBCNL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBCNL</a> <a href="https://t.co/BGr9RcLb47">pic.twitter.com/BGr9RcLb47</a>
—@Fred_HuttonMore remarkable is how Lancaster even got the bus in the first place.
"In five trades in six weeks, I actually managed to hustle from a button to a tea set to a Nikon SLR camera to an electric scooter, a Sea-Doo — and then a bus," he told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show.
'The most fulfilling way to live'
Williams jokes that Lancaster's initial restlessness, and then hustle, worked out for him and Bridges for Hope, noting the savvy marketing campaign Lancaster and others have created, in addition to generating buzz with the bus.
"Ryan kinda came knocking on my door (laughing), so I got very lucky," he said.
"Its been amazing … and most of all, they're just fun to work with."
Lancaster said it's his pleasure to try to make a difference.
"This is the most fulfilling way to live," he said.
The Million Dollar Bus campaign for Bridges to Hope runs until June 8, and then leaves for Port aux Basques and Halifax.