Kitchener man runs entire perimeter of city to help people without homes

A Kitchener man is taking his message of hopes to the streets. CTV's Hannah Schmidt reports.

A Kitchener man has run around the city to raise money for homelessness, hunger and mental health supports.

Jovica Savic, known online as yatziruns, set out to complete the 51.9 kilometer run in less than eight hours on Saturday. He set a goal of raising $25,000 for frontline organizations, including Ray of Hope in Kitchener.

“It just brings such warmth to my heart,” said Savic. “I saw a mother and a child on a corner, and the child was not much older than my own kids. I’ll choke up every time talking about that. But that’s really what prompted the whole thing.”

Savic came to western Canada in the 1990s as a refugee from former Yugoslavia after the Yugoslav Wars. After living in Vancouver during his early childhood, his family packed up their vehicle and drove across the country to Mississauga. It wasn’t long after when he settled down in Kitchener, where he’s been living with his family for close to 22 years.

“Kitchener has become the real, true home now,” he said.

Savic gained attention online after a viral social media post titled thoughts of a refugee, which drew millions of views and thousands of messages.

“I was out on a Saturday morning long run. I was extremely tired. I think I was about 15 kilometres in and emotional and tired,” he explained. “I ran past the [Canadian] flag on the overpass, and something just hit me. [The video] was all in one take. Just pretty much thanking Canada for what it’s done for me and my family.”

Among those inspired was Toronto runner Kim Kabin, who connected with Savic online and now considers him a good friend.

“I wanted to surprise him,” said Kabin. “You truly never know when that could be you in this situation, and it could be one paycheque away. It’s a hard world and what he’s doing is unbelievable.”

As of Sunday afternoon, $7,800 has been raised for Ray of Hope. CEO Tonya Verburg said donations like this come at a critical time.

“A year ago, we were maybe topping out around 200 for suppers, for example,” said Verburg. ‘“And now, we’re topping out around 300. But the biggest difference is, it’s not just people experiencing homelessness, it’s the people that are precariously housed. We are seeing more families, which is concerning, especially in our Marketplace Food Bank Program.”

Ray of Hope partners with the Waterloo Region Food Bank, but also takes donations up front.

With winter fast approaching, the organization is asking for items like socks, hats, mittens, men’s coats, canned foods and monetary donations.

Savic said his 51.9 kilometre route is symbolic, not just highlighting the area code, but a way to “wrap the city in care” and remind people that no one should be left on the outside.

“It’s just people taking care of people that are around us and surrounding us because without community, we’re nothing really.”