‘You have to do something’: 80-year-old busker plays ukulele to raise money and make meals for the homeless

Adam meets a senior who sings silly songs on the street to make money—but not for himself.

VANCOUVER, B.C. — As he prepares to perform in the public square, Edwin Padilla previews the lyrics for a silly song about Canadian cliches.

“Each year we get taxed a bunch,” Edwin reads, before laughing. “But everybody gets free health care and a goose!”

While the 80-year-old smiles now, back when he first played here at the age of 73, he was scared.

“That was really nerve-wracking,” Edwin says while pulling cables out of a bag and setting up his speaker.

After retiring from a career in psychiatric nursing, Edwin had never performed publicly before.

“I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it,” Edwin says.

But he knew he had to, after an unexpected turn in his life following that day at the casino.

“Casino staff told me, ‘You won the jackpot!” Edwin recalls with a laugh. “140,000 Canadian dollars!”

But Edwin’s luck soon ran out. While attempting to win big again, he developed a debilitating gambling addiction. He eventually found professional help, and decades later, he’s turned his life around.

“Now I’m good,” Edwin smiles.

Edwin says he’s also grateful for the “gift” of empathy he gained for people suffering from any addiction.

“I know what they’re going through,” Edwin says.

Which is why, despite not playing ukulele since he was a boy, Edwin began busking to fundraise for the homeless.

“Don’t just say you love your neighbour,” Edwin says. “You have to do something about it.”

Edwin uses the money he makes from performing with his ukulele and collecting cans to buy food. Then he cooks meals at home, before delivering them to people on the street.

If you ask Edwin how many meals he’s made, he’ll just laugh and say, “a lot”, before estimating that he’s served thousands of weekly meals over the past five years.

Now he’s expanded his fundraising to support hundreds of people living in poverty back where he grew up in the Philippines.

“Oh Canada,” Edwin begins his setlist with the national anthem to express his gratitude for his home of 50 years.

Then he’ll play that silly song about Canada to inspire some smiles: “Everybody has a pet polar bear and a moose up here.”

About twenty tunes later, Edwin will wrap up his performances with songs to inspire peace.

“So that all the wars in the world will stop,” Edwin explains before singing John Lennon’s Imagine.

In the meantime, the 80-year-old has no plans to stop busking and hopes that one day you’ll join him, not just in imagining a better world, but doing something about it.

“And the world will live as one,” Edwin sings.