On one of the coldest days this winter, Lindsay Foreman was driving through downtown Burlington and saw two people wearing tattered clothing and shivering on a street corner. Foreman’s 6-year-old daughter, Juno, piped up from the back seat.
“Why are they standing so still?” she asked.
The people were cold, Foreman told her, and likely lived outside.
Without hesitation, Juno said: “We need to help them.”
And help she did. In a matter of days, Juno raised nearly $1,700 using a GoFundMe campaign that her family called “Help Juno help Burlington Stay Warm This Winter.” They bought hats, coats, backpacks and — Juno’s personal favorite item — balaclavas.
“I just decided to collect warm stuff so they keep warm,” Juno told Seven Days during a recent Zoom interview, her excitement palpable as she bounced around her bedroom.
Juno’s mom, Kat Hennis, donated the goods to COTS and Street CATS Burlington, a mutual aid group that helps clothe, feed and advocate for homeless people. Street CATS founder André Clark, who was once homeless himself, said Juno’s donation was a huge help.
Juno’s haul also included tents and self-care items such as tampons, hand sanitizer and Advil — basic items to help people survive outside, Clark said.
“If a 6-year-old can recognize the challenges we’re facing and instead of meeting them with judgment, meeting them with support and care and compassion, everyone could learn from that,” he said. “I wish more people could see the world like she does.”
Her supply drive may have ended, but Juno isn’t through with Street CATS. She’s talked about crafting greeting cards for homeless folks and learning how to make hats — once she’s tall enough to reach the sewing machine pedals, that is. Her dedication prompted Clark to declare her the “No. 1 Street Cat,” a title she bears proudly.
Hennis said she’s still in awe of her daughter’s efforts.
“We can all learn from kids about what matters,” she said. “I just feel honored to be her mom.”
The original print version of this article was headlined “‘We Need to Help them'”
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2025.
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