In October of this year we started to add a clothing give away to our outdoor worship services. Since Covid has shut down so many resources for those who live unsheltered lives, we knew that there was a great need for this. We sent out a few emails, asked a few friends and within weeks my church office was filled with blankets, hoodies and socks. In addition, that month at worship we had a table filled with handmade blankets donated by the Federated Church. The next month brought donations of gloves and hats and mittens; brand new items from churches, the Islamic Society, individuals who hand knit hats and scarves, and people in the community who offered handwarmers and other warm items. Just yesterday we had another worship service. This time we had 36 stockings filled to the brim with toiletry items from Sandwich National Honor Society Students, hand written holiday cards from home-schoolers, coats from so many places, bins and bins full of clothing, bags filled with snacks, homemade cookies and a chili and cornbread communion feast. In these challenging times, I have found such hope in the generosity shown to absolute strangers. There was no desire for credit, no photo opps, no names in the paper for the wonderful work that is being done, just a simple desire to reach out and help people. And this desire goes beyond helping people get their basic needs met, but offers extravagant hospitality through those small tokens that say “I care about you as a person,” “You deserve to be treated well,” “you are worth this effort.”
Our ministry has been so blessed by this generosity, we are so blessed by the abundance that is offered that our hearts are overflowing with joy knowing that there is such incredible goodness in our community and that there is such compassion for those who are living unsheltered or marginally sheltered lives.
Thank you.
Rev Pam Wannie 