Charitable organization a labour of love

Their payment comes in coffee and camaraderie, and the knowledge that they are helping to make a difference in children’s lives half a world away.

For the past decade, the volunteers at Canadian Food For Children (Chatham-Kent) have sent food, clothing, toys, bedding, school supplies, and bicycles – basically if it’s needed, they’ll send it – to help children overseas.

The organization began in Toronto in 1985, started by Dr. Andrew Simone and his wife Joan, at the behest of Mother Theresa. In 2006, Sandra and John Van Raay started the local wing of the group.

Much of what the local branch of the charity does today would not be possible if not for Frank Van Oirschot, who owns the Inshes Avenue building in which CFFC CK is housed.

It started in two rooms, and has now grown to occupy more than 10,000 square-feet of space in the building’s basement, with a main-floor office.

The group doesn’t pay rent, or hydro; and no one who helps out receives a paycheque; all the work is done by volunteers.

And there is no shortage of labour, as so far this year, they’ve sent off 15 54-foot tractor-trailers filled to the ceiling with donated goods.

“We started with ordinary trucks,” Sandra said. “We’d be happy with two or three truckloads. Now we’ve sent out 15 transport trucks this year.”

And a 16^th is in the process of being loaded.

Sandra said the support from the community in terms of donated goods, and the work ethic of the volunteers, is impressive.

“We get humbled all the time by what people are doing,” she said.

Two mornings a week, the local team gathers, taking in donations and sorting through items received. From suitcases full of gently used clothing, to boxes of school supplies, to bicycles and even old sewing machines, the basement has nooks and crannies of space filled with items. Some are newly arrived and waiting to be sorted, while others are packaged and ready for shipping.

The latter have tags letting people at the eventual destination know where they originated.

Sandra said the volunteers really enjoy receiving photos from the destination points showing children with the donated items.

When it comes to sending food overseas, Sandra said CFFC shops locally and receives local donations from area businesses. The latest support group is Southwestern Ontario Gleaners, an operation that takes donated fruits and vegetables and dehydrates them for no charge. Sandra estimated that so far this year, CFFC has received enough donated soup to fill 500,000 bowls.