The dynamic Detailleur duo was at it again in support of the Salvation Army recently.
Alyah and Noah, 11 and 13, again donated non-perishable food items to the local Salvation Army in an effort to help stock the shelves of the food bank just before the holidays.
It’s the fourth straight year the local children sought support for the Salvation Army, and if their effort continues to snowball as it has, they’ll need to make more than one trip next year.
In 2016, Alyah and Noah’s collected donations filled the back seat of the family pickup truck. This time around, they filled the entire truck bed.
The effort moved Capt. Karen Holland of the Salvation Army to tears.
“It’s huge; the generosity of this community is huge,” she said. “And when I see the young ones doing it too, it really means a lot. We have lots of people who really need this.”
Holland told Alyah (Noah was absent) her giving nature is a building block on who she will become as an adult.
“To start at this age, that’s going to be in you for life,” she said.
It all began four years ago when the family was in Toronto.
“We were getting ready to leave and I saw a homeless person with a sign that said, ‘Please give me money. I’m hungry,’” Alyah said.
“She gave him some food, and coins out of her own purse,” Melva said.
Alyah also helped a stranger down on his luck in Chatham last year, giving him a granola bar and some water.
That’s who this young girl is, and her mother couldn’t be more proud.
Prior to last year’s food drive, the Detailleur kids worked to have blankets, hats and mitts donated to help keep homeless people warm.
The shift to non-perishable food items kicked the effort into high gear.
Melva Detailleur, mother to the dynamic duo, said the effort doesn’t really have a start or stop point.
“Whenever we get groceries, we always put something aside,” she said. “And on Nov. 1, we start collecting from others.”
This year, Melva said a family friend set up a donation box beside a calendar giveaway at a local business, and in no time had $160, which the Detailleurs used to purchase items for the Salvation Army.
As well, family and friends stepped up their donations. At times, the family would come home to find boxes of donations on their doorstep.
This time around, Alyah said they decided to increase their focus on toiletries – soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant. These are items Salvation Army officials said are often overlooked as people donate. They are also things people short on funds will not put a priority on when shopping for themselves.
“If you can afford food or toiletries, you go without deodorant,” Holland said.
What’s next for the Detailleur kids? Alyah has a simple goal for 2018 and beyond.
“I want it to keep growing.”
