Editor’s note: Between Dec. 17 and Dec. 27, The Chatham Voice is proud to share the 10 Stories of Giving. Each day, we follow a different story of Chatham-Kent giving, courtesy of The Gift.
It started with pancakes and ended with dog toys for Christmas 2020.
When Pauline walked in and saw her sister making pancakes for herself for the first time in years, she couldn’t help but be overtaken with joy and she broke down into tears.
It was at that moment she realized how a simple task for some can be a monumental step for others.
Pauline recalled seeing a post in the Shrewsbury Facebook group about a food drive and felt compelled to reach out to the local organizer, Tom. She wanted to encourage him to ensure food could get into the hands of those struggling the most, like her sister Susie and other neighbours that felt ostracized by society.
All that Susie knew is that she was ready to give up. She talked about how she enjoyed volunteering to clean up St. Clair’s Bush on a monthly basis. However, due to not having a vehicle for six months, she could no longer do that. This further added to her depression.
Susie explained that she was at the point of sharing food with her precious dogs Doobie and Blaze.
That started to change when she saw bags of groceries on her front porch. She didn’t know it came from her sister. As Susie opened the bags and saw the quality of items, such as Honey Cheerios and paper towels, she gushed, “We can’t afford paper towels.”
The next week, Tom got creative and wanted to find a way for Susie and her roommate Carson to become active participants in receiving food drive items. He noticed Carson standing outside and he broke the ice by asking him if his house was for sale. Next thing you know, some trust was built between them, and Carson and Tom filled their kitchen floor with groceries.
When Susie came home and saw all that food, she knew what her father meant when he said, “You do a little good and it just spreads and spreads and spreads.” And, “I’m not gonna give up. I’m going to keep doing good.”
Pauline said, “I see her out on her bike more; she cooked meals for others struggling, and it has brought our relationship back. She and I have a long way to go, but it’s a big step. It just warms my heart.”
Unlike the May 16th Miracle, Susie and Carson did notice posters about THE GIFT.
This time, they reached out on their own by responding to a Shrewsbury survey.
This time no one had to pretend they were there to buy the house to get food in their bellies.
This time, they trusted their neighbours enough to accept help, and they even requested toys for Doobie and Blaze.
Susie said, “I just love my babies so much! I love that they are getting Christmas this year.”
“I love seeing everything all come together, it took everyone of us this year to get Susie to the point again where she felt the trust in the community again to ask for help. Keep it up, Chatham-Kent,” said Kim Hinnegan, of Hinnegan Law, this story’s sponsor.
It took Pauline’s love for her sister to reach out to Tom with her concerns. It took Tom’s background in social work to execute. It took all of Chatham Kent coming together twice in six months to get those toys in those fur babies’ mouths this holiday season.
Susie I love and miss you terribly.xxoo