How a shopping trip lead to an idea
By: Brandy Ford
Read it in the Standard HERE
Kristie Beattie has packed suitcases full
of toys and clothing while venturing on mission trips to developing nations with her wife.
They have given time, money and more to
impoverished countries and know what they have done has made an impact; whether
it be on a community, or just to one single child.
But a recent shopping trip to a pharmacy led Beattie on a road to help those suffering extreme poverty in her
own backyard.
“I went into a local drug store and was
shopping and came across this bin of really great deals. I started buying
random things, like a knee brace, because everything was coming up for an
extreme discount,” Beattie says.
Although the items were not anything
Beattie could use herself, she says the discounts were so low that she could
not pass up the opportunity to pick up some deals and was confident she could
find use for them.
“It was such an extreme discount I knew I
would be able to find someone in the area that could use everything. I don’t
have any use for it, but I know someone would.”
Beattie says the home care clerk at the
store noticed she was buying odds and ends and inquired what she was going
to do with all of her purchases.
“We got talking and I told her I was
going to make sure that everything got to people in need. A few days later she
had four boxes of items for me at a discounted price. There were scrubs, hip
comfort pads, ankle and wrist braces, hernia wraps- everything you could
imagine.”
Beattie says, although the items were
random, she knew that every single purchase would benefit someone in need.
“I know I can ship to the Dominican. I
have places there that I know of which can help others. But I wanted to help
locally. How can I help people here?”
Beattie began contacting local retirement
centres and care facilities and went across the region asking each to “take
what you need and leave what you don’t for someone else”. At the end of the day
there was not one item left.
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| Kristie Beattie (left) and Melanie Gratton, show a few of the items they will be donating to local seniors in need. Beattie says the aging population in our own backyard is often “overlooked or forgotten”. |
Beattie says many expenses are not
covered by OHIP benefits, and the elderly are not in a position to supplement
their income to pay for these needs. Sadly, she says, many do not have support
from family or friends to help.
“There is extreme poverty going on,” she
says as she holds back tears. “It was horrible. It was so sad to see how they
are living. I understand many of them may have been homeless in their
day, and are still living off the bare minimum that they are given, but these
conditions are horrible.”
Beattie says sometimes it is difficult
for people to “respond well to this sort of thing”. She says there is a lot of
focus on charities supporting those with illnesses, children and poverty in
other countries, but she knows the community can make a difference helping the
elderly in need.
Beattie and her wife, Melanie Gratton are continuing to
collect donations of items and will be dropping them off to local homes. They
say items such as bladder control underwear, braces, comfort pads and anything
a senior could use would be appreciated. They can be reached by email at kristheterp@gmail.com or melaniegratton1@gmail.com.
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