Kitchener woman puts together hampers for local people in need
Giving comes easy for daughter of missionary parents — ‘I didn’t want to sit around and do nothing,’ she says
KITCHENER — Julie Sawatzky’s garage has turned into a pantry of sorts.
Shelving in the garage is stocked with canned goods, laundry detergent, paper towels and baby wipes.
Sawatzky, a wedding photographer pre-COVID-19, is like many, out of work.
The mother of three decided she wanted to be useful and shake off feelings of sadness while living in a pandemic.
“I didn’t want to sit around and do nothing,” said the 36-year-old Kitchener woman.
She created a Facebook page and soon had 1,700 members and donations of non-perishable food items coming in. Cash donations were also sent to her. She also used her own money to buy items for the hampers.
With the donations of food and money, Sawatzky has assembled about 70 hampers and made more than 30 home-cooked meals, and with the help of her husband has delivered the hampers and meals to people in the region.
“It really has helped me to get through this,” she said. “It doesn’t take a lot to be generous. It takes effort.”
For Sawatzky, helping others comes easy. Her father lived in the Old Order Mennonite community and the family was raised with Mennonite values and beliefs.
Sawatzky spent more than six years as a child living in Papua New Guinea when her parents were missionaries.
With some of the cash donations, she bought a 40-pound turkey and roasted it and then made two large pots of turkey vegetable soup.
When she was unable to deliver the soup to a local homeless shelter, she put out a request on her Facebook page and soon she was delivering soup to peoples’ homes.
“I know there are more people who think like me,” said Sawatzky, referring to the people she has connected to on Facebook.
“This is a great way to find your tribe and hopefully after this we can remain friends,” she said.
Sawatzky said she hopes she can inspire others to help.
“We are blessed. We are riding this through and doing what we can as long as we can,” she said.
If you can help or want to reach out, contact Sawatzky at julienicolephotographykw@gmail.com