To the donor of a red Christmas sweater, size medium: Thank you. You may never know the impact that gesture has had, but someone else will.
Yesterday, a woman I know very well came up to me.
As she approached, I kindly pointed out that she’d forgotten to remove the sticker-tag on her sweater. I’m sure you’ve seen one before – a sticker that is placed on the front of an item of clothing and tells the size.
Perhaps you’ve even accidently forgotten to take one off a shirt or sweater before you went out.
But she hadn’t forgotten.
“Oh no,” she told me. “I wanted you to see. I got the sweater yesterday, but I couldn’t remove the tag before I showed you. Did you see? It’s new! Brand new!”
She was given the sweater at the Food Bank.
Thank you – because your generosity has restored someone’s dignity. For all I know, this may have been the first new item that she has ever owned in her life.
This woman has no money to pay for a bus pass, but you may see her walking around town.
If you do, stop and say hi, and complement her on her red Christmas sweater. You’ll most likely receive a big smile as she tells you, proudly, that it’s new.
Thank you to the Food Bank, as well as all the generous residents of our community who have given back this Christmas season.
Andrea Dykshoorn
Abbotsford Community Services