Anchored in Kindness - Origins of our Circle of Friends Pop-Up Giveaway

By Andrea F.

The first clothing and home goods Pop-up Giveaway in Holy Rosary Parish's driveway began in October 2021. While cleaning out the Holy Rosary's garage, I discovered household items which were ready to be repurposed. At the time, the parish's Outreach Ministry was collecting clothing for our neighbours. It happened that the Circle of Friends received extra clothing donations from a few donors, which were plentiful and of amazing quality. This seemed like a good opportunity to distribute the extra items ASAP and to encounter our community directly.

Some of the clothes and household items that were given away in October 2021

Dedicated volunteers worked to sort and display our “merchandise” in an aesthetically pleasing manner, which would be easy to browse. The measure employed was: if you would be willing to wrap up the item as a Christmas gift, it can go out. Otherwise, we will find the item for another purpose.

On the Saturday of the pop-up giveaway, as it often plays out in my volunteer work, I received far more from the people I was seeking to give to. October 2021 was a time in the COVID pandemic when many communal things were closed, and, in my opinion, a large number of people were isolated or lonely. I hoped to foster connection through this initiative. The kindness our Hintonburg neighbours demonstrated in stopping by for a conversation and sometimes making use of the objects allows me to feel that this goal of connection was met.

A few highlights. There was interest from those visiting us in hearing about the projects the Circle of Friends and our parish, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, are completing to help the community. Some individuals offered their talent, time and treasure to contribute to the projects when they discovered this shared mission. I enjoyed chatting with others who wanted to discuss faith. Finally, in good humour, clothes were offered to everyone passing, without using a lens of judgment of their apparent financial status. It was wonderful to see the result of these offers!

Encounter of Hope

A bird's-eye view of the clothing giveaway

One encounter will forever remain etched on my heart. A woman, with her arm in a sling, was shyly observing that we had items from her place on the sidewalk. I warmly welcomed her and offered to be her “personal shopper”. I indicated she would be helping me out by taking some items before I packed up everything soon. Together, we found our groove, adding more and more items to her pile; even some for her daughter. I listened as her story slowly came out. She was staying nearby at a shelter for abused women. Eventually, she felt uplifted and shed tears, sharing, “I feel that with this, my luck is finally turning around. Maybe I will think about visiting the church now that I am in the area and see if there is something for me there”.

---

Andrea is a parishioner at a Catholic parish and lives in Hintonburg. She enjoys gelato, refinishing furniture and volunteers in a variety of ways to serve the community. If you have an interest in helping with our Circle of Friends initiative or any aspect of Communications for our parish (website, social media or communications) please email us via our website: https://www.ottawaholyrosary.com/contact.

Editor’s Note: Andrea’s idea sparked an annual event, which has now morphed into a fall and summer event! Hundreds of people have been helped by this initiative. Our next event is set for June 14, 2025 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Thank you, Andrea, for listening to the Holy Spirit and being the “hands and feet” of Jesus.