Following their amazing toy donation initiative last month, and in time for the Christmas season, The Gift CK is sharing ’10 Stories of Giving’ stemming from their November 21 event, which includes personal accounts from local residents.
The Gift CK has asked the Sydenham Current to share these inspirational stories and we are happy to showcase them for 10 days straight, starting on Saturday, December 19, 2020.
Here is story #6:
“I feel like a Mom. We did this together.”
Jessica’s excitement turns to heart felt as she asked what it felt like.
We were out and about providing meals to Chatham’s most vulnerable, when we came across Jessica at The Chatham Motel.
A vibrant Jessica was excited to get a free coat from The Gift CK donations.
She beamed about how great she’s doing, how she’s getting clean and how much she’s looking forward to the future.
She started to go on about how proud she is of her son.
We perked right up; we are trying to make sure everyone has a Christmas.
“What are your plans for your son this Christmas?”
That’s when things became real.
Jessica started to cry about how she didn’t know what she was going to do.
That she has only seen her son twice in the last 92 days.
“Chatham-Kent has toys Jessica, what are his interests?”
The complete transformation of her mood said it all.
The way she went on describing in detail how her son loves to work with his hands it became clear, this would mean the world to Jessica.
We hopped in the van right there and went to Michael’s.
Jessica cried and cried calling her mom on the way.
She shopped for over an hour picking out just the right things.
A white t-shirt for her, her mom, and her son plus a tie-dye kit for the two of them to make together.
All paid from the financial donations of Chatham-Kent.
“How does it feel Jessica?” the volunteer asked “I feel like a Mom.”
What an amazing opportunity for CK to give to Jessica.
What an amazing feeling for Jessica to be able to provide her son on Christmas.
The question is: did it get even better the next week?
We stopped at the Chatham Motel with a van load of CK donations to get something nice for the residents at the Motel.
We saw Jessica first, our collective hearts led us to the next step.
We went there to play Santa Claus to anyone we could find.
We saw Jessica first, in a moment it felt clear she could play that role at The Chatham Motel better than we ever could.
She picked out all she needed to be able to get something for everyone at the Motel.
She even wanted to take hundreds of suicide prevention cards to hand out around town.
Chatham-Kent gave Jessica an amazing gift to provide a Christmas for her son.
Then she got the job usually reserved for the select few.
Maybe even a job she can do better than ‘we’ can.
Who knows the Chatham Motel better than those that live there, who do they trust more, who knows the ones that won’t accept help?
Who can find them all?
Maybe most important of all, who will be there tomorrow.
We won’t be, Jessica will.
Jessica now has a job and an important one.
An important job that possibly she can do better than anyone.
Jessica doesn’t just feel like she matters, Jessica matters.
“How important is it for everyone to get the chance to have what so many of us have? Even if for a moment. Maybe they will want to have that moment a little more in the future. I sit at home and my biggest worry is that I’m stuck at home with my family. This makes me think.” – Gord Hyndman, Anderson’s Canada, Blenheim, story sponsor.
