The Pink Coat

Over the last month volunteers from the Bronte churches and other community members organized and collected winter coats. This is has been an annual event which provide much needed warm winter wear to those in need within Oakville.

Many Bronte and Oakville residents search through their closets and bring their finds to the collection points. From there, volunteers get the garments sorted, cleaned and then placed on racks for distribution.

I was fortunate to assist yesterday in the distribution of the coats and wanted to share a brief story the impact of those donations and of the hard work by what is really a small group of volunteers.

With the racks set up and organized the gym at St. Dominic School was filled. Added to this were tables set up with mittens, gloves, hats, scarfs and even footwear.

Even before the doors were opened people began to line up. There was a chill in the air, winds blowing and rain showers. Over the coarse of the morning, the line was so long with people waiting for their turn, the hall was filled to capacity and then outdoors.

I wanted to share, through this blog post a story and insight into the impact this event has on people.

First and most important, there is a sense of joy and hope in the air. As people came into the hall and began to search for a coat, mitts or hat, we saw many smiles as they found something that fit, had some style and made them feel good.

For many, English was not even a second language. When I see those smiles there is a wonderful lyric from Crosby Stills and Nash's Wooden Ships which comes to mind "If you smile at me I will understand, 'cause that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language".

Between the smiles of the people searching and finding coats and the volunteers, there was no language barrier.

Sometimes the interactions you have during the day can leave a profound impact.

While I was transferring coats from a half empty rack to another; a small family caught my eye. A mother, a son and a daughter. It was clear the daughter did not want to be there. We can only guess why. But it is not hard to imagine; maybe fear or concern that the coat she needed might not fit or be something she would want to wear at school. Peer pressure when you are 11 or 12 can be devastating. Her mom was trying to help and as they worked through the racks, they discover a pink coat. The little girl tried in on, it fit and was in great condition, almost new. It had a bit of a faux fir on the hood and sparkles on the front. The fear, sadness expression turn to a smile and and a look of joy. She loved the coat and I can only imagine, she would be excited to wear it to school and for her friends to see.

At the end of the day, I shared what I had observed with one of the other volunteers. She had seen that same interaction. Both of us commented that this few seconds had impacted us and reaffirmed the reward you get from volunteering. It made our day.

Another volunteer shared a story of a lady, perhaps Syrian who was looking for a winter coat. She had tried on a few and clearly she wanted warmth but something a bit more stylish. The volunteer remember a very nice designer long coat in great condition. She founded and brought it to this lady. She tried it on, a perfect fit and again the language barrier disappeared.

I am still waiting for some numbers from the organizer but my guess is somewhere between 200-300 people, families, individuals found winter wear. When we finally closed there were only 4 or 5 rackets left over out of maybe 20. The coats were bagged and delivered to the Good Shepherd in Hamilton for further distribution.

Having lived in Bronte my whole life and also worked as part of a small group at Halton to get the Salvation Army Shelter built on South Service Road; I have long known poverty and need exists in Oakville.

You can see it in the demands on the Food Banks and the various organizations that help those people and families in need. What is different, is it's lack of visibility compared Toronto or Hamilton. But it is here and growing. Yes Oakville is very affluent but there are people who face significant challenges in housing (Oakville is the 4th most expensive place to rent in all of Canada).

Hopefully this story about the power of a pink coat will provide you with some insight about what happened to that coat you dropped off. More over, inform you of the needs in our community.

As Christmas approaches, think about the Food Banks, toy drives and the charitable organizations who are helping people. Make them top of your Santa list for giving.

With the focus on the municipal election there is a lot of talk about change in Bronte and Oakville. I can tell you there has always been change. Bronte was always more than just buildings. It was people, sense of community, belonging and caring for each other. That is still here, but like poverty, you don't see it. Largely because it is done quietly and behind the scenes.

There are so many organizations in need volunteers, search them out, find something you connect with and means something. I can assure you that the real Bronte is there to be found and you will play a big role in making it an incredible place to live.