On the first Wednesday of every month, the Drayton Christian Reformed Church basement is a beehive of activity.
Volunteers from the Drayton area sort through donated bags filled with clothing, household items, blankets and medical supplies, as part of the Drayton Sort and Pack program.
Along with the donations, the organization also ships handmade knitted and crocheted items and quilts. At the back of the foyer inside the church is a large wooden cupboard filled to the brim with yarn. Everyone is welcome to take yarn home from the “yarn cupboard” to knit or crochet items for donation to the organization. Baby quilts and knitted dolls are given through northern Ontario medical clinics as gifts to First Nations’ new mothers in need.
Evelyn Knetsch, co-ordinator of Drayton Sort and Pack said, “Every one of our volunteers has a desire to help those in need. One of our faithful quilt donors is 98-year-old Laura Marchment of Mount Forest. At age 94, she purchased a sewing machine and completed 100 quilts. Marchment is an inspiration to all of us and has donated many more quilts over the last four years.”
The organization has been in operation for over 13 years. Donations left in the red drop box behind the church are brought into the Sort and Pack room in the church’s basement, sorted and packed into donated boxes put together on the premises. Boxes packed for northern Ontario destinations include snowsuits, infant clothing, hats, mittens, sweaters, sporting goods, school supplies, blankets and quilts. Those going overseas are filled with household goods, used clothing and hospital supplies.
Used eye glasses are donated to Medical Ministries International. The boxes are then shipped to the Mennonite Relief Depot in Kitchener. From there, boxes destined for Our Friends of First Nations are trucked free of charge by Erb Transport to Timmins. Boxes destined for northern communities are flown free of charge by Quebec Air to Attawapiskat, Ontario where they are dispersed to communities in need.
Boxes destined for CFFC are trucked from Kitchener to Toronto and shipped overseas to countries in need. CFFC is a volunteer organization with no paid employees.
In 2012, 8.3 million pounds of clothing were shipped to 22 developing countries, including Sierra Leone and the Philippines through the organization. Drayton Sort and Pack shipped close to 200 boxes to Our Friends in First Nations in 2014.
Donations from Drayton Sort and Pack make a difference in the lives of many Northern Ontario residents. Groceries are extremely expensive due to the remoteness of northern communities. One pound of butter costs $7.79, four litres of milk $9.27, a dozen eggs $4.45, 50 pounds of potatoes $49.99, 500 millilitres of peanut butter $9.25 and a can of beans $3.29. These items total $106.92. The addition of donated goods helps support communities in need.
“Thank you to everyone who donated items, made and tied quilts, knitted vests, hats, mittens and slippers, sorted and packed, drove trucks and flew planes,” Knetsch said.
“If you would like to make a difference in the lives of those in need, come and join us on the first Wednesday of every month from 1 to 3pm.”
Drayton Sort and Pack always welcomes donations of good, clean items to help those in need.
For more information on the organization contact Knetsch at 519-638-3341.
