A local real estate team just made a sizeable donation to Home and Community Support Services of Grey Bruce ahead of the holiday season.
The Terri Hastings Real Estate Group provided HCSS with over $18,000 worth of items that the organization had a great need for, including hygiene kits, warm socks, and mittens.
The donation was organized through the Community Needs Network, which Jessica Hastings-Lesperance launched a few years back so the group's giving had a clear, organized platform to respond quickly and support those who need it most.
"The whole goal of what we're doing is to fill those small gaps where funding is limited," she said. "When you team up with HCSS, the pregnancy centre and the homeless shelter, those places, they do need help because their funding is limited at times. I don't know if people always know that... so hopefully through our organizing, fundraising and collaborating, that will help share that awareness."
Over the last three and a half years, the Community Needs Network has helped coordinate and deliver over $118,000 in donations across the region, collecting contributions for groups like the Sauble Family Health Team and the Grey Bruce Pregnancy Centre.
Hastings-Lesperance says the focus of their donations can come either by request or just through hearing about a potential need for organizations that provide essential care.
She says keeping it local has helped her realize the impact their small team can make.
"When I would put together the fundraiser, I would always feel like it wasn't enough... One time, we raised four carloads of clothes for a place that needed clothes, and it lasted a week," she said. "But then you realize later... yes it didn't last long, however the person leaving the hospital now has socks on their feet because they didn't own shoes. It kind of brought a little more excitement and light knowing that what we were doing was starting to make an impact on a personal level."
This latest donation drive was organized after conversations with Hastings-Lesperance and Nora Walden, an Intake Coordinator at HCSS. The need for socks, mittens and other items was identified, and Hastings-Lesperance went to work reaching out to her network to raise what they could.
She says doTERRA was able to provide 72-hour emergency hygiene kits, that come with things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitizing wipes, shampoo and conditioner, bandages and more.
"It was about $18,000 in in-kind donations from (doTERRA). Then Treasure Hunt gave me, I think $150 of socks and hats. The rest of the donations was from our team members and all my clients from my yoga studio (Cedar Wellness Studio), they donated as well."
Her family also makes contributions, with her children Arkelle and Nash helping in delivery of the donations last week.
The donations were dropped off on Friday and the HCSS said the items will directly support individuals who urgently need help during the coldest and most challenging time of the year.
“This donation isn’t just about items; it’s about dignity," said Hastings-Lesperance. "We want people in our community, especially seniors and adults living with disabilities, to know they’re not forgotten."
To learn more about the Community Needs Network, visit the Terri Hastings Real Estate Group website.
