J.D. POTIÉ
SHAWVILLE Nov. 2, 2019
On Saturday, Saint Paul’s Anglican Church in Shawville invited . . .
the community to shop for free, during its second annual one-day pop-up shop called Our Family’s Closet.
According to the event’s main organizer Reverend Susan Lewis, members of the church started collecting the clothes near the start of October, which were all donated by the community.
“We get people of all walks of life that come in,” she said. “But people generally come in need of something and almost always find something. The rest of the community is very generous.”
The shop featured a wide variety of clothing for all sorts of people, from newborn clothes to designer brands and even attire suitable for seniors and everything was free of charge.
Lewis explained that the initiative was based on the church’s mandate of giving back to the community.
While around 10 volunteers help coordinate the event itself, she emphasized that it wouldn’t be feasible without generous contributions from locals.
“Whatever comes in goes back out,” she said. “It’s the whole community that helps the rest of the community.”
To prevent the shoppers from going to hungry, a few volunteers served fresh coffee and donuts from the kitchen inside the hall.
“It’s all about hospitality,” she said. “We just want people to feel comfortable when they come in because it’s hard to walk through that door.
