When we invited individuals to tell us what good they could do with $100 back in October, nothing could have prepared us for the response. There were many stand-out stories that lifted our spirits and left our hearts feeling full. Over the coming months we will share with you some of the amazing and heartfelt stories from our $10,000 Local Give. This is the first story.
When Hayley McLean saw the Interior Savings $10,000 Local Give on Facebook, she jumped at the chance to participate. With Christmas just around the corner, Hayley knew what she wanted to do.
“In Kelowna, there is a non-profit group called Mamas for Mamas,” explained Hayley. “I began by posting on their Facebook page that I was looking for a single mom who was going through some hard times and could use some help with Christmas dinner.”
Hayley was overwhelmed by the messages that began to pour in.
“It made me feel sad to see so many people in need, and to choose just one family was going to be incredibly difficult. So I started thinking… what if I asked my family and friends to help? Maybe then I could help three families.”
And that’s exactly what Hayley did! And much to her delight, her friends and family did not disappoint; they embraced the opportunity to make Christmas a little brighter for three families with cash and food donations.
But Hayley didn’t stop there. She called some local businesses, and again her requests were met with enthusiasm. Urban Harvest Organic Delivery donated fresh produce; Lush Cosmetics donated soap and bath bombs; DAVIDs TEA happily supplied tea. And on top of all that, Saje Natural Wellness donated three huge gift bags each with diffusers and gifts to pamper the moms. “I was totally blown away that these businesses trusted me like that. I wasn’t a charity – I was just a mom given a gift of $100 to do something special with.”
At the end of the day, Hayley, with the help of some big-hearted friends, family, and local businesses managed to turn the $100 intended for a turkey dinner for one family into well over $1300 in food and gifts to help three families. “My large hall was full of boxes and grocery bags containing so much more than just a single dinner. This little project had turned into something quite big and wonderful!”
With helping hands from her husband and two sons, Hayley delivered the packages to each of the families and was greeted with hugs, smiles, tears and heartfelt thanks.
“Your $100 created some very full bellies and happy hearts,” Hayley wrote. “Thank you to Interior Savings for doing such a cool project and still having trust in the good of others.”
From all of us at Interior Savings, thank you Hayley for embracing our $10,000 Local Give! You created so much more than we ever could have expected. And what a wonderful example of community working together to make a difference.