From soap to socks to towels and more, the community provided a multitude of bath items for the clients of Our Place at a Sunday gathering organized by the Baha’i of Metchosin.
With 10 of these annual outreach and service days now in the books, the Baha’i are incredibly grateful to the broader community for helping out, said the group’s spiritual mentor, Michael Hsieh.
“Originally it was just to create an opportunity to teach our children in the spirit of service, so we asked children to bring socks and towels,” he recalled of the early days. “Eventually it grew bigger and bigger and now it’s the whole community participating. There are more people who come who are not Baha’i than Baha’is. We just present it as a platform for community participation and service.”
In total, more than 200 bundles of items, topped off with a personalized greeting card, will be passed along to individual clients of Our Place.
The community event coincides with a time of year in the Baha’i faith that focuses on service, sharing meals together and celebrating family, Hsieh said.
Representatives on hand from Our Place were thrilled with the turnout on the day and the outpouring of generosity.
“In all little corners of Victoria, there’s people who are making Our Place what it is,” said Tracy Campbell, community relations co-ordinator. “They take the time to co-ordinate and get people to come out and come up with creative ideas to support less fortunate people.”
Added Oceanna Hall, spiritual care team member at Our Place: “To me, it’s family helping our family. To us, all the people who come through our doors at Our Place are family members and the hospitality is very important to us here,” she said. “One of the things I appreciate the most about the Baha’i and their faith is that sense of unity and inclusion that they have. This event really speaks to the fact that they are such a warm, open unifying faith.”
Organizers of the event gave a hearty thank you to Thrifty Foods and Superstore, who provided many of the toiletries such as soap and toothbrushes for the bundles.
If you’d still like to donate to the cause, visit ourplacesociety.com/donate or drop by their location at 919 Pandora Ave. in Victoria.