A young couple eagerly await outside a darkened Burlington store front. Peering through the window, they ogle at the merchandise inside. Pointing out a black sweater, fixated on a pair of jeans and inspecting a toddler’s stroller, the duo have already complied a mental checklist of the items to pick-up during their visit. Although this scene may sound familiar, they are not inline for a weekend Summer Sale at the mall, nor is it the grand-opening of a new department store. Instead they wait outside Compassion Society, a program that distributes used clothing, food and employment information to struggling citizens in the Halton region.
Established merely eight years ago, Compassion Society founder, Mina Wahidi, began the program from inside her basement. It was a time when Wahidi and her closest friends found themselves suffering through a rough patch. Unable to afford new items at retail or department stores, the group would get together to swap and trade clothing with each other. Eventually, Wahidi’s simple clothing swap grew out of her basement and into a bigger idea and eventually the not-for- profit organization, Compassion Society.
“A sense of ease must be felt throughout the store. We want people here to be treated with dignity,” said Lori, a volunteer. “When you are going through a hard enough time already, you don’t need people to be mean – you want compassion.”
The not-for-profit organization now offers clients with an in-store ‘food cupboard’ which they can visit once a week to stock up on non-perishable food items, and once a month with one garbage bag full of clothes and toys.
Now in a building within the community core, interacting and connecting with those in-need has been easier, allowing Wahidi to reach out to people like Madeline*. Madeline currently resides in Burlington and has utilized the services of Compassion Society for almost three years. After receiving full custody of her three grand-daughters, Madeline looks to the program to help her provide a “special treat” for her girls. “Sometimes if you are tight on money, it’s nice to be able to pick up little things for girls; things for their lunches, used books, trinkets, just those little things.”
According to Madeline, her family first began to depend on Compassion Society following a series of unfortunate events over the past year. “We are borderline,” she says. “Before, my family didn’t need the help, but now things have changed and it provides us with a treat once in a while.”
Madeline is only one out of over 5,000 individuals who are registered in the program’s database, each with their own story as to why they rely on Compassion Society. However, the not-for-profit organization relies on others generosity too. With funding assistance from the United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton, Compassion Society effectively grants citizens these necessities for life that they simply cannot afford on their own. “The Compassion Society is continually growing, needing even more funding to support the cause,” says Lori. “That is why United Way is extremely important to us. We love United Way here.”
* Clients name has been changed