Sharon: One of the Many Friendly Faces of HWF

Sharon has been a dedicated volunteer for Helping With Furniture for eleven years now.  "I am 76 years old and plan to serve with HWF for as long as I can," she says.  As a member of the Visiting/Assessment team, her job is to go to a client's home – in person or via Zoom nowadays* – and see first-hand what they need in the way of furnishings, take measurements, and develop a closer relationship with the people we help.

"My favourite part about volunteering with HWF is meeting the wonderful families from so many different parts of the world, hearing their stories, and being amazed at the resilience they have in overcoming adversity.  I see the expressions on the faces change from the time they open their door (or their computer screen!) and when we leave.  The families are so grateful for our service."

In fact, Sharon is so dedicated to the mission of Helping With Furniture that you can find her on garbage night, with her husband, picking up usable items from the curbside.  Hardly a week goes by that a friend does not drop off household items or bikes to her for HWF. She and her HWF partner have stories of standing in the rain, scaling snow banks and ice covered stairs, and trying to find house numbers in the dark.  Without volunteers like Sharon, HWF wouldn't be able to reach even a fraction of the families we help every year.

"HWF changes the lives of countless families, makes their house a home, gives them respect and dignity and lets them know by our actions that they matter, that they are welcome, that they belong and that we are willing to help them."

If you too would like to positively affect the lives of Ottawa families, please consider donating to our award-winning organization and follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

*Due to the ongoing Covid-19 health crisis, Helping With Furniture is performing visitation and assessment work via the digital platform Zoom.